People get pretty excited when a company like Ecotech Marine is present at conferences, and MACNA 2016 was no exception. This year in San Diego, the manufacturer’s booth was dominated by a single product: the recently announced 3^rd iteration of their flagship aquarium LED light- the radion G4. While Ecotech presented several other well-known products, such as Vortech propeller pump line and the Vectra return pump, the new radion stole the spotlight with its elegant, minimalistic approach and the highly sophisticated electronics hiding inside its shiny black case.

Radion G4 above Ecotech display tank.

radion G4 represents a new direction for Ecotech LED lighting. The company has introduced a completely redesigned lens cluster, called HEI (Hemispherical Edge Illumination), and has redesigned and upgraded almost everything else inside the fixture. HEI lens technology aims to fix LED aquarium lighting’s most significant disadvantage- the conically-shaped light spread. With this new lens shape, radion created a more uniform light distribution, closely resembling that of a T5/metal halide lighting fixture. radion G4 also features a completely new heatsink that significantly reduces the unit’s operational noise. The new light is offered in three sizes- the smaller XR15W PRO, and two larger models, the XR30w and XR30w PRO.

One of Ecotech display reef tanks.

The Ecotech booth at MACNA reflected the company’s visual concept perfectly- it was clean, beautifully minimalistic, and extremely eye-catching. Nicely aquascaped reef tanks showcased the radion G4 lights and Vortech pumps they featured.

We had a chance to talk to Ecotech’s president and co-founder , Mr. Tim Marks, who explained the technology and development process that shaped the new radion light, the reasoning behind the lack of backwards compatibility of G4 (which is a first in radion line), and the general direction Ecotech is heading. Check Randy’s interview below:

Macna 2016 Ecotech booth in pictures

THE INTERVIEW