# Ecotech Radion XR15FW Freshwater



## xxstitch69xx

what level of lighting will this provide on a 36x18x18 tank?

thanks.


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## jeffkrol

xxstitch69xx said:


> what level of lighting will this provide on a 36x18x18 tank?
> 
> thanks.


a lot, since you will need 2.......


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## gus6464

Yep 36" is too long for a single unit. But based on other Radeons you are looking at a boatload of light no matter the height. Someone on RC has 2x XR15w on a 5ft long, 2ft high tank and it covers the tank easily with a boatload of light.


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## plantbrain

2 and their hanging kit. One thing that pesters me is the lack of Red and orange/yellow in the output in the spect graph. It is VERY heavy in the blue spike, much like their reef lighting, but has a bit more red. Not a lot more though. 

They need like 2-3x that amount and replace some of the blue LED's with the reds and yellows.

I'd buy it then.


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## gus6464

plantbrain said:


> 2 and their hanging kit. One thing that pesters me is the lack of Red and orange/yellow in the output in the spect graph. It is VERY heavy in the blue spike, much like their reef lighting, but has a bit more red. Not a lot more though.
> 
> They need like 2-3x that amount and replace some of the blue LED's with the reds and yellows.
> 
> I'd buy it then.


I think that chart is based on as if you were running all the blue channels at 100% which is most likely not going to happen. Realistically one would run the blues at probably 25% of the power and the red at a much higher power to balance it out. The software gives you an approximation of color temp though so you could play around with pushing more reds and see what you get.


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## LRJ

Does the software show spectral distribution?


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## gus6464

LRJ said:


> Does the software show spectral distribution?


Yes. This video shows the spectral output.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odD3tgF2LDY


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## LRJ

Man that's really sweet! Thanks.


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## Crimson

I once had 2x radion pros gen 2's on my 48x24x21h reef. I sold both after I broke down my reef. Even one of the pros would of been too much for my build in progress 24x24x18h planted cube. I have xr15fw on order.


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## gus6464

Crimson said:


> I once had 2x radion pros gen 2's on my 48x24x21h reef. I sold both after I broke down my reef. Even one of the pros would of been too much for my build in progress 24x24x18h planted cube. I have xr15fw on order.


Where you order it from? All the places online are not taking preorder so I had to go through LFS but they don't have a concrete ETA.


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## Vermino

gus6464 said:


> Where you order it from? All the places online are not taking preorder so I had to go through LFS but they don't have a concrete ETA.


I believe Aquascape Depot is selling them now - EcoTech Marine Radion XR15 Freshwater LED


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## Crimson

One of my past reefing places...aquarium specialty. I should have it soon.


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## gus6464

Crimson said:


> One of my past reefing places...aquarium specialty. I should have it soon.


Ahh ok cool I will check them out. Did they give you the 10% off all Radion sale that is going on right now?


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## Crimson

gus6464 said:


> Ahh ok cool I will check them out. Did they give you the 10% off all Radion sale that is going on right now?


Sadly no 10%, that is from ecotech and not up to the vendor. Ecotech wont give it for the xr15fw.


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## LRJ

Does anyone have the Reeflink, and if so, is this something you'd think is worth spending the extra money on?


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## ThatGuyWithTheFish

The problem with LEDs is that the only good ones are mad expensive.


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## plantbrain

gus6464 said:


> I think that chart is based on as if you were running all the blue channels at 100% which is most likely not going to happen. Realistically one would run the blues at probably 25% of the power and the red at a much higher power to balance it out. The software gives you an approximation of color temp though so you could play around with pushing more reds and see what you get.


Then they should balance things so you CAN running the lights for FW at 100%, think about it. It's common sense.

Why make a fixture that is basically a reef light and then argue that you can turn the blue way way down to make up for the poor design and thought process/lack of FW planted needs regarding spectrum and growth/red coloration etc??
These guys are making a high end $$$ product(that I love, but they missed the boat here).

The Blue/Royal blue range is massive compared to all the other colors. Relative to the other lights, we are talking 50-60% of the total output being in the blue ranges, when we should only have perhaps 10-20% there, and 60-70% in the red to yellow ranges. 
Will it grow plants? Sure, but it's wasting the light energy in doing so if you need/want more light. You'd get better growth, better colors from the plants, more red pigment production and more total PAR variations with less blue/royal blues and more reds, yellows and oranges. 
I want nice color for FW plants over the entire 100% driven system.

They still have work to do on this.

Kessil makes a nice 360 Tuna Sun, not sure what their spectral graph looks like, but I do know what a good graph SHOULD look like. 
It's not something that's any secret, so I'm not sure why more LED makers have NOT done this.
Sell what you got rather than develop something specific I suppose, but then call it specific.

I'll buy one/several if they fix the issues. Not a hard fix either, replace a few of the blues for reds and yellows. 
I sent them an email some time ago, same for Kessil, neither have responded back.

Ah, but what the heck do I know.


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## gus6464

LRJ said:


> Does anyone have the Reeflink, and if so, is this something you'd think is worth spending the extra money on?


Reeflink allows you to adjust the software wirelessly through your pc, phone or tablet and also remotely through the internet. Its nifty if you care to do that plus you can get it half off right now when you buy a radion so at $99 its a better buy. It also connects your vortech pumps as well.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk


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## jeffkrol

plantbrain said:


> Then they should balance things so you CAN running the lights for FW at 100%, think about it. It's common sense.


plus 10...........


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## gus6464

plantbrain said:


> Then they should balance things so you CAN running the lights for FW at 100%, think about it. It's common sense.
> 
> Why make a fixture that is basically a reef light and then argue that you can turn the blue way way down to make up for the poor design and thought process/lack of FW planted needs regarding spectrum and growth/red coloration etc??
> These guys are making a high end $$$ product(that I love, but they missed the boat here).
> 
> The Blue/Royal blue range is massive compared to all the other colors. Relative to the other lights, we are talking 50-60% of the total output being in the blue ranges, when we should only have perhaps 10-20% there, and 60-70% in the red to yellow ranges.
> Will it grow plants? Sure, but it's wasting the light energy in doing so if you need/want more light. You'd get better growth, better colors from the plants, more red pigment production and more total PAR variations with less blue/royal blues and more reds, yellows and oranges.
> I want nice color for FW plants over the entire 100% driven system.
> 
> They still have work to do on this.
> 
> Kessil makes a nice 360 Tuna Sun, not sure what their spectral graph looks like, but I do know what a good graph SHOULD look like.
> It's not something that's any secret, so I'm not sure why more LED makers have NOT done this.
> Sell what you got rather than develop something specific I suppose, but then call it specific.
> 
> I'll buy one/several if they fix the issues. Not a hard fix either, replace a few of the blues for reds and yellows.
> I sent them an email some time ago, same for Kessil, neither have responded back.
> 
> Ah, but what the heck do I know.


Except it's impossible to get an LED to output a CCT in the 6500-6700K range without pushing more blue than red. Even your beloved Azoo has to push more blue to get the 6700K look. If I am wrong about that, then go ahead and post the spectral graph they showed you.

This is the spectral output of a Cree XT-E neutral white (green line). The red, amber and yellow region are quite close to the blue. Graph is nice but ohh wait the avg CCT is 4500K which is too yellow for freshwater folk's taste. Only way to get the CCT to the desired 6000-7000K is to add more blue.










Then of course manufacturers have to take into account people who like an even higher K look like 10-12K. That look is going to require a ton of blue vs red. The Radion at max blue output is probably pushing a CCT in the 14K range. Could they have forgone the 2x cool blue LED for something like 1 cyan to smooth out the curve? Sure. At least this light hits chloro a on two peaks vs pretty much every other LED out there that only hits on one peak if you're lucky. A 6000K look will look considerably different on the graph. This light starts you off at a pretty even blue/red base with the neutral white which you are failing to see.


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## Crimson

My eyes tend to like the blues better, but that's from owning a reef I guess. Doesn't 7000k bring out greens? This light may not be suitable for a "Dutch" tank with red plants but it seems suitable for a "Iwagumi" style.

I should have the light by Thursday. From what I read reeflink has many issues with connectivity and I don't believe you get the 50% off when buying the fresh water version (I could be wrong). Since I own apex if I wanted, most likely pick up a wxm for it which does not need ecotech live. I never did understand why people like to keep changing colors on the reef tanks. Change is bad for coral, they like consistency not sure if that applies to fw plants or not? So far it seems plants are far more forgiving than corals.


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## jeffkrol

gus6464 said:


> Except it's impossible to get an LED to output a CCT in the 6500-6700K range without pushing more blue than red.
> 
> 
> 
> Then of course manufacturers have to take into account people who like an even higher K look like 10-12K. That look is going to require a ton of blue vs red. The Radion at max blue output is probably pushing a CCT in the 14K range. Could they have forgone the 2x cool blue LED for something like 1 cyan to smooth out the curve? Sure. At least this light hits chloro a on two peaks vs pretty much every other LED out there that only hits on one peak if you're lucky. A 6000K look will look considerably different on the graph. This light starts you off at a pretty even blue/red base with the neutral white which you are failing to see.



Well not really.. fast chart:
High CRI, high red, low blue, "close" to 6500k (easily tweaked w/ white)
For cooler people.. they could run red "slighty" lower..










substitute 1 cyan for a 6500K and your CCT goes to 6496..........effectively 6500K


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## gus6464

jeffkrol said:


> Well not really.. fast chart:
> High CRI, high red, low blue, "close" to 6500k (easily tweaked w/ white)
> For cooler people.. they could run red "slighty" lower..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> substitute 1 cyan for a 6500K and your CCT goes to 6496..........effectively 6500K


I fail to see how that is a single emitter.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk


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## gus6464

Crimson said:


> My eyes tend to like the blues better, but that's from owning a reef I guess. Doesn't 7000k bring out greens? This light may not be suitable for a "Dutch" tank with red plants but it seems suitable for a "Iwagumi" style.
> 
> I should have the light by Thursday. From what I read reeflink has many issues with connectivity and I don't believe you get the 50% off when buying the fresh water version (I could be wrong). Since I own apex if I wanted, most likely pick up a wxm for it which does not need ecotech live. I never did understand why people like to keep changing colors on the reef tanks. Change is bad for coral, they like consistency not sure if that applies to fw plants or not? So far it seems plants are far more forgiving than corals.


The light has more than enough red power for dutch. Plus you get chloro a with the violets as well. A balanced dutch spectrum will be easy by pushing a lot of red, green, and violet while toning down the royal blue.

