Ecotech Radion PRO VS. GHL MITRAS (My thoughts and experiences)

DeirdreLLogan

Feeder Fish
Jun 25, 2014
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usa
I am going to try to keep this as short as possible, but when you are looking to spend $2,500 plus on LEDs for your tank, you should be reading everything and anything you can on the fixtures!!!

After running both the GHL Mitras and the Ecotech Radion Pros for a little while now I can say that they are both OUTSTANDING light fixtures. Having come from Metal Halide T5 combo that I was VERY happy with it was going to take a lot to make me even happier. Some points that I wanted to improve on were cost of running the lights, heat, and actually having a sunrise and sunset effect. My main concern was not being able to keep all of my corals as happy as the MH T5 combo did.

Well I pulled the trigger on 2 Mitras when I started my new 234 Gallon build and I was immediately impressed! The sunrise and sunset that you can create with these things is incredible, they produce NO heat, and the cost is next to nothing. But best of all my corals are just as happy if not more so then with the MH T5s. My LPS are opening up more and their coloration is INCREDIBLE, the mushrooms are bigger and more colorful then ever and my SPS look the same with maybe a little more color then before. So needless to say I am VERY happy with LEDs.

But on to the comparison between the Mitras and the Radion Pro.
Below I have made a list of the pros and cons of the two fixtures and I hope to explain some of that here.....

Radion Pro:
The pro is an incredible light that simply makes your tank look “out of this world.” Now I use that expression intentionally because it is actually a little hard to make it look like it is “in this world” lol. The coloration of these lights makes your corals and FISH POP and glow throughout the day and into the night. It is incredible how the fish glow too. Now although I do love this, I find it a little hard to get the Radion pro to look “natural”. Now a natural looking tank is obviously very different to every person and remember that this is just my opinion. The Radion always seems to have a lot of blues and I think this is because the fixture only has one set of white LEDs instead of the two that the Mitras has. Whenever I look online or in person whoever is running the Radion over their tank always seems to give a blue look. So after playing with the programming A LOT I found a more natural look (which is what I like) using a lot less of the two blues and more of the red and green.
This light is great and it has truly made a difference on my corals within a month that I can see. The coloration is amazing and the extension is MUCH better then before.
My biggest problem with this light is the fan being on the bottom, it just simply seems wrong! Eventually salt creep will become and issue and that’s something I do not want to have to deal with when spending $900 on a light! Also not being able to simply turn on the white LEDs at night in order to check something in the tank annoys me also!

GHL Mitras:
This light is amazing! Having 6 pucks instead of just two makes the spread so much more that I only need 2 of these to cover my entire 50 x 36 tank! AMAZING! I also love that this light has Warm white as well as Cool White LEDs, this helps when trying to get a more natural look in your tank. The LEDs really do make the coral POP but for some reason the fish do not seem to pop as much as the Radion pro makes them. The Hyper Violet on the Mitras does not make the tank look purple like the Ultra violet on the Radion which is also a plus for me, but that’s also why you lose the glow in the fish!
The fact that you can control each LED individually right from the fixture as well as program a storm quickly to show off to your friends is AWESOME! The fan on this light is not from the bottom which is a huge plus and the fan runs VERY quiet unlike the pro.
The power cord coming from the top bothers me a little and makes it hard to make the light “balanced” when using the hanging kit but after you figure it out this is no longer a problem.
Using the program to make a schedule is not the easiest thing to do and so for this I prefer Ecotech’s software, but after playing with the GHL software for a while you do get the hang of it!


After using both lights and thinking long and hard about which I like better and why, if I had to choose one to run over my tank I would go with the Mitras. Both lights are incredible and I am happy that I have them both, but the Mitras just seems to “do it for me” where as the Radion just has something missing. I am not sure what it is but the Mitras has it! You cannot go wrong with either of these lights, but if I had to pick one, it would be the Mitra!

I will be running both of these lights for years to come and will up date along the way. I will be posting pictures and making videos along the way as well on my youtube channel so you can check that out if you like also!

My You Tube Channel


ECOTECH RADION PRO:

PROS:
~ Able to program with a Mac
~ Able to cover a 30x24 area (from experience)
~ Built in acclimation mode
~ Each LED is individually controllable
~ Storm mode, cloudy days (cool features)
~ Preview mode (lets you run through your daily schedule in a minute to see what it will look like)
~ Wirelessly syncs to other Ecotech products (especially MP pumps)
~ Blues are VERY blue
~ “UV” looks GREAT running during the night
~ “UV” really makes the corals GLOW
~ Fish glow with the blues and “UV”
~ Fairly east to use programming software
~ Incredible customer service
~ Fully upgradeable modular LED cluster


CONS:
~ Cannot change setting from light itself (cannot show off to friends a storm unless you plug your light into your computer)
~ Only one white LED not a Cool White and a Warm White
~ Only 2 pucks per unit
~ Fan is on the bottom of the unit (eventual salt creep)
~ Fan runs a little loud (not louder then tank, but loud none the less)
~ Harder to make the tank look “natural”
~ Not Controllable through an iPhone app
~ “UV” looks very purple
~ Only comes in black
~ Price Tag



GHL Mitras:

PROS:
~ Controllable from the light itself (AMAZING FEATURE)
~ 6 Pucks per light
~ Amazing Natural look the LEDs put out
~ Warm White AND Cool White LEDs
~ Fan built into top
~ Fully upgradeable modular LED cluster
~ Glow from the “HV” LEDs (not purple looking)
~ Comes with a hanging kit with each unit (and killer sun glasses!)
~ Fan runs VERY quiet
~ Incredible spread (36x30 per unit)
~ Unit comes in white, black and silver
~ Wirelessly syncs with other lights
~ Great Customer Service

CONS:
~ Power cord comes out of the top (I don’t know why but I hate that)
~ Only has two hanging pins (makes it harder to get light straight)
~ Not acclimation mode
~ Program isn’t the easiest to use, at all
~ Cannot run program on a MAC ☹
~ Cannot sync with pumps
~ Does not make fish “glow”
~ Company is not from the USA (sending light back is a pain)
~ Price Tag




PLEASE lets keep this about the Radion Pro and the Mitras



__________________
234 Gallon Rimless DT
75 Gallon Custom Sump

GHL Mitras ~ Radion PRO ~ SRO 3000 ~ GHL Doser ~ Vortech MP40s ~ Neptune Apex
 
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