Take the Guess Work Out of EcoTech Marine Radion Programming Using Mobius!

Categories: Lighting, Setup Guide, Aquarium Gear For Beginners

Last updated: Dec 16, 2022

When setting up a new LED light system, you need to not only provide the right spectrum of light but also ensure you are providing a sufficient intensity (PAR) and maintaining a natural daily schedule that mimics the sun. The EcoTech Marine Radion G6 makes this easy thanks to their easy-to-use app called Mobius. Mobius provides users with presets and global controls while also allowing for more advanced configuration over the spectrum, intensity, and photoperiod.

For a majority of Radion G6 users, the presets are going to be the most ideal route for setting up your LEDs. Not only can you be confident you are providing a safe spectrum for your corals to thrive, but you also get the convenience of a pre-programmed photoperiod that can be easily customized should you wish to do so.

EcoTech Marine Mobius Presets for Radion LED Lights

Using Presets

At the time of this article, Mobius comes loaded with four different presets. Each preset provides you with a slightly different spectrum blend, all of which have been tested and proven successful via EcoTech Marine's CoraLab. While you can choose whichever spectrum you prefer, we recommend the AB+ spectrum because it has the longest-standing successful track record and is easily the most popular spectrum blend used over reef aquariums. Even LED lights without the AB+ blend are often tuned to mirror this spectrum blend.

AB+
PHX14
LPS Soft
Radiant Color

The AB+ spectrum is fairly straightforward in terms of the color channel settings, the UV, violet, and blue LEDs channels are cranked to 100% while the red, green, and white channels are maintained at only 24%. This creates a relatively heavy-blue appearance in the aquarium that promotes fluorescence among your corals and fish. If this is not your preferred look, choose any one of the other presets and understand the setup process will be no different as long as you use the presets. Your spectrum is set and you won't have to worry about it, ever again!

Intensity and PAR Readings

Once you activate the spectrum, you can adjust the overall intensity down at the bottom using the slider. It comes automatically set to 50% intensity but can be adjusted based on your tank's PAR requirements. This global intensity adjustment maintains the ratio between color channels so you won't stray outside of the proven AB+ spectrum while adjusting the overall output.

Using a PAR meter is the only way to know for sure your intensity is set correctly. Matthew used the Radion XR15 G6 over a 40-gallon Innovative Marine aquarium using the RMS mounting arm. Below are the PAR readings to give you an idea of how the fixture performs. Over a tank measuring roughly 20" deep, the preset output of 50% is perfectly tuned for soft coral and LPS. For SPS corals, moving up to 100% gets you into the appropriate range.

Photoperiod (Adjusting Light Schedule)

While the AB+ preset will work in the way of spectrum and intensity for a majority of reef tank owners, the photoperiod attached to the presets will likely not be ideal simply based on the time of day. Most of us working a typical 9-5 workday prefer to shift the photoperiod so your not missing out on viewing the aquarium when you're actually home. In order to adjust this pre-programmed light schedule, you simply need to adjust the setpoints.

Photoperiod Settings

Click on the "Lighting" tab from the Mobius dashboard. Using the circle slider, adjust the sun icon to your desired time for the lights to turn ON, and adjust the moon to the desired time for the light to turn off. Maintain at least 8 hours of operation time in between the two icons to ensure a sufficient total photoperiod (the length of time the lights are ON).

For Example, if you adjust the sun icon to turn the lights on at noon, adjust the moon icon to turn the lights off no earlier than 8pm. Keep in mind, if you extend this total photoperiod beyond 8 hours, you can end up providing TOO MUCH light and burn your corals.

Customizing Photoperiod Using Setpoints

If you want to adjust the photoperiod to run longer than 8 hours but don't want to expose the corals to too much light, you can use the setpoint to ultimately reduce the amount of time the corals are exposed to maximum output. This essentially draws out the sunrise and sunset times over a much longer period creating a much longer photoperiod, while still retaining the recommended 6 hours of peak output time.

Customizing Light Schedule

Adjusting the times of the ramp-up and ramp-down setpoints to accommodate the desired photoperiod will not modify the spectrum or intensity settings. It's very important to retain only 6 hours of peak output and you can see how these adjustments will shift in the graphs above.

Using Kelvin (Color Temperature)

If you prefer to adjust the spectrum of your tank based on appearance, you can use the Kelvin adjustment instead. Keep in mind, adjusting the color temperature does change the spectrum which will have an effect on not only the appearance of your aquarium but also the color and growth of your corals. The AB+ spectrum is a safe and proven spectrum so proceed with caution when using this approach. If you are not confident in your ability to tune the spectrum, it is best to stick with the presets.

You will start by setting up the light using the exact process described above then adjust using the Kelvin slider. You will need to go into each setpoint throughout your photoperiod and use the Kelvin Slider to adjust to your desired spectrum. Most experienced hobbyists would not recommend anything outside of the 10,000K - 20,000K range with something in 15 to 20,000K range being the most popular.