Those oslon hyper reds can go up to 3.5W at full power. A BML red doesn't push nearly that amount.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk


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## Vermino

gus6464 said:


> Reeflink allows you to adjust the software wirelessly through your pc, phone or tablet and also remotely through the internet. Its nifty if you care to do that plus you can get it half off right now when you buy a radion so at $99 its a better buy. It also connects your vortech pumps as well.
> 
> Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk


The 50% off Reeflink isn't combined with the XR15FW. Only the other Radion lights (that are marine specific)


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## gus6464

Vermino said:


> The 50% off Reeflink isn't combined with the XR15FW. Only the other Radion lights (that are marine specific)


Well that's kind of silly. Guess they don't care to push the new light that much.


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## Vermino

gus6464 said:


> Well that's kind of silly. Guess they don't care to push the new light that much.


not if it's new. Typically new products in any industry stick to price tag before going on sale or clearance. Guess that is just how business works.


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## JeffE

Subbed for pics when you guys get it. Having each color on a channel is neat. 


- Jeff


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## gus6464

Vermino said:


> not if it's new. Typically new products in any industry stick to price tag before going on sale or clearance. Guess that is just how business works.


I can understand not giving a discount on the light itself like the other radions. But the reeflink is already being offered half off with the other units so it wouldn't hurt ecotech one bit to also offer it on the new one. If anything it would provide an incentive for people to get more radions and link everything.


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## ThatGuyWithTheFish

gus6464 said:


> I can understand not giving a discount on the light itself like the other radions. But the reeflink is already being offered half off with the other units so it wouldn't hurt ecotech one bit to also offer it on the new one. If anything it would provide an incentive for people to get more radions and link everything.


You can always go to the ecotech subforum and ask if they'd extend the sales.


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## Crimson

With my radion pros I just configured via my computer. I should have the light tomorrow (thurs). I am going to be busy setting up the tank tomorrow.


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## jeffkrol

gus6464 said:


> I fail to see how that is a single emitter.
> 
> Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk


we were talking about LED design like the Radion..who was talking single emitter??


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## LRJ

ThatGuyWithTheFish said:


> You can always go to the ecotech subforum and ask if they'd extend the sales.


Not a bad idea actually. I think I'm almost sold on using this light for my tank. If the Reeflink was 50% off that would really put it over the edge.


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## gus6464

jeffkrol said:


> we were talking about LED design like the Radion..who was talking single emitter??


I was responding to Tom Barr about having a 6500K emitter without pushing more blue than red which is impossible.

And I already covered that the main emitter of the Radion is a neutral white XT-E which has an almost even blue to red ratio. They balanced the light nicely by just putting 2 royals along with the 2 oslon hyper reds. They could have replaced 1 cool blue with 1 cyan to even out the curve but ohh well. Neutral XT-E puts out quite a bit of amber already.

Since when is giving the user options for custom CCT a bad idea? With BML you are stuck with one look. With the Radion you can go 5000K, 6300K, 7000K, etc with the touch of a button.


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## jeffkrol

gus6464 said:


> I was responding to Tom Barr about having a 6500K emitter without pushing more blue than red which is impossible.
> 
> And I already covered that the main emitter of the Radion is a neutral white XT-E which has an almost even blue to red ratio. They balanced the light nicely by just putting 2 royals along with the 2 oslon hyper reds. They could have replaced 1 cool blue with 1 cyan to even out the curve but ohh well. Neutral XT-E puts out quite a bit of amber already.
> 
> Since when is giving the user options for custom CCT a bad idea? With BML you are stuck with one look. With the Radion you can go 5000K, 6300K, 7000K, etc with the touch of a button.


Point was there are many ways to make 6500K..
Both lights on full, both w/ 6500K approx.. One much higher in red than another..
It would be interesting to compare the 2 side by side..












The manuf. still think "reef"... 

As to BML.. I'd pair a 13000K w/ a 3200k "amazonia" w 2 channel dimming..8100K estimate w/ both on full..

Or even 10000k 3500k (6750K on full)


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## gus6464

jeffkrol said:


> Point was there are many ways to make 6500K..
> Both lights on full, both w/ 6500K approx.. One much higher in red than another..
> It would be interesting to compare the 2 side by side..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The manuf. still think "reef"...
> 
> As to BML.. I'd pair a 13000K w/ a 3200k "amazonia" w 2 channel dimming..8100K estimate w/ both on full..
> 
> Or even 10000k 3500k (6750K on full)


That chart is not for the XR15FW @ 6500K. All reef radion units use cool white so your base is already pushing a ton of blue. Comparing a reef unit with the FW is completely irrelevant as the base white is a totally different chip.


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## Aquascape Depot

LRJ said:


> Not a bad idea actually. I think I'm almost sold on using this light for my tank. If the Reeflink was 50% off that would really put it over the edge.


We actually listened and do have the Reeflink for 50% off with the EcoTech Radion Freshwater XR15. 

Hope this helps LRJ and whoever else is looking for this set package. Aquascape Depot is here for the TPT community and it never hurts to send a message my way if you ever are looking for something.


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## gus6464

Aquascape Depot said:


> We actually listened and do have the Reeflink for 50% off with the EcoTech Radion Freshwater XR15.
> 
> Hope this helps LRJ and whoever else is looking for this set package. Aquascape Depot is here for the TPT community and it never hurts to send a message my way if you ever are looking for something.


Ordered. How fast to Socal? :icon_mrgr


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## LRJ

Aquascape Depot said:


> We actually listened and do have the Reeflink for 50% off with the EcoTech Radion Freshwater XR15.
> 
> Hope this helps LRJ and whoever else is looking for this set package. Aquascape Depot is here for the TPT community and it never hurts to send a message my way if you ever are looking for something.


Just placed my order. Thanks!


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## Aquascape Depot

gus6464 said:


> Ordered. How fast to Socal? :icon_mrgr





LRJ said:


> Just placed my order. Thanks!


Already shipped out. Should be to cali in a day or so. LRJ might be 2-3 days to arrive.


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## gus6464

Aquascape Depot said:


> Already shipped out. Should be to cali in a day or so. LRJ might be 2-3 days to arrive.


:bounce: Awesome.

Wonder if Crimson got his Radion today.


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## Crimson

Matter of fact I received it yesterday! My tank is still in progress though.


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## JeffE

Would love to see pics of the spectrum with all different channel settings!


- Jeff


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## Crimson

I will try and post something today.


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## bhazard451

ThatGuyWithTheFish said:


> The problem with LEDs is that the only good ones are mad expensive.


This is a completely ignorant statement. There are many affordable setups that work just as good or better than the "expensive" ones. People don't want to invest the time in learning about a new lighting method, and the major companies play on that by overcharging you for an out of the box solution.

I ran a side by side with a Reefbuilders 32" and Radion Pro G2 on my reef tank for a few weeks, and the half priced RB unit was more powerful, more visually appealing, and grew coral quicker. The RB is still there.

The $45 55w Beamswork fixture I bought for my planted tank works great. I can't cut my plants quick enough.


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## plantbrain

Why pay a lot for a nice LED light that has only 2/3rd's of the power going to where it's needed?

It's not hard to include different emitters on the base design. Or offer a modular switch out like the lens so the user can customize the different emitters.

From a construction viewpoint, this is not a huge issue to overcome. 
Then you can use the full power of the unit specific for the planted tank, not having to turn down most of the blues to get the right optimal spectra for plants. 

If you have 40% of the light in the blue range, when you only need say 10-15%, and you want say 60-70% at the Red/orange range , but only have 10-15%, how's this fixable by changing the intensities?

It's not. 

It's like you have to use only 1/2 or less the total power to get the right spectral light. It's like buying a Prius, but getting the same gas mileage as a big truck. At least you have the option to do this with the Ecotech lights.

You also have these same features on many of the new LED's to change color temps etc. But, you still have the same problem with the large blue weight and relative minor red/orange/yellow. The BuildmyLED spectral graphs are much better. You'll get more out of those over the entire intensity ranges used.


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## lamiskool

plantbrain said:


> Why pay a lot for a nice LED light that has only 2/3rd's of the power going to where it's needed?
> 
> It's not hard to include different emitters on the base design. Or offer a modular switch out like the lens so the user can customize the different emitters.
> 
> From a construction viewpoint, this is not a huge issue to overcome.
> Then you can use the full power of the unit specific for the planted tank, not having to turn down most of the blues to get the right optimal spectra for plants.
> 
> If you have 40% of the light in the blue range, when you only need say 10-15%, and you want say 60-70% at the Red/orange range , but only have 10-15%, how's this fixable by changing the intensities?
> 
> It's not.
> 
> It's like you have to use only 1/2 or less the total power to get the right spectral light. It's like buying a Prius, but getting the same gas mileage as a big truck. At least you have the option to do this with the Ecotech lights.
> 
> You also have these same features on many of the new LED's to change color temps etc. But, you still have the same problem with the large blue weight and relative minor red/orange/yellow. The BuildmyLED spectral graphs are much better. You'll get more out of those over the entire intensity ranges used.


 
Couldnt agree more, why buy a light when you are only going to use a fraction of its power...On a second note, in the beggining I though BML LEDs had it right as they let you customize exactly the spectrum you wanted and did it for you. I never thought about being able to do it yourself, wonder if an led company will ever make a product like that! It actually sounds like a great marketing opportunity especially if they were the ones supplying the leds themselves


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## JeffE

Easy enough to switch out chips on the evergrow/Reefbreeders lights. I'm sure it's possible with the ecotech as well but I think people expect more from ecotech for the price and power. I am really jealous of the radions programming. What i really want is a custom freshwater spectrum 60+ watt multichip with atleast 2 channels warm and cool. 

P.s. Tom I'd really like to see what you think is the best spectrum with any chip selection on the www.1023world.net/diy/spectra calculator! 

- Jeff


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## gus6464

plantbrain said:


> Why pay a lot for a nice LED light that has only 2/3rd's of the power going to where it's needed?
> 
> It's not hard to include different emitters on the base design. Or offer a modular switch out like the lens so the user can customize the different emitters.
> 
> From a construction viewpoint, this is not a huge issue to overcome.
> Then you can use the full power of the unit specific for the planted tank, not having to turn down most of the blues to get the right optimal spectra for plants.
> 
> If you have 40% of the light in the blue range, when you only need say 10-15%, and you want say 60-70% at the Red/orange range , but only have 10-15%, how's this fixable by changing the intensities?
> 
> It's not.
> 
> It's like you have to use only 1/2 or less the total power to get the right spectral light. It's like buying a Prius, but getting the same gas mileage as a big truck. At least you have the option to do this with the Ecotech lights.
> 
> You also have these same features on many of the new LED's to change color temps etc. But, you still have the same problem with the large blue weight and relative minor red/orange/yellow. The BuildmyLED spectral graphs are much better. You'll get more out of those over the entire intensity ranges used.


