Radion G6 Pro & Blue Coming Soon from Ecotech Marine

[DHill6]

Previous user up through G5. No thanks, I’ll keep the Kessil 500x. Mobius works fine for the return pump and mp10s, I’ve never had a problem with it.

 

[Colt13]

I’ve been waiting for about 8 months for a sale on G5s. They literally just had it finally through BRS and then turn around and announce a new generation….. thanks a lot tricky @Bulk Reef Supply joint owners……. That being said I’d still be able to return these at a small hit since they’re all unopened but I’d be paying $500 more total for untested new generations of lights on ones I could later decide to upgrade for $1200….

Still don’t hold rare sales on items right before you announce they’re now outdated. Not cool @ecotechmarinetank @Bulk Reef Supply. Just lost some love from me.

they even had the gall to call it the 'customer appreciation sale'

 

[trietnguyen000]

Sorry if I missed but when is the release date? Hopefully by my birthday so the wife can get me the upgrade. Lol

 

[IxTCxI]

Unless is a Black Friday sale I will take these type of sale as a hint of a new product releasing. Ecotech, Apex etc…the ones that rarely go on sale.

 

[RedoubtReef]

meh, buy a light that they will make obsolete in the next 5 years when the new and improved iPhone G7 comes out? no thanks.

 

[areefer01]

Sorry if I missed but when is the release date? Hopefully by my birthday so the wife can get me the upgrade. Lol

What are you upgrading from? G5 to G6 may not be worth the squeeze.

 

[trietnguyen000]

What are you upgrading from? G5 to G6 may not be worth the squeeze.

Yes. Only way is to find out? I hated that I just bought a used one. I should have waited.

 

[ifarmer]

i am going to wait for G7 instead.

 

[rtparty]

meh, buy a light that they will make obsolete in the next 5 years when the new and improved iPhone G7 comes out? no thanks.

LEDs degrade around year 4 and need replacement by years 5 or 6 anyway.

 

[RedoubtReef]

LEDs degrade around year 4 and need replacement by years 5 or 6 anyway.

which is another reason why I ditched my Radion's and I am going back to halide/T-5.

 

[areefer01]

LEDs degrade around year 4 and need replacement by years 5 or 6 anyway.

Um, you might want to provide a source / reference for that statement with regards to year 4 and not something generic.

A lot of the longevity is based on care, condition, and of course quality of the light kit. Power, thermal, etc. Some of the kits provide a lifecycle in hours.

 

[MD51]

Previous user up through G5. No thanks, I’ll keep the Kessil 500x. Mobius works fine for the return pump and mp10s, I’ve never had a problem with it.

500x that much better?

 

[rtparty]

Um, you might want to provide a source / reference for that statement with regards to year 4 and not something generic.

A lot of the longevity is based on care, condition, and of course quality of the light kit. Power, thermal, etc. Some of the kits provide a lifecycle in hours.

Tullio at ReefBrite. Terence said the same thing when the Sky released. Richard Ross has made comments about replacing all his LEDs around year 5.

The diode manufacturers aren't testing or making any claims when it comes to our use and it's not always the diodes that fail. Many of the other electronics running them are not rated to last "50,000 hours" or whatever bogus claim manufacturers are throwing around.

That work?

 

[rtparty]

500x that much better?

If you're into shadows and point source lighting.

 

[rtparty]

which is another reason why I ditched my Radion's and I am going back to halide/T-5.

I've been back to halides for 15 months and never should have left. But I got a lot of knowledge and real world experience over the years with all the LEDs I tried and tested

 

[Jon's Reef]

LEDs degrade around year 4 and need replacement by years 5 or 6 anyway.

Would this not be a good reason to buy a fixture where they sell a replacement LED array?

------------------------------
The "upgrade" aspect is a nice feature of the Ecotech equipment. When they imporoved the Vortechs, you could buy new controllers, drysides, wetsides.... With the older Radion you could buy a new LED array. Same concept here. Definitely a nice feature as it reinforces the investment.

If you bought the G5 3 years ago, you could upgrade it for a decent price and update it to the new features.

The spectrum is a shift in the right direction. The push into the 500 nm area of the spectrum was likely based on the green cast of the Blue+ bulbs. It helped with reflective colors, but no scientific basis for coral growth. IMO that green haze was not aesthetically pleasing. Based on what is known today, the 400-450 nm range is more photosynthetically active based on the chlorophyll and carotenoid absorption spectra. The inclusion of the sub 400 nm leds is also more on point towards the near UV trend. It will be interesting to see how the community reacts as the SKY spectrum, which cut that 500 nm zone and strongly boosted the 450 nm, was met with some strong resistance.

The increase in spread could go a few different ways. What will the light spill be on tanks <48" wide? Assuming the same mounting height, this could be a significant par loss (30%+) and source of glare. Personally I do not think you would run 1 on a 48" tank just from the shadowing perspective... this would then exacerbate the overspill as the 2 lights would be closer to the glass. I understand that they wanted to keep the same basic housing for the mid-cycle update... but the time spent on the new lens may have been better spent on integrating a 0-10V port directly on the light to control an LED fill light bar.

Disappointed that they did not do something to specifically address the fan noise in hardware (perhaps they spent some time on the software side of that)

As for other electronics.... interesting discussion between @Terence and @mrsaltwatertank on the latest episode of Reefing Report. Some convincing arguments that a new apex could be on the horizon with Ecotech(/AI) native integration being a cornerstone.

 

[areefer01]

Tullio at ReefBrite. Terence said the same thing when the Sky released. Richard Ross has made comments about replacing all his LEDs around year 5.

The diode manufacturers aren't testing or making any claims when it comes to our use and it's not always the diodes that fail. Many of the other electronics running them are not rated to last "50,000 hours" or whatever bogus claim manufacturers are throwing around.

That work?

No, not really. You said 4 years, now 5. Now you are claiming the manufacture stated lifespan in hours is bogus. It is fine. I'm not going to argue semantics or opinions as we can disagree. Hobbyist should have a PAR indication after purchase and over time so they can decide when it is right vs. feature upgrade time. At least that is what I do.


Kessil FAQ on the a360x for reference.

Coral Care Gen 2 for reference:

 

[Jon's Reef]

Lifetime is about more than just the LED itself. As long as they are kept at good temps (<100 C) the actual LED will likely not be the failure point of a fixture. There are power drivers, thermistors to control fan speed, phosphors on the LEDs, power supplies and other sub components. Given all of the parts... 5 year MTF is likely a good estimate. That being said if you take good care of it, 10 yr is likely easily achievable for a good quality fixture. This is also a benefit of going with a name brand vs generic as future part support may be more reliable. If parts are no longer available, the vendor may also give a discount on a replacement.

The best thing to maximize lifetime is to minimize exposure to salt spray, keep the fans clean, provide reliable power (at the proper voltage) and replace broken parts.

 

[atlantean]

Unless you really want those near UV diodes, I don't really understand the need for this light over the G5 unless the "boosted channels" are already at 100% and your point intensity is at 100%.

 

[areefer01]

Unless you really want those near UV diodes, I don't really understand the need for this light over the G5 unless the "boosted channels" are already at 100% and your point intensity is at 100%.

Still need real people to say true UV is worth the squeeze for corals. And by people I don't mean arm chair experts but rather MACNA hobbyists. Dana, etc.