Radion algae grow light

AbsoluteZer0273 · Dec 25, 2017

I’m sure this has been asked before, but I give up searching the forum for this. Is Ecotech going to release an algae grow light comparable to the Kessil H-series? I already have xr30’s over my display, and would like to stay consistent with brand. Plus it would be nice to reeflink it as well. Is there possibly an algae grow setting that would not be a waste of an xr15, and compare to an H-380? Is the fresh water xr15 comparable to the H-380 in algae growth? Thanks for the help!

Roggio · Jan 8, 2018

Hey, I wanted to make sure you got an answer. I’m a huge fan of Ecotech and own most of their products. The peace of mind you get with their customer service and warrenty keep me coming back. That being said, from what I’ve read in reviews is that Kessil changes a large fee and doesn’t offer much for current customers.

I’ve owned both of these lights. The Kessil outperforms the Radion hands down. The Kessil is just a set and forget fixture that grows Chaeto and for some reason no GHA or Cyno. Most of my lights have always grown cyno. Ecotech’s light could have probably been played around with and grown better but it honestly doesn’t get much better than the 380. It’s turned my fuge into a major nutrient export. It’s also worth noting after a few months the fan on the 380 has gotten loud. Luckily I have a thick stand and can’t hear it. My light currently only runs 9 hours a day opposite the display. You can see the impact on the pH as well.

AbsoluteZer0273 · Jan 8, 2018

Roggio said:
Hey, I wanted to make sure you got an answer. I’m a huge fan of Ecotech and own most of their products. The peace of mind you get with their customer service and warrenty keep me coming back. That being said, from what I’ve read in reviews is that Kessil changes a large fee and doesn’t offer much for current customers.

I’ve owned both of these lights. The Kessil outperforms the Radion hands down. The Kessil is just a set and forget fixture that grows Chaeto and for some reason no GHA or Cyno. Most of my lights have always grown cyno. Ecotech’s light could have probably been played around with and grown better but it honestly doesn’t get much better than the 380. It’s turned my fuge into a major nutrient export. It’s also worth noting after a few months the fan on the 380 has gotten loud. Luckily I have a thick stand and can’t hear it. My light currently only runs 9 hours a day opposite the display. You can see the impact on the pH as well.

Thanks for the information! I have kind of thought that was the case with everything I’ve read. I have both brands too. I have a couple xr30 pro’s over a large tank and a h80 over my girlfriends nano. Both seem to be great quality. I do however like ecotech’s software much better as I’m a tinkerer. Not much you can change on the Kessil. It would be nice if ecotech addressed this issue with their own grow light, but I’m sure that’s easier said than done. Thanks again for the information!

monkiboy · Jan 8, 2018

@AbsoluteZer0273 have you seen @Bulk Reef Supply recent video on this?

lbacha · Jan 8, 2018

The Kessil h380 was build to grow plants (not cheato in a fuge) so their market is bigger and they can build a light that only does that without thinking of aesthetics needed for an aquarium. That being said both Kessil and ecotech make freshwater versions of their reef lights that will work just fine for cheato and actually be much more visually pleasing as they are build for display tanks not just growing plants.

The fact the h380 is build to grow terrestrial plants in green houses or indoors is why they have few settings as they arn't going for looks just results (plug and play is what professionals want)

AbsoluteZer0273 · Jan 8, 2018

monkiboy said:
@AbsoluteZer0273 have you seen @Bulk Reef Supply recent video on this?

Yes, I’ve seen it. Thank you! It came out after I posted this.

AbsoluteZer0273 · Jan 8, 2018

lbacha said:
The Kessil h380 was build to grow plants (not cheato in a fuge) so their market is bigger and they can build a light that only does that without thinking of aesthetics needed for an aquarium. That being said both Kessil and ecotech make freshwater versions of their reef lights that will work just fine for cheato and actually be much more visually pleasing as they are build for display tanks not just growing plants.

The fact the h380 is build to grow terrestrial plants in green houses or indoors is why they have few settings as they arn't going for looks just results (plug and play is what professionals want)

Yes, I understand the Kessil wasn’t make for aquariums and it is purely functional as a grow light. I don’t care about lighting aesthetics under my stand. I want something that will grow cheato and be easily setup without buying extra controllers. I already have the reeflink. That is the only reason for this post. If ecotech had an equivalent light there would be no debate as I could just hook it up to the reeflink and set intensity and time. The kessil doesn’t come with a built-in controller, so I would have to buy theirs too. Not a big deal, just more money and stuff under my stand. I just figured there is a market for these light and wondered if ecotech would jump on the band wagon. They could have an xr15 with just red and blue lights, at a competitive price point.

lbacha · Jan 8, 2018

Just so you know only the h80 is controllable for more than growth modes. The h380 since it was designed to just be turned on and off has a set intensity that can't be ramped. Since the h80 really isn't a horticulture lamp but was built specifically for fuges they did make it rampable. I wouldn't get a controller for a fuge lamp just plug it into a basic timer or a timer on your controller since there are no fancy channels to control or intensity. If radion wanted to make a comparable light at the same price point they would probably need to do the same so the reeflink wouldn't really be needed either.

Engloid · Jan 11, 2018

Not trying to bash on BRS, as they're definitely my go to place for a lot of stuff... but if you're just looking for a cheap light, this one grows chaeto like mad. I got two of them for $10 at Lowe's.

Matthew Frost · Jan 11, 2018

AbsoluteZer0273 said:
I’m sure this has been asked before, but I give up searching the forum for this. Is Ecotech going to release an algae grow light comparable to the Kessil H-series? I already have xr30’s over my display, and would like to stay consistent with brand. Plus it would be nice to reeflink it as well. Is there possibly an algae grow setting that would not be a waste of an xr15, and compare to an H-380? Is the fresh water xr15 comparable to the H-380 in algae growth? Thanks for the help!

I have a Galaxy Hydro hydroponics light for a fuge light and I have to say, the aquarium hobby is playing catch up on this one. The home hydroponics crowd has done the math on these lamps and point blank, they just work and they do it at a fraction of the cost of some of the higher end lamps. If you have a couple hundred bucks burning a hole in your pocket and you need all of your equipment to be a certain brand then by all means. If you're on a budget and your not trying to have a showpiece for a cabinet, Google led grow lamp and buy one of these things on Amazon and spend the money you save on something to look at in your tank.