Yes because everyone should stick to the color that YOU like. Funny how out of a light that has 15 LEDs, 2 are royal blue yet apparently somehow by magic a third of the maximum power come from those two.

The light at full power all channels is in the range of ~12K white. Some people like a color in that range as evidenced by the many people buying 10K BML setups. But who cares about them.

The software on this light is beyond anything available in the freshwater market right now, period. You want to run a red dawn that slowly ramps up to a 10K blue sky burst and then back down? This light can do that. Every channel is independently controlled and able to be on it's own schedule.


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## Crimson

LOL you guys are reminding me of the good times with heated arguments over lighting for corals.. Google this:" Anyone Thinking of Dumping LEDS and going back to Halides " if you feel like it lol.

Anyway, here are some screen shots... 










5k











7k











7.5k











10k










20k lol ahh the memories..










Ignore the "power" because it depends on what time of day I clicked on.

Thanks,

Paul


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## Vermino

plantbrain said:


> It's like you have to use only 1/2 or less the total power to get the right spectral light. It's like buying a Prius, but getting the same gas mileage as a big truck. At least you have the option to do this with the Ecotech lights.
> 
> You also have these same features on many of the new LED's to change color temps etc. But, you still have the same problem with the large blue weight and relative minor red/orange/yellow. The BuildmyLED spectral graphs are much better. You'll get more out of those over the entire intensity ranges used.


so do you have your A/C at the lowest temperature possible? haha (i'm just teasing you) Na, it's Ecotech's first freshwater LED light; so there are going to be flaws in it. I mean their background is saltwater, saltwater, saltwater. Does that mean we should buy it and say "hey it's perfect."; Definitely not.

A prime example would be Current USA. Their first LED wasn't up to PAR so to speak but it was mediocre and got their foot into the doorway for improving on an simple model. Now I personally love my Satellite Freshwater LED+ and I've heard great things about the E-Series as well (besides the constraining new price tag as of right now). So to bring a long story home; If they didn't have that initial support, they might of not been able to bring out a more modernized model to the community that the people "wanted". 

To get back on subject, the cool thing about Ecotech's fixtures is you can easily replace your LED rings (from what I read). So really all Ecotech has to do is create a better combination of emitters and throw them into their model.

I mean if anyone buys a 15XR and doesn't feel it's optimal as possible, Submit a ticket to them about it should be improved. I remember Fluval did a recall on the Edge from their horrible lights to LEDs. People supported it, told them what was wrong with it, and got it improved, then the main supporters got compensated.

Bump:


gus6464 said:


> The software on this light is beyond anything available in the freshwater market right now, period. You want to run a red dawn that slowly ramps up to a 10K blue sky burst and then back down? This light can do that. Every channel is independently controlled and able to be on it's own schedule.


I couldn't agree with you more Gus. It's nice to finally have some advance "turn-key" software in the freshwater aquatics. If the emitters are the only thing at are flawed here, then it's a small flaw that can be fixed. At the end of the day, if you plants are growing and your aquarium looks beautiful to your eyes - then that's all that matters


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## gus6464

Vermino said:


> so do you have your A/C at the lowest temperature possible? haha (i'm just teasing you) Na, it's Ecotech's first freshwater LED light; so there are going to be flaws in it. I mean their background is saltwater, saltwater, saltwater. Does that mean we should buy it and say "hey it's perfect."; Definitely not.
> 
> A prime example would be Current USA. Their first LED wasn't up to PAR so to speak but it was mediocre and got their foot into the doorway for improving on an simple model. Now I personally love my Satellite Freshwater LED+ and I've heard great things about the E-Series as well (besides the constraining new price tag as of right now). So to bring a long story home; If they didn't have that initial support, they might of not been able to bring out a more modernized model to the community that the people "wanted".
> 
> To get back on subject, the cool thing about Ecotech's fixtures is you can easily replace your LED rings (from what I read). So really all Ecotech has to do is create a better combination of emitters and throw them into their model.
> 
> I mean if anyone buys a 15XR and doesn't feel it's optimal as possible, Submit a ticket to them about it should be improved. I remember Fluval did a recall on the Edge from their horrible lights to LEDs. People supported it, told them what was wrong with it, and got it improved, then the main supporters got compensated.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> I couldn't agree with you more Gus. It's nice to finally have some advance "turn-key" software in the freshwater aquatics. If the emitters are the only thing at are flawed here, then it's a small flaw that can be fixed. At the end of the day, if you plants are growing and your aquarium looks beautiful to your eyes - then that's all that matters


This pretty much nails it. All Radions since they came out have been upgradeable to the newer version by upgrading the puck and/or power supply. You can go from a Gen 1 to a Gen 3 by paying $70 per puck. They have added and taken out LEDs in the process as well. A gen 3 puck is more powerful than a gen 1 and doesn't require a whole new light.


----------



## Crimson

gus6464 said:


> This pretty much nails it. All Radions since they came out have been upgradeable to the newer version by upgrading the puck and/or power supply. You can go from a Gen 1 to a Gen 3 by paying $70 per puck. They have added and taken out LEDs in the process as well. A gen 3 puck is more powerful than a gen 1 and doesn't require a whole new light.


To go from gen1 to gen3 you need to send the light in. Gen2 to gen3 is an easy end user upgrade.


----------



## jeffkrol

gus6464 said:


> The light at full power all channels is in the range of ~12K white. Some people like a color in that range as evidenced by the many people buying 10K BML setups. But who cares about them.


The 10000k actually calculates out to be 8535K.. oddly enough..



> LED Selections per 12" Board: (10) 5700K Cool White, (3) 660nm Deep Red, (2) 450nm Royal Blue


----------



## plantbrain

lamiskool said:


> Couldnt agree more, why buy a light when you are only going to use a fraction of its power...On a second note, in the beggining I though BML LEDs had it right as they let you customize exactly the spectrum you wanted and did it for you. I never thought about being able to do it yourself, wonder if an led company will ever make a product like that! It actually sounds like a great marketing opportunity especially if they were the ones supplying the leds themselves


Yes, my only gripe there is the ugly fixture vs a nice sleek looking light. 
I want both dagummit.


----------



## plantbrain

JeffE said:


> Easy enough to switch out chips on the evergrow/Reefbreeders lights. I'm sure it's possible with the ecotech as well but I think people expect more from ecotech for the price and power. I am really jealous of the radions programming. What i really want is a custom freshwater spectrum 60+ watt multichip with atleast 2 channels warm and cool.
> 
> P.s. Tom I'd really like to see what you think is the best spectrum with any chip selection on the www.1023world.net/diy/spectra calculator!
> 
> - Jeff


Thanks for the link.

The Citizen 251's, the 3000 and the 4000K are awesome in terms of the spectra. 

Edison 38000-5000K also very good.

You get the picture from there, but you still need to balance those bulbs over all with aesthetics. So some more red and blue and white mix. 

Just not overloaded on blue.

That said, I own an Ecotech, But it's for a reef, not a planted tank. 
I use Ecotech's porducts, the vortech powerheads on FW. 
I like them, but wish they'd do more to focus on the planted market a bit more. 

The Azoo had a nice spectra and a nice CRI color temps as well, so it can be done when running the emitters at 100%. 
Then you can blend and tweak from there with the software(which I have along with the wireless). I like them, just want the same attention to planted fixtures.


----------



## plantbrain

Vermino said:


> so do you have your A/C at the lowest temperature possible? haha (i'm just teasing you) Na, it's Ecotech's first freshwater LED light; so there are going to be flaws in it. I mean their background is saltwater, saltwater, saltwater. Does that mean we should buy it and say "hey it's perfect."; Definitely not.


Exactly.

I've stated that in about 1-2 years from now, we will have some awesome specific planted LED's from a number of vendors and it's headed that way.

They need the consumer feedback, good logic and feedback. This way they can target improvements and help their market. 

I'm someone that dabbles in FW and Reef and marine systems. So I've long used their products. But pricey to be sure, but cool. 

Current ramped up things and has done better, a few other companies have also, I'm not wild about the design, I use a Current on my refugium. 
Azoo seems to be on the right path, but their systems need scaled up. Like the 1st product, they will fix and design things better. 

DIY builds are another option, but as soon as I see what I like and am in a lot of $, I might not even like the end result. I've done enough R&D already with lighting to know what is going to get me a nice color and look for the plants and the aesthetics. 

So these companies can listen and we can see what they do in the next 1-2 years. 

Then I might be tempted to sell my ATI's.




> To get back on subject, the cool thing about Ecotech's fixtures is you can easily replace your LED rings (from what I read). So really all Ecotech has to do is create a better combination of emitters and throw them into their model.


Yes, a simple rather easy adjustment is all.

Still, for Ecotech to even take a step in this direction of FW plants is a huge step. I hope we will see some changes in the next few months or year or two. The rest of the product platform is awesome. I know that already because I have them for marine systems.


----------



## jeffkrol

plantbrain said:


> Thanks for the link.
> 
> The Citizen 251's, the 3000 and the 4000K are awesome in terms of the spectra.


Fun w/ Citizens..









* LED List
CITIZEN CL-L251 4W CRI90White 5000K CL-L251-HC4N1-C 295lm ×7
CITIZEN CL-L251 4W CRI90White 4000K CL-L251-HC4W1-C 280lm ×6
CITIZEN CL-L251 4W CRI90White 3000K CL-L251-HC4L1-C 255lm ×6
Philips Lumileds Luxeon Rebel 3W Cyan 490-510nm LXML-PE01 133lm ×4
SemiLEDs C35L-U-A 3W UV 410-420nm (U70) 475-815mW 815mW ×2
----------------------------------------
* Total Flux
Luminous Flux : 5815 lm
Radiant Flux : 23.12 W
PPFD (PAR) : 111.2 µmol s⁻¹
----------------------------------------
* Spec by 60ﾟ & 30cm
Illuminance : 61700 lx
PPFD (PAR) : 1180 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹

Bump:


plantbrain said:


> Exactly.
> 
> They need the consumer feedback, good logic and feedback. This way they can target improvements and help their market.


you have your chance w/ Finnex right now

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=697666&page=2


----------



## Vermino

plantbrain said:


> Azoo seems to be on the right path, but their systems need scaled up. Like the 1st product, they will fix and design things better.


