A 4 bulb T5 and actinic LED strip is the sweet spot for cost vs performance, IMO. (I also have a Gen4 over the QT)
I agree with
@Geraud that the Ecotech fixtures do grow coral well, it just gets expensive trying to replicate that T5 distribution.
It just depends how much of a gear enthusiast you are vs pragmatism, vs coral junky etc.
Ecotech is making steps in the right direction, first with the release of a diffuser on the Gen 4 lights, now they are moving away from pucks and more towards panels. Time will tell how many generations of Radions it takes to get there, how much will be spent on the intermediate generations.
If and when Ecotech makes, for all intents and purposes T5 replacement, it seems unlikely that it will compete against the price of a generic T5 fixture. Although an offshore company may be able to do it with a less polished device.
My feelings are this, like most others, you can't help but have some sort of a reaction when you hear the new iteration of a product is announced. I find it amusing that the LED light I bought about a year ago is now deprecated, yet the T5 bulbs I purchased are scheduled to be changed at 18 months with virtual clones of themselves. lol. I wonder how Than at Tidal Gardens feels.
The only tangible savings of electricity LED offer is if your LED never breaks and you never replace it. They are compact and sexy though, not to mention being able to adjust the colors.
I know nobody "has" to replace their Gen4, however you may see where I'm going with this. The writing is on the wall. It's going to be a long and expensive road nudging incrementally towards the result you can get today with T5 bulbs and a blue strip for pop.
I am glad to not be chasing the LED dragon anymore, T5 and a Reefbrite or SB Reef Actinic strip are just way to easy to implement, flexible to layout and effective at growing coral with pleasing colors.
