ecotech radion vs ai sol blue

any thoughts I am going to buy LEd lights for my New 210 gal reef tank. I will have to hang them because there not enough clearance. The tank will be in the basement and the floor to ceiling distance is only 78 inch. The stand will be 32 high. the tank is 28 and 3/4 high. So with only 18 inch to the ceiling i figure i will have to hang the lights.

 

I love my AI SOL's... I have just 4 of them over my 265G reef that is top to bottom SPS dominant...they are about 10" above the water and do an OUTSTANDING job...there isnt hardly any "Beaming"...the light spreads great...The thunderstorm feature is cool..i have mine set to 18% chance of storms...and i get about 3 a week...i like how you can set the controller to do sunrise and sunset, and make the light intensify over a period of time...worth every penny spent...and they are upgradeable if and when better LEDs come out Check out my tank in my signature for looks

 

Im not sure, but cant the radions do thunderstorm simulations as well? And if you have the MP pumps, theyll communicate via wireless, and adjust the flow to realllllllllly simulate a storm. I think at MACNA they had that on display, but im not sure on if its a standard program or one you have to make and/or download.

IMO i think youll be happy with either. just depends on your cup of tea. They both grow coral, and both are sleek high power lights.

 

My radions are the coolest thing ive seen in this hobby over 10+ years. They are uniquely equipped to simulated almost any lighting situation you could want. All at the touch of a mouse.

 

Im sure thell have an app out where you can do it from your phone here shortly... why you would idk, but why not... I like the radions on your tank too ingtar. thetman36, take a look at it, and search some with AI's more reefers are buying em so chosing wont be such a crap shoot any longer

 

you can hang sols 6-12 inches off the water for good spread. I would do sols personally. but I dont like the Radions I think they are over rated, thats just my opinion

 

My deciding factor was doing research of people who had bought Sol's or Radion's then attempted to resell. For some corals the White/Blue isn't enough people seem to think.

 

i was doing research and found some info not sure if it is correct. some one said that the radion will not work with mac only with pc I do not have a pc so not sure if that is old info or if radion has since came out with mac compatible software.

 

at the time the radion programing is set up to work off of pc, they keep stating that they are working on a mac version . some are using windows on parrells and other ways. but i don't want windows in my mac, so i just grab my old pc laptop to program the radion

 

Having owned and used BOTH fixtures in question, the winner is the Radion hands down.

My Sol had to be run at 100% RB, 80% B and 75% White to handle my SPS load. The fixture was hung 10" above the water, and was dark on the sides. The coloration was not great in some corals (mainly reds and greens lacked vibrance). I added T5HO lamps to supplement the lacking spectrum of the AI Sol...which nullifies the LED efficiency with added wattage.

My Radion is hung 10" as well, with no dark spots. I am running the whites at only 45% and have seen an explosion of growth since its addition. Also, no more T5HO's, and the addition of Red and Green diodes brings out the brilliance in colors, much like Metal Halides. In my opinion, 1 Radion can handle in power and spread what it takes 2 AI Sol's to accomplish.

I will agree that the only thing that isn't stellar with the Radion is the software...but as said previously, they are constantly working on fixes and improvements.