Yeah I've seen the mini-flex (didn't get a chance to hit up Geoff and John at Superzoo this year in Vegas) but definitely looks promising.


----------



## gus6464

So the Radion arrived and set it up with the reeflink and have been playing with the color palette for a couple of hours. First thing I noticed is the software is definitely off when it comes to showing color temp. Reason is because I know what a 20K light looks like and at 100% all channels the light does not look 20K. I am still going through the software trying to find the spectral profile as it has a lot of options.

My favorite T5HO combo which I have on my quad unit consists for 2x 6400K, 1 wave point ultra cola, and 1 wave point coral wave. It looks like this:










What I have gotten so far on the Radion.










And the color setting.










Still messing with the color but getting pretty damn close. PAR wise the Radion pretty much matches my quad T5HO light.


----------



## jeffkrol

gus.. you know what "your" 20000K looks like.. There are an infinite number of "mixed colors" that can correlate w/ 20000K...each of which can look "different"...
Using CCT... not a black body source..
you'll come close but w/out cyan and the other "gaps" being filled, you won't "quite" hit it.
Flour. have the same problem.. 
Matching a flour 20000K (w/ its spikes and valley) against LEDs (w its spikes and valleys) is a tough job..
I am glad your having fun though.. 

20000K metal halide.. just because....








http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/aafeature

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/313727-providing-the-correct-spectrum/


----------



## gus6464

jeffkrol said:


> gus.. you know what "your" 20000K looks like.. There are an infinite number of "mixed colors" that can correlate w/ 20000K...each of which can look "different"...
> Using CCT... not a black body source..
> you'll come close but w/out cyan and the other "gaps" being filled, you won't "quite" hit it.
> Flour. have the same problem..
> Matching a flour 20000K (w/ its spikes and valley) against LEDs (w its spikes and valleys) is a tough job..
> I am glad your having fun though..
> 
> 20000K metal halide.. just because....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/aafeature
> 
> http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/313727-providing-the-correct-spectrum/


My goal is to get a color close to the purple/red hue that some of the nicest looking T5HO tanks have here while showing red pigments. I am confident this light can do it.


----------



## vraev

Looking forward to your updates. I was planning on the BML dutch XB, but that was coming out to 210$ with the mounts. I would be really interested to see if this can handle plants and provide the rich red colour that we all crave.


----------



## Crimson

Still tweaking colors.. problem is I am gravitating towards old reef habits.

Don't forget to calibrate your radion(s) before tweaking which can be found in ecotechlive.com under devices --> highlight your radion in green --> then click on gear icon --> last calibrate.


----------



## gus6464

Crimson said:


> Still tweaking colors.. problem is I am gravitating towards old reef habits.
> 
> Don't forget to calibrate your radion(s) before tweaking which can be found in ecotechlive.com under devices --> highlight your radion in green --> then click on gear icon --> last calibrate.


Ahh haven't done that yet thanks for the tip.

On a side note I made a modular rail system for my Besta stand today. Can accomodate the Radion and any other light including T5HO.










Ecotech wants $89 for their mount and it's not height adjustable. Made this for $50 and it's adjustable up/down/back/front.


----------



## kman

Slick mount! Where did you get the rail, and how is it assembled? Got pics from the side and at an angle?


----------



## LRJ

Looking nice gus! 

I think I'm going to order the EcoTech hanging kit. My Radion arrived today, but I've still got a ways to go before my tank will be set-up and I can really get an idea of how it will look.


----------



## gus6464

kman said:


> Slick mount! Where did you get the rail, and how is it assembled? Got pics from the side and at an angle?


The rail is made up of 80/20 aluminum extrusions bars cut to size. This one is the 1010 version which is a 1" square. You can buy it online at amazon but I got it locally from a shop that just sells this stuff. It costs $2.64 a foot. They have all kinds of connectors you can get for it as well as you can see from the L connector.

The radion is hanging by an M5 size bolt that has a big head that just slides into the extrusion which I got from the shop too. I bolted the bar directly to the besta stand with an L connector. It can hold quite a bit of weight so I can hang my T5HO light by just using a longer cross arm and using lag bolts.


----------



## Crimson

I flooded my tank last night. I will upload a pic later today of the light. Here is my profile that I am using now for my radion. If you load my profile make sure you save/export yours first!

View attachment xr_15fw_1.zip


I used a tv mount for the radion. I used these when I had my dual Gen 2 pros but since the xr15 is smaller it required some extra doing to mount.

Amazon.com: VideoSecu TV Mount Adapter Bracket LED LCD VESA100 to VESA 200mm, 200x100mm Extender MLE100B W39: Electronics

Amazon.com: VideoSecu LCD LED Monitor TV Ceiling Mount For Most 15"-27" Flat Panel Display with VESA100x100, 75x75, Fit flat and vaulted ceiling mount, and wall mount B17: Electronics


----------



## ivo

Have people considered using Ecotech gen3 Pro instead? I know it is meant for marine but in comparison with it's freshwater model, gen3 pro also has yellow, more red and green leds in it. It has many default freshwater programs set up, not a bad light at all. I bought it a month ago and notice good plant growth that I didnt achieve with my maxspect. It has other features that it is fun to play with. Now new tank mount will be available soon which I prefer than hanging from ceiling.


----------



## vraev

Beautiful setup. I can't wait to try mine for my terrarium.


----------



## vraev

Just placed my order...can't wait to try this fixture out.


----------



## Crimson

Ivo the gen 3 is overkill imo but it will work.

here is a pic of how mine is mounted:


----------



## ivo

Crimson said:


> Ivo the gen 3 is overkill imo but it will work.
> 
> here is a pic of how mine is mounted:


crimson, nice set up I love it. Talking about overkill today I bought new kessil A360WE Tuna Sun led as well. Here is a picture of my light system, it is a combo of kessil, ecotech gen3 pro and maxspect p series. I am awaiting ecotech gen3 pro tank mount to be released. The other two are modified maxspect p series module (I swapped 4 warm white and blue to 4 hyper red in each module). Looks bit messy but once ecotech tank mount is released it should look more sleek.


----------



## talontsiawd

I want to thank all members who are sharing their experiences. This light looks pretty awesome and is smaller than I thought. It is a shame that the mounting arm is so bulky (which is why I thought the light was bigger). The color adjustment looks to be much more than I would have expected, not less, which is great for a freshwater light. Spread looks to be great as well. 

Too bad I finally have seemed to have figured out my 4 bulb setup on my 60P. Because I has taken so long, I feel obligated to stick to that ATM, not that I can afford to drop the cash on this right now anyway. On that note, how "scalable" is this light? I know the spread is about 24 inches and you may need to add another one on a bigger tank but I am kind of curious what the smallest reasonable tank you could put this on and what may be the deepest. I have avoided buying expensive lights unless I know I will keep a tank or at least the width for a long time. Part of the appeal of this light, and this kind of lighting is the fact you can change tank sizes without replacing the lights, which usually are hard to resell if they aren't the newest.

Anyway, this looks like it more than bridges the gap between some of the high end reef setups I have seen and something like the Sat +/E-series, while having a relatively decent price point, considering the differences. I am excited to see how these work out long term.


----------



## kman

talontsiawd said:


> I want to thank all members who are sharing their experiences. This light looks pretty awesome and is smaller than I thought. It is a shame that the mounting arm is so bulky (which is why I thought the light was bigger). The color adjustment looks to be much more than I would have expected, not less, which is great for a freshwater light. Spread looks to be great as well.
> 
> Too bad I finally have seemed to have figured out my 4 bulb setup on my 60P. Because I has taken so long, I feel obligated to stick to that ATM, not that I can afford to drop the cash on this right now anyway. On that note, how "scalable" is this light? I know the spread is about 24 inches and you may need to add another one on a bigger tank but I am kind of curious what the smallest reasonable tank you could put this on and what may be the deepest. I have avoided buying expensive lights unless I know I will keep a tank or at least the width for a long time. Part of the appeal of this light, and this kind of lighting is the fact you can change tank sizes without replacing the lights, which usually are hard to resell if they aren't the newest.
> 
> Anyway, this looks like it more than bridges the gap between some of the high end reef setups I have seen and something like the Sat +/E-series, while having a relatively decent price point, considering the differences. I am excited to see how these work out long term.


I was talking to my LFS about this light just this past weekend.

They're big fans, and have used the Radions quite often, including a number of them around the store. None of the Freshwater ones yet, but they're very familiar with the lights, which they love. They've used the saltwater versions for reef setups.

They did, however, confirm that the lights, while extremely powerful, don't get into the corners very well unless you have multiple lights. The lights certainly have the spread to light up a 60P, but just barely, and more importantly, if you have a lot of stuff in your tank (you know, like _plants_), you can easily block the light hitting the corners if everything is not very carefully positioned. So it can work (and well) with a 60P, but everything inside will need very careful positioning, but anything bigger than a 60P (which is roughly 24x12x14, IIRC) and you'll need multiple lights to effectively light the tank evenly.


----------



## gus6464

Crimson said:


> Ivo the gen 3 is overkill imo but it will work.
> 
> here is a pic of how mine is mounted:


That looks awesome. Is that an 18" cube?

I am flooding the 60P today as my 90P is coming down for a reboot so finishing up the co2 reactor. I should have PAR readings when flooded by end of day hopefully.

Bump: Ohh and for whoever gets one I called Ecotech to inquire about the 80deg TIR lens and how to buy one but they sent me one free of charge. I didn't even pay for shipping.


----------



## LRJ

Crimson said:


> Ivo the gen 3 is overkill imo but it will work.
> 
> here is a pic of how mine is mounted:


Awesome! You guys are making me really anxious to get mine up and running.


----------



## gus6464

Flooded.


----------



## Crimson

My tank is a marineland 24x24x18h (inches) 45 gallon.
Thank you! This is my first planted tank. I will have full details of my build shortly.

Gus, I like the look of glass lily pipes but the thin glass is a concern. Do they make acrylic ones? I would need ones that are for 5/8id or I guess that would be 16mm tube? Love the clean look of your iwagumi. 

Thanks again,

Paul


----------



## gus6464

Crimson said:


> My tank is a marineland 24x24x18h (inches) 45 gallon.
> Thank you! This is my first planted tank. I will have full details of my build shortly.
> 
> Gus, I like the look of glass lily pipes but the thin glass is a concern. Do they make acrylic ones? I would need ones that are for 5/8id or I guess that would be 16mm tube? Love the clean look of your iwagumi.
> 
> Thanks again,
> 
> Paul


I don't think they make acrylic ones and if they do they will be spendy. I got those from ebay and they are 17mm which are too big for the tank. I have 13mm ones on the way.

The ones I got are pretty nice actually for the price. I will PM you the link.


----------



## kman

Crimson said:


> My tank is a marineland 24x24x18h (inches) 45 gallon.
> Thank you! This is my first planted tank. I will have full details of my build shortly.
> 
> Gus, I like the look of glass lily pipes but the thin glass is a concern. Do they make acrylic ones? I would need ones that are for 5/8id or I guess that would be 16mm tube? Love the clean look of your iwagumi.
> 
> Thanks again,
> 
> Paul


Yes, there is a guy on eBay who sells acrylic lily pipes. 

Personally, I'd go for the stainless steel pipes before I'd go acrylic, though. Glass isn't that fragile with reasonable care, though, which is why most people use it. The acrylic is also really hard to clean without scratching, I've read.


----------



## Aquascape Depot

kman said:


> Yes, there is a guy on eBay who sells acrylic lily pipes.
> 
> Personally, I'd go for the stainless steel pipes before I'd go acrylic, though. Glass isn't that fragile with reasonable care, though, which is why most people use it. The acrylic is also really hard to clean without scratching, I've read.


Yeah Stainless steel is becoming popular - though it's expensive but worth it for less maintenance.


----------



## vraev

gus6464 said:


> Flooded.


looking good. I like the purple tint. Are you running it at 100%?


----------



## gus6464

vraev said:


> looking good. I like the purple tint. Are you running it at 100%?


Yeah for some reason my camera makes it look more purple but in reality it's more a of a magenta than purple.


----------



## vraev

gus6464 said:


> Yeah for some reason my camera makes it look more purple but in reality it's more a of a magenta than purple.


Aah... thats fine. I actually like the redness myself. It brings out more POP in red plants. Do you use it at 100% intensity?


----------



## dwb53910

So if this is similar to the reef units, wouldn't the par readings on this unit be way overkill even at half intensity for plants? Would you guys consider this a perfect unit for a 18" cube. I loved the ecotech products when I had a reef and I have a hard time believing that they would put out an product without serious thought for the fw planted community.


----------



## jeffkrol

gus6464 said:


> Flooded.


so which planet "is" purple..


----------



## gus6464

dwb53910 said:


> So if this is similar to the reef units, wouldn't the par readings on this unit be way overkill even at half intensity for plants? Would you guys consider this a perfect unit for a 18" cube. I loved the ecotech products when I had a reef and I have a hard time believing that they would put out an product without serious thought for the fw planted community.


The reef units have 6 more LEDs and are blue heavy for high par. This one is neutral white heavy so par is a lot lower.

For an 18 inch cube this light is perfect. If you want even more par you can swap out the 120 tir for the 80 degree.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk


----------



## ThatGuyWithTheFish

Are you going to measure the par on this?

Bump: Are you going to measure the par on this?


----------



## gus6464

The light is 19.5 inches from lowest part of the substrate which is the dead center monte carlo in front of the tank (85). Also my tank is wider than a standard 60P at 14 inches.

This is my preferred color which is ~75% of total output. PAR will vary of course depending on the color setting. I can take another PAR reading of my 12K 1 hour burst if you want.



















That is with the 120deg TIR lenses installed. Ecotech sent me the 80deg TIR last week so will have it by the end of this week.


----------



## JeffE

Looks too cool to me but that's preference could you show us a warmer picture? I feel this light isn't quite right still to really bring out reds...


- Jeff


----------



## gus6464

JeffE said:


> Looks too cool to me but that's preference could you show us a warmer picture? I feel this light isn't quite right still to really bring out reds...
> 
> 
> - Jeff


If you notice the tips of the senegalensis are blood red. They were very faint when I first planted and have been getting redder day by day. I will take another picture after 2 weeks to see how the red has progressed.

How warm of a color you want?


----------



## JeffE

Yeah I guess it's still too early to say. How warm can it go?


- Jeff


----------



## gus6464

5600K









6100K









And the Senegalensis. The red is spreading little by little. My photoperiod is only 6 hours as well.









Bump:


JeffE said:


> Yeah I guess it's still too early to say. How warm can it go?
> 
> 
> - Jeff


I can go as warm as 1800K.


----------



## JeffE

Is the co2 cranked? New growth does look good


- Jeff


----------



## gus6464

JeffE said:


> Is the co2 cranked? New growth does look good
> 
> 
> - Jeff


Nope just faint yellow-ish on the drop checker. I am taking my time with this tank after the disaster with algae that was my 90P. I am also redesigning my light on the 90P as well as it was too powerful and just caused massive algae no matter how much CO2 I cranked. The photoperiod on the Radion is 7 hours but with a 1 hour ramp up/down at low power 2700K so the plants only get full blast for 6 hours.

I am going to copy the Radion design for the 90P with a few tweaks. I have a new Arduino board coming so it's going to be 6 channels as well. This is my new design per cluster for a total of 2 clusters.

Channel 1 - 2700K and 5600K with even power mix for 4000K CCT
Channel 2 - 2x Luxeon ES Cool blue
Channel 3 - 2x Luxeon ES Cyan
Channal 4 - 2x Luxeon ES Green
Channel 5 - 2x Luxeon ES Deep red
Channel 6 - 1x SemiLED quad core violet


----------



## JeffE

That will be a nice light. My tank only gets near the par you posted for 30minutes rest of the day is rising or falling I would use less light with that amount of plants to begin with. Over 4 months I'm up to 40% on my reef breeders which is around 100 par at lowest substrate 


- Jeff


----------



## gus6464

JeffE said:


> That will be a nice light. My tank only gets near the par you posted for 30minutes rest of the day is rising or falling I would use less light with that amount of plants to begin with. Over 4 months I'm up to 40% on my reef breeders which is around 100 par at lowest substrate
> 
> 
> - Jeff


Ohh nice. Your tank is getting awesome growth from that reefbreeder. If it had more than 2 channels it would be a giant killer. You have 60deg optics right?


----------



## JeffE

90*. Here's the tank yesterday









- Jeff


----------



## gus6464

Your Blyxa looks amazing. Have you tried growing red plants yet?


----------



## JeffE

If I can find a nice short small leaved red plant I will maybe r. mini or something but for now unless anyone wants to give me some I'm keeping it easy 


- Jeff


----------



## FlyingHellFish

Hey Gus64, is that Blyxa in your dry start tank?


----------



## gus6464

FlyingHellFish said:


> Hey Gus64, is that Blyxa in your dry start tank?


In the back corner it is blyxa but it's not dry start as I flooded on Friday.


----------



## tmccarty

crimson said:


> one of my past reefing places...aquarium specialty. I should have it soon.


asr?


----------



## Crimson

For those who take par readings:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2013/2/equipment

This was once a hot topic if par meters correctly reported LED brightness. I am still tweaking my settings.


----------



## mythicwolf4307

Any word on plant growth, height mount with rms mount?


----------



## dwb53910

Any news on this led?! I am super excited about ecotech breaking into the freshwater arena! I have a 25 gallon cube (18x18x18") that this fixture would be perfect for! Any reviews or experiences with the new fixture?


----------



## mythicwolf4307

Hi, guys and girls has anyone seen or heard the par data on this light?
It's kind of frustrating to find reviews for this light and ecotech lack of effort to show true par data.:confused1:


----------



## gus6464

mythicwolf4307 said:


> Hi, guys and girls has anyone seen or heard the par data on this light?
> It's kind of frustrating to find reviews for this light and ecotech lack of effort to show true par data.:confused1:


I put up PAR data a couple of posts back.


----------



## vraev

Working on an unboxing video. Great looking fixture.... but it will be a month or so before I get a stand and make the mounting bar needed to hang this fixture.


----------



## LRJ

Ecotech RMS arrived today. I was hesitant to order it, but now that I see it in person I'm glad I did. It holds the light about 8" above the surface.


----------



## gus6464

LRJ said:


> Ecotech RMS arrived today. I was hesitant to order it, but now that I see it in person I'm glad I did. It holds the light about 8" above the surface.


Very nice! That's a 60P right?


----------



## talontsiawd

gus6464 said:


> Very nice! That's a 60P right?


It's wider/deeper, front to back than a 60P (which isn't a bad thing).


----------



## LRJ

I've seen the "60P" label a lot on here, but I honestly don't know what it means. This tank is a 32g Mr. Aqua, approximately 24"x18"x18".


----------



## kman

LRJ said:


> I've seen the "60P" label a lot on here, but I honestly don't know what it means. This tank is a 32g Mr. Aqua, approximately 24"x18"x18".


The term "60P" refers to a fancy low iron glass tank from Aqua Design Amano (ADA) that measures 60cm x 30cm x 36cm (Approx 24"w x 12"d x 14"h) (60P refers to the 60cm size). It holds just a hair over 17 gals. (There is a clone, as well, the Mr. Aqua 720li, with nearly identical specs.) ADA is the company owned by Takashi Amano, a photographer and aquarist who pretty much wrote the book on the style of the sleek aquascapes you see in photos a lot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takashi_Amano

60P: http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?...id=118&zenid=2af6d60505851464de6ab91042bdffa5

Wall Street Journal article re Amano:
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles...0001424127887323353204578129260597491712.html


----------



## LRJ

kman said:


> The term "60P" refers to a fancy low iron glass tank from Aqua Design Amano (ADA) that measures 60cm x 30cm x 36cm (Approx 24"w x 12"d x 14"h) (60P refers to the 60cm size). It holds just a hair over 17 gals. (There is a clone, as well, the Mr. Aqua 720li, with nearly identical specs.) ADA is the company owned by Takashi Amano, a photographer and aquarist who pretty much wrote the book on the style of the sleek aquascapes you see in photos a lot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takashi_Amano
> 
> 60P: http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?...id=118&zenid=2af6d60505851464de6ab91042bdffa5
> 
> Wall Street Journal article re Amano:
> http://online.wsj.com/news/articles...0001424127887323353204578129260597491712.html


Thanks for the clarification. I definitely knew about Amano and ADA, but had no idea what 60p meant. The Mr. Aqua I have is also low iron, so I guess the main differences are the manufacturer and dimensions. The 24" tank is pretty much perfect for the Radion XR15FW, which has light coverage of 24" radius when suspended about 9" above the surface.


----------



## gus6464

Ahh your tank has much better dimensions than a 60P anyway. 18" wide and tall makes for great scaping.


----------



## plantbrain

Mr Aqua makes a nice 18x18x24" tank that's ideal for these fixtures. I have the reef version of this hood and the wireless control. When the moon comes up, the fixture's moon light and intensity match. 

there are a few thing I still want from Eco Tech before I make the jump, but the reef stuff is already there. They are sharp looking units.


----------



## talontsiawd

LRJ said:


> I've seen the "60P" label a lot on here, but I honestly don't know what it means. This tank is a 32g Mr. Aqua, approximately 24"x18"x18".


Oh, I like those dimensions. Almost like a rimless "30 breeder", a 40B without the length.


----------



## kman

Yes, I like those dimensions a lot. Seems like a really good tank size. Nice depth (front to back). The only issue is the greater depth (top to bottom) means you'll need stronger lighting to get all the way to the substrate, but other than that, definitely a good tank! Mr. Aqua makes nice tanks.


----------



## vraev

Really nice. I like the RMS for the fixture. But I think it is way overpriced for just something to hold the fixture. Not to mention, I don't think it will work for my tank anyways.


----------



## pink4miss

JeffE said:


> 90*. Here's the tank yesterday
> View attachment 361626
> 
> 
> 
> - Jeff


Jeff that tank is beautiful! what light is over it? to me the color of that light is visually perfect.


----------



## dwb53910

Gus6464, Would you be able to do some more par readings at various depths and spread distances? I would be curious to know if this light maintains a constant par value through out the tank!


----------



## gus6464

dwb53910 said:


> Gus6464, Would you be able to do some more par readings at various depths and spread distances? I would be curious to know if this light maintains a constant par value through out the tank!


Don't have a bigger tank


----------



## dwb53910

Any updates on your tank with the new radion? I will be ordering mine tomorrow and hope to add to this thread!


----------



## vraev

I just finished making the mounting arm for my tank, going to get supplies to hang it. Those of you guys who have this fixture, does this look normal?










This is from an iPhone with exposure set to the bulbs and low. But all LED are at full power (only show 56watts in ecosmart live). Are your UV and indigo LED so dull? even at full power, they are no where close to the power of the other leds.

Bump:


Crimson said:


> Ivo the gen 3 is overkill imo but it will work.
> 
> here is a pic of how mine is mounted:


Crimson & GUs, both of your fixtures seem "brighter" (although I know its hard to say from just pictures). Can you please tell me if you guys are running it at full power for all channels? Do u use 60watts or just 56watts (mine doesn't go above that). Also, inspite of calibration, the indigo and UV leds seem very dull in comparison to the others.


----------



## dwb53910

The camera exposures are what make their lights look brighter than yours I'm sure, also if their tank is shallower I'm sure the light looks more intense than yours. Par data and intensity are extremely variable depending on each tank setup.

As far as the indigo and uv led's, they are a lower wattage led than the rest (white and blue emitters are 5w) to begin with and both are also producing light at wave lengths that encroach on our eyes abilities to see. So they may be more intense emitters than we can necessarily see!


----------



## gus6464

The violet leds look very faint to the human eye.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk


----------



## vraev

Thanks for the replies guys. Glad to know that it wasn't an issue with mine.

Anyways... here is my setup. Although..it isn't a planted tank. I plan on making a foreground 2" "moat" around the false bottom with aqua soil and some dwarf hair grass. Still trying to work out how to isolate the water form pots containing peat tannins dripping into the clear water below. Not to mention, have to work out filters and all that jazz to keep the water fresh and not riddled with algae.

Thunderstorm triggered randomly at time points along the "curve" http://youtu.be/AK37yfoOdBE



















more pics here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vraev/


----------



## DBridges

Really enjoying this thread, as I've been curious about this light. I wish manufacturers would make more mounting options, though. It seems so many are made to either hang from the ceiling or mount to a rimless tank. I would love to see a modular design come out that incorporates a more "old school" mount-on-tank design. This is why I decided to go with a Maxspect Razor 8K - simple and clean mounting and easy to use interface. It would be great to see more manufacturers at least offer more modes of mounting their lights.

David


----------



## dwb53910

Hey just watned to post a quick video i made about this light since there has not been much info on the web about the new radion! Hope everyone finds this useful and i will hopefully make some update videos!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEWNfF4G5Ew


----------



## vraev

Looks good. Do keep posting updates on how this fixture works out. I think that many people are on the fence with this one until some good experiences are apparent.


----------



## dwb53910

I will be following up with some more observations very soon! I can already tell this is a much better lighting option than my previous led! I will post more as I can


----------



## vraev

Good to know. Will be awesome to see if this can grow some of that HC and DHG nice and compactly.


----------



## Mostro

Bumping to see if there are updates on the Radion from anyone.

With the emitters arranged the way they are, I would expect that there is some shimmer effect?


----------



## kilauea91

Shimmer is fairly intense, but it doesn't quite show in the video in youtube

http://youtu.be/_Y0VR4s_hmg

This is taken about 2 weeks back when tank was just filled, had to dim it down to 45% while it's still cycling. So far plants are doing well under the light.

It does have the "disco ball" effect from different colored LED though.


----------



## FlyingHellFish

gus6464 said:


> 5600K
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 6100K
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the Senegalensis. The red is spreading little by little. My photoperiod is only 6 hours as well.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bump:
> 
> I can go as warm as 1800K.


How your tank going Gus?


----------



## gus6464

FlyingHellFish said:


> How your tank going Gus?


Haha funny you ask. I have been ignoring it for a while now as I am currently concentrating on a 50g reef tank so it needs some trimming.



















My erio parkeri have gotten massive. They are as big as my compressum and flowering bonanza.










My erio compressum has gone from 1 to 5 and looking snazzy. Blyxa looking nice too.










Ohh yeah and I only run a 6hr photoperiod to keep algae somewhat at bay. I have some now because CO2 tank is basically empty.


----------



## FlyingHellFish

Hey! I got those blossom rods on my Erio too, damn thing keeps growing them. 

Nice tank by the way, you got a pink hue effect going, I had purple hue with my 60P. And they said I was nuts for using reef lights! It's nice to see reef companies gearing their models towards the planted side.
What HOB is that at the side?


----------



## gus6464

FlyingHellFish said:


> Hey! I got those blossom rods on my Erio too, damn thing keeps growing them.
> 
> Nice tank by the way, you got a pink hue effect going, I had purple hue with my 60P. And they said I was nuts for using reef lights! It's nice to see reef companies gearing their models towards the planted side.
> What HOB is that at the side?


It's an AC20 with a surface skimmer attachment from pico aquariums. The HOB has nothing in it. All it does is skim the surface and provide a lot of surface movement for O2. Doing this I can run the CO2 at super yellow and no issues.

I am liking tanks now with pink hues. Makes colors pop and plants seem to like it. My PAR isn't even high on this thing. Last time I measured I was at 60 and blyxa had no issues having red tips. My AR Mini currently looks sad because it's getting no co2 pretty much. I really need to go fill that tank.

This has been taking all my time right now.










The light is a DIY hybrid system consisting of LEDs and T5. ~200W of LED and 50W of T5. I think hybrid is the way to go. Next year I might convert the 60P to LED/T5 as well.


----------



## FlyingHellFish

HOB w/ canister on 60P with LEDs and now a red stand....... I like I like. 

I was toying with the idea of a hybrid LED/CFL, by turning on some desktop lamps at the side of my 60P, but the heat was too much. 

By the way, have you heard about Erios Parkeri dying if those rods are left to bloom? I don't cut mine either, but maybe I should.


----------



## gus6464

FlyingHellFish said:


> HOB w/ canister on 60P with LEDs and now a red stand....... I like I like.
> 
> I was toying with the idea of a hybrid LED/CFL, by turning on some desktop lamps at the side of my 60P, but the heat was too much.
> 
> By the way, have you heard about Erios Parkeri dying if those rods are left to bloom? I don't cut mine either, but maybe I should.


Thanks. I have read that if you let erio flower they use up all their energy and go dormant. You shouldn't worry about flowering though if you don't let the stalk hit air. I am going to rip out all the stalks when I do maintenance.


----------



## Mostro

@kilauea91 Thanks for posting the vid, very illuminating! No pun intended.

Nice to see good growth and some examples of interesting color options for these as well. Gus I was about to make a comment about the white balance on your camera before I'd read further! The red plants do surely pop. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Default

This fixture has been pretty great! Although there are some bugs EcoTech can fix, the fixture has been working flawlessly after initial setup.
Quick question:
The cooling system on these fixtures don't seem work like the XR30s, does anyone using these have their fans on 24/7? These units get really hot, but the fan seems to be thermal triggered, only turning on when it's hot hot. Is anyone else experiences this? as they wait till the fixture reaches a fairly high intensity that finally the fans kick in. If it's normal, I like how they improved from the XR30s where the fan runs almost 24/7 with varying speeds - as most of these fans are rated for around 10,000 hrs of operation, this would prolong the fans a lot longer.. but might limit the LEDs life - however the heat may just be the casing/shell.

A few things I've noticed with it on my 33 cube:
-In 'larger - taller' tanks, at max intensity with the included 120* lenses, there doesn't seem to be enough power. I find 80* too narrow for cubes and 120* too wide, perhaps a midpoint would be nice :hihi:

-Apparently on EcoSmart, changing 1-2% of the blue/royal can alter the kelvin rating from 5K to 20K, that's just weird.. not very important though.

-I like the LED layout, but having just one chip of blue and royal blue each within a centralized position, while adding more orange or reds would be better for colour. Running blues/royal at 100% would result in too much blue.. I find just one chip of each or dedicating 3 chips to blue would be enough. But nonetheless, pretty sweet fixture.


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## ropate

gus6464 said:


> Thanks. I have read that if you let erio flower they use up all their energy and go dormant. You shouldn't worry about flowering though if you don't let the stalk hit air. I am going to rip out all the stalks when I do maintenance.





Default said:


> This fixture has been pretty great! Although there are some bugs EcoTech can fix, the fixture has been working flawlessly after initial setup.


Hi guys, sorry to bump this up. using a set of 2 XR15FW at the moment over a 3 ft. given my tank is 50cm (just shy of 2ft) deep and substrate level at its lowest point is about an inch off the bottom, i thought it might be a good idea to lower the lights to about 6 inches off the surface of the water. 

Being my first LEDS i wasn't certain of penetration to keep my eleocharis belem growing low. I'm finding green spot on the hardscape now though.

just wondering given you've measured par if i should be raising these lights back up to recommended 8 inches. seems to be alot of wastage on the back wall above the tank though when i do this.

thoughts or advice much appreciated


----------



## Raul-7

Do you guys see a disco ball effect with these lights?


----------



## vraev

Yes. I see a disco ball effect with the lights. Especially with all at full. U can notice it in shadows and on the wall behind my tank. Light intensity wise...I have it at 90%...and Venus fly traps that are the most light intensive.... Have blood red traps and fantastic compact growth. I do think this is the most single powerful led fixture I have used. But...the fall off is huge off the spotlight effect. So if u have a rectangular tank...watch out. I am getting a couple of satellite led + to make up the shadow areas.


----------



## Raul-7

I think they should integrate T5's into these LED fixture, best of both worlds.

You get shimmer; less power usage but with the T5's you less shadowing and full spectrum (ie. red peaks).

ATI has done this, but their fixture is VERY expensive.


----------



## Raul-7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMcJrjpiYgA

10:44 ; shows why this effect exists with these lights.


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## vraev

I don't have planted aquarium anymore, but I use this light for my terrarium and this is what I got.

start:

setup:










notice the round tub of plants. it was moved right under the light.



















For someone who grows these plants, they know how hard this is to get to colour up. This fixture is amazing for a spotlight...but beware of the fall off on the sides. I guess we should know that going in. I am getting 2 x satellite plus for either side of the tank. Wanted the pro..but too expensive. I run the radion at 90%. the fan is pretty much on for atleast half of the time the light is on. It runs hot.


----------



## ropate

Beautiful fly traps!! 

This is my setup with 2 XR15


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## vraev

Wow. Fantastic. I think for sure... the fixture does work. But perhaps not at the level we would expect compared to the power of their marine fixtures. Would have been nice if they added more red and white led in the blank spaces of the puck.


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## ropate

vraev said:


> Wow. Fantastic. I think for sure... the fixture does work. But perhaps not at the level we would expect compared to the power of their marine fixtures. Would have been nice if they added more red and white led in the blank spaces of the puck.


True! Also not sure why we have the double blues and UV


----------



## Chris_Produces

gus6464 said:


> Haha funny you ask. I have been ignoring it for a while now as I am currently concentrating on a 50g reef tank so it needs some trimming.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My erio parkeri have gotten massive. They are as big as my compressum and flowering bonanza.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My erio compressum has gone from 1 to 5 and looking snazzy. Blyxa looking nice too.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ohh yeah and I only run a 6hr photoperiod to keep algae somewhat at bay. I have some now because CO2 tank is basically empty.


What is your setting on these pictures? I just got an XR15 Freshwater and love the color here.


----------



## EvilFish

Is there any way to create complete 24h lighting solution?
Like a:
00:00AM to 08:00AM 3% Moonlight
08:00AM to 02:00PM 5 or 7% Morning light (10000K)
02:00PM to 03:00PM Sunrise to high light
03:00PM to 09:00PM High light
09:00PM to 10:00PM Sunset
10:00PM to 00:00PM Evening light 5 or 7% (3200K)

Or something like that...


----------



## Chris_Produces

EvilFish said:


> Is there any way to create complete 24h lighting solution?
> Like a:
> 00:00AM to 08:00AM 3% Moonlight
> 08:00AM to 02:00PM 5 or 7% Morning light (10000K)
> 02:00PM to 03:00PM Sunrise to high light
> 03:00PM to 09:00PM High light
> 09:00PM to 10:00PM Sunset
> 10:00PM to 00:00PM Evening light 5 or 7% (3200K)
> 
> Or something like that...


Definitely. That's one of the many great reasons I bought mine. Different terminology but that's the same idea.


----------



## EvilFish

Chris_Produces said:


> Definitely. That's one of the many great reasons I bought mine. Different terminology but that's the same idea.


Do I need some additional equipment? Controller?

Thanks


----------



## Chris_Produces

EvilFish said:


> Do I need some additional equipment? Controller?
> 
> Thanks


Nope. ReefLink is cool if you want to be able to control the lights via WiFi.


----------



## EvilFish

Thanks!
For 48 inch tank I need two XR15? I'll have hight light?


----------



## Chris_Produces

EvilFish said:


> Thanks!
> For 48 inch tank I need two XR15? I'll have hight light?


How deep of tank? The supplied 80° lenses cover an area 24in of pretty high light, or less light with 30in of coverage with 120° lenses that are sold separately…which kind of sucks. I purchased from someone who said that both TIR lenses were included and after purchasing from them and paying to have it overnighted, they went back on what they told me after I asked them about it…kind of a bummer. They aren't that expensive though so I'll manage. 

So yeah, 48inch split between 2 with 24inch coverage should be great


----------



## kep

I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with these lights. I have two over my 120g 48" long 24" deep tank and with EI dosing and high CO2 my glosso is struggling. Was really expecting more. They are awesome lights, look great, the online setup is cool, but for the price I think I should be getting better growth. It just seems like the PAR isn't as high as I had hoped. I really wanted carpet plants, which is why I bought the lights, yet I still can't grow them. I should mention that the gloss is in the front of the tank, and at the edge of the 24" coverage area of the lights. I've read the edges of the coverage area kind of suffer.

I have two of them with the tank mounts that hold the lights 8" above the water. They say it must be at least 8" to keep the air flow moving and to keep them away from the water. I think that extra 8" is really killing me with my 24" deep tank (1-4" of substrate).

I am debating on buying a hanging kit and lowering the lights, despite their warnings, just to get them closer and reach higher PAR.

I almost went with BML - Dutch planted lights, and now I kinda wish I had. I picked the Radion's instead because they looked slick, and they offered more options for control.


----------



## vraev

kep said:


> I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with these lights. I have two over my 120g 48" long 24" deep tank and with EI dosing and high CO2 my glosso is struggling. Was really expecting more. They are awesome lights, look great, the online setup is cool, but for the price I think I should be getting better growth. It just seems like the PAR isn't as high as I had hoped. I really wanted carpet plants, which is why I bought the lights, yet I still can't grow them. I should mention that the gloss is in the front of the tank, and at the edge of the 24" coverage area of the lights. I've read the edges of the coverage area kind of suffer.
> 
> I have two of them with the tank mounts that hold the lights 8" above the water. They say it must be at least 8" to keep the air flow moving and to keep them away from the water. I think that extra 8" is really killing me with my 24" deep tank (1-4" of substrate).
> 
> I am debating on buying a hanging kit and lowering the lights, despite their warnings, just to get them closer and reach higher PAR.
> 
> I almost went with BML - Dutch planted lights, and now I kinda wish I had. I picked the Radion's instead because they looked slick, and they offered more options for control.


That is exactly my issue with this light too. For a company which is reputed for high power fixtures.... I went with this over the BML. Bad choice I guess. It's not a terrible light.... It's just that you expect more when you spend $300+ 13% taxes on it. If you have a square tank it may work.... But prepare for drastic fall off as you move away from center of the light.


----------



## EvilFish

Chris_Produces said:


> How deep of tank? The supplied 80° lenses cover an area 24in of pretty high light, or less light with 30in of coverage with 120° lenses that are sold separately…which kind of sucks. I purchased from someone who said that both TIR lenses were included and after purchasing from them and paying to have it overnighted, they went back on what they told me after I asked them about it…kind of a bummer. They aren't that expensive though so I'll manage.
> 
> So yeah, 48inch split between 2 with 24inch coverage should be great


I don't have a tank yet. Probably it will be 48x18x22 and I want a carpet:confused1:


----------



## Chris_Produces

EvilFish said:


> I don't have a tank yet. Probably it will be 48x18x22 and I want a carpet:confused1:


You can do that. Just have to test it out and see what you can grow. I assume you'll have pressurized co2?


----------



## kep

I have other high light plants, reds and real light greens in the center of the tank that are doing well. My tank is 24" wide and growing carpet at the front is on the edge of the light. If the tank is 18" wide I think you'll be ok. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Chris_Produces

I would just use the hanging kit and that way you won't be stuck to the 8" height that the RMS has.


----------



## jayq16

What are some good lighting schedules/spectrum to run with this light for more dense growth overall and better color in red plants? I have this light (new to LEDs and planted tanks in general) and doing my best digging through all the information on the web, but curious as to what others are doing with this light.

For example, what intensities are you running the UV, Royal Blue and Hyper Reds at different points in your schedules? Any algae concerns or plant growth issues with running specific LED colors at higher intensities or for longer durations than others?


----------



## kilauea91

I have 3 over my 120p, I believe mine came with 120 degree lens. You can look on the lens for marking whether it's 120 or 80(warning make sure your light is off or you'll go blind). But I read somehwere the FW version has 120 TIR as standard. So for deeper tanks you may buy the optional 80 TIR for penetration. The reason I went with 3 was mainly due to my scape of the 2 big stones have the middle area shaded if using 2. But I run no more than 40% intensity throughout the day period to avoid too much light. Talk about overdoing stuff. Plants grow fine with no algae, UG and Monte Carlo carpet. I do have staghorn and BBA on rocks but it's minimal and well under control.

video of my tank

The biggest gripe I have for this light, as discussed by many folks in the thread earlier, is too much blue and not enough red. I have to keep the red and warm white 100% at all times, and add 20% of blues at noon burst and all capped by 40% max intensity. I left UV off but I am guessing it may help to bring out color of certain type of fish(glofish? I guess haha) I wish Ecotech can improve their puck in their next generation FW version.


----------



## aubtruck2

Thoughts on running this light on a 10 gallon low tech setup, dosing excel and full line of seachem products? Anubias nana, java fern, cryto undulate, spirals. want to end up with this light over a cube with C02 in the future, if I can get my 10 gallon to grow nicely that will happen six months lol. Fyi have reef tanks for years, so I know the go slow lol. thx


----------



## kep

aubtruck2 said:


> Thoughts on running this light on a 10 gallon low tech setup, dosing excel and full line of seachem products? Anubias nana, java fern, cryto undulate, spirals. want to end up with this light over a cube with C02 in the future, if I can get my 10 gallon to grow nicely that will happen six months lol. Fyi have reef tanks for years, so I know the go slow lol. thx



I think this light will be way more than you need. Lo tech you'd have to knock the lights way down so it's kind of a waste. Maybe when you get the hi tech set up but even then I think they would be too much. I have a hi tech 9g running a 23w CFL bulb and its growing my carpet plants very nicely. Much better than my big tank lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Chris_Produces

kilauea91 said:


> I have 3 over my 120p, I believe mine came with 120 degree lens. You can look on the lens for marking whether it's 120 or 80(warning make sure your light is off or you'll go blind). But I read somehwere the FW version has 120 TIR as standard.


I called the manufacturer and they said this unit comes with 80° TIR lenses. They said if you received it with a 120° then someone switched them from the retailer/previous owner/manufacture defect.

Bump:


aubtruck2 said:


> Thoughts on running this light on a 10 gallon low tech setup, dosing excel and full line of seachem products? Anubias nana, java fern, cryto undulate, spirals. want to end up with this light over a cube with C02 in the future, if I can get my 10 gallon to grow nicely that will happen six months lol. Fyi have reef tanks for years, so I know the go slow lol. thx


If you're willing to spend the money then I'd go for it. You can run the intensity at any percentage you want. So there shouldn't be any concern for it being too high of light. That would just be silly :tongue:


----------



## kep

Chris_Produces said:


> I called the manufacturer and they said this unit comes with 80° TIR lenses. They said if you received it with a 120° then someone switched them from the retailer/previous owner/manufacture defect.


Oh I thought it came with the 120 lenses also. Is it the 120 or the 80 that gives you a 24" coverage area?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## kilauea91

Chris_Produces said:


> I called the manufacturer and they said this unit comes with 80° TIR lenses. They said if you received it with a 120° then someone switched them from the retailer/previous owner/manufacture defect.
> 
> Is that so? Did Ecotech really said that?
> 
> What is the likelihood of 3 fixtures purchased from 3 different vendors at different time were all previously returned products? I am assuming "Wide Angle Optic" is 120. Maybe Ecotech has the 120 degree optic named something else. Or maybe I should try my luck again on Powerball tomorrow. :hihi:
> 
> 
> All of my 3 fixtures came with "Wide Angle Optic" markings on the TIR lens. Photos attached
> 
> Chris, could you check yours to see if it's different?


----------



## jayq16

The original batches had 120 wide angles, my first light had this and it originally stated this on the box and website. At some point they changed to the 80 degree lens and updated the box and website. I had an issue with my first light and had it replaced, that's how I found this out. I asked to replace my 80 with a 120 as that's what I originally had and they were more than happy to do so (they have great customer service btw).


----------



## kilauea91

Ah, I see. Thanks jayq16 for clarifying.

I stand corrected to my earlier statement since it no longer true.


----------



## jayq16

kep said:


> Oh I thought it came with the 120 lenses also. Is it the 120 or the 80 that gives you a 24" coverage area?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Personally I think the 120 is perfect for a 24 inch tank that isn't too deep. I have mine on a 60p and felt the 80 was too much of a spot light in the middle with drop off on the edges. The 120 seems perfect for 24 wide by 14 inches, probably good for 18 inches deep. Not sure though how it would be on 20+ inches deep.


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## kilauea91

Yes, it's printed on the box


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## kep

I am going to start a thread in the For Sale area for my two lights plus the mounts. I went ahead and ordered the BML's. Quite a bit more expensive but I just gotta go for it. Keep your eyes out in the next week or so if you are interested. I've only been running them for a month so they are like new.


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## Chris_Produces

kilauea91 said:


> Yes, it's printed on the box


That's crazy. I got the 80° :confused1: Hit me up when you decide to list yours. I'm definitely interested.


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## bsantucci

gus6464 said:


> It's an AC20 with a surface skimmer attachment from pico aquariums. The HOB has nothing in it. All it does is skim the surface and provide a lot of surface movement for O2. Doing this I can run the CO2 at super yellow and no issues.


Off topic, but great find! Just ordered one.


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## kep

Chris_Produces said:


> That's crazy. I got the 80° :confused1: Hit me up when you decide to list yours. I'm definitely interested.



Will do. Sounds like it will be a couple weeks cus BML has to build it first. 


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## Chris_Produces

jayq16 said:


> The original batches had 120 wide angles, my first light had this and it originally stated this on the box and website. At some point they changed to the 80 degree lens and updated the box and website. I had an issue with my first light and had it replaced, that's how I found this out. I asked to replace my 80 with a 120 as that's what I originally had and they were more than happy to do so (they have great customer service btw).


Must be the batch I got also. + on the customer service..nothing but great IME.


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## jayq16

Chris_Produces said:


> Must be the batch I got also. + on the customer service..nothing but great IME.


Ya I spent about a month with their customer service trying to get my light operating correctly on schedule. They sent me 3 lights and all 3 would randomly shut down during the last 10 mins of the schedule and wouldn't turn back on schedule. After 3 lights it was determined it wasn't a manufacturing issue, but most likely user error haha. 

I worked with them for weeks to try and diagnose the issue, following directions carefully. In the end, they remotely logged into my computer and did a more in depth calibration test with the light. This resolved the issue and all is working well since. 

The only thing I can think of is that I am color blind to some extent, and may have been messing the light up during calibration on my own - basically in the calibration mode clicking I no longer see the Red or Blue light - when in reality it is there :redface:

Thought I would share in case anyone runs into a problem where the light shuts off of schedule - it may be a calibration issue and their support team will spend hours on the phone with you to resolve it.


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## Chris_Produces

jayq16 said:


> Ya I spent about a month with their customer service trying to get my light operating correctly on schedule. They sent me 3 lights and all 3 would randomly shut down during the last 10 mins of the schedule and wouldn't turn back on schedule. After 3 lights it was determined it wasn't a manufacturing issue, but most likely user error haha.
> 
> I worked with them for weeks to try and diagnose the issue, following directions carefully. In the end, they remotely logged into my computer and did a more in depth calibration test with the light. This resolved the issue and all is working well since.
> 
> The only thing I can think of is that I am color blind to some extent, and may have been messing the light up during calibration on my own - basically in the calibration mode clicking I no longer see the Red or Blue light - when in reality it is there :redface:
> 
> Thought I would share in case anyone runs into a problem where the light shuts off of schedule - it may be a calibration issue and their support team will spend hours on the phone with you to resolve it.


Oh man that's crazy! Thankfully I haven't had that issue thus far. Glad to hear another positive experience with their support. Makes me more comfortable spending that kind of cash on a light system such as the one they offer.


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## BigL_RIP

does this light throw the multi-colored disco ball reflections off an agitated surface?


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## Raul-7

BigL_RIP said:


> does this light throw the multi-colored disco ball reflections off an agitated surface?


http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=7192434&postcount=151

Yes it does.


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## BigL_RIP

Raul-7 said:


> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=7192434&postcount=151
> 
> Yes it does.


Thanks Raul.


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## bsantucci

So right now I have two BML lights over my Mr aqua 48g. It's 36x17x17 and I need the two lights for full coverage. I'm intrigued by the tank mount kits that you can get with these lights. Much cleaner look than my bent conduit. 

Has anyone had both BML and these and can comment on one versus the other? I like the ability for full 24 cycles with these also. Would I need 2 or 3 to cover my tank? Appreciate any info.


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## Raul-7

From what I've seen it does not output enough PAR especially for 18" aquariums; this is really designed for aquarium 12" deep.


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## bsantucci

Thanks for the reply. I'll stick with what I got then. Works great. Just always looking for the latest and greatest haha.


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## Chris_Produces

Anyone here have a PAR meter? I'd love to take measurements of 2 in a 40B. Just want to borrow. Not looking to buy.


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## kep

bsantucci said:


> So right now I have two BML lights over my Mr aqua 48g. It's 36x17x17 and I need the two lights for full coverage. I'm intrigued by the tank mount kits that you can get with these lights. Much cleaner look than my bent conduit.
> 
> Has anyone had both BML and these and can comment on one versus the other? I like the ability for full 24 cycles with these also. Would I need 2 or 3 to cover my tank? Appreciate any info.



I can let you know in a few weeks when my BMLs arrive. Slow process as they build them after you order. Ordered 3/11 and still not shipped. 


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## bsantucci

kep said:


> I can let you know in a few weeks when my BMLs arrive. Slow process as they build them after you order. Ordered 3/11 and still not shipped.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sounds good and yeah I know the process haha.


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## kep

bsantucci said:


> Sounds good and yeah I know the process haha.


So finally I have my BML's!!! Took forever and a day, they are backlogged.

If your tank is 36" wide you will need two XR15s as they only have a 24" spread unfortunately. The XR15s have a lot more shadows than the BML's which you will have to get used to and plant accordingly. I kind of like the look of the shadows, but it's nice to have full coverage with the BMLs. I will miss the moonlights and all the awesome customization of the Radions, which is why I went with them in the first place. BML is pretty limited, and no moonlught. I still haven't figured out the Solunar controller that comes with it, and part of me feels like it might be messed up. I haven't had the time to make a determination yet though.

At 17" deep, with the lights raised 8" from the tank as the mounts require, I feel that you could grow carpet plants. But I can't say for sure. My tank is 24" deep and no go, but you've got 7" on me. Plus you could always hang them lower than the 8". They just don't want you getting wet. I think the Radions would be rad on your tank, but if you've got BMLs already, why switch?

Another thing with the Radions that drove my BF bonkers was the reflection of the lights. You could see the LEDs and they lit up the whole room in a not so good way. The shimmer/disco ball effect is tremendous.


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## Cornishrooster

kep said:


> Another thing with the Radions that drove my BF bonkers was the reflection of the lights. You could see the LEDs and they lit up the whole room in a not so good way. The shimmer/disco ball effect is tremendous.


I realize this is an old thread but I want to revive it for the sake of others who may be on the fence about which lights to get. I too thought the same thing about the shimmer/ disco effect of the radion lights when I first installed them, then I pointed the sump return spray nozzle down so it wasn't so close to the top of the tank and the shimmer effect stopped all together. When there's no surface water agitation there's no disco effect. I love these lights so far!

Cheers
Mike


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## _alex_

I use the xr30 on one of our salt tanks and love it. And the disco effect really doesn't bother anything. And the sun does it in natural moving waters. But to each there own!!


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## michu

Cornishrooster said:


> I realize this is an old thread but I want to revive it for the sake of others who may be on the fence about which lights to get. I too thought the same thing about the shimmer/ disco effect of the radion lights when I first installed them, then I pointed the sump return spray nozzle down so it wasn't so close to the top of the tank and the shimmer effect stopped all together. When there's no surface water agitation there's no disco effect. I love these lights so far!
> 
> Cheers
> Mike


Now I understand. I kept seeing these posts about the shimmer/disco effect and I have yet to see it. Had me scratching my head wondering if something is wrong with mine. I have my flow pointed more towards the center of the tank. 

I am still waiting on the... forgot what it's called... the software piece of the puzzle and my 120 lens to arrive. Currently using it with the buttons in plant mode. All red and white.  Lovely color. Currently on what I assume to be full power. Will be glad when I can turn it down; although I haven't got any algae yet, but expecting it if I keep running without the software.


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