Same Platform, Same Size, Same App — Just Fewer Unused Watts

Chihiros VIVID II Mate vs Chihiros VIVID II

When Chihiros released the VIVID II Mate, the internet did what it always does: speculated wildly.

Was it a downgrade?

A “lite” version?

A totally different light for different aquascapers?

None of the above, actually.

The reality is much simpler — and much more sensible — once you look at the numbers on paper and how planted tanks are actually run.

Why the VIVID II Mate Exists (The Honest Answer)

The original Chihiros VIVID II is a serious WRGB light. On paper, it’s powerful. In practice, it’s very powerful.

So powerful, in fact, that the vast majority of aquascapers never run it anywhere near 100% brightness. Not because they can’t — but because doing so usually creates instability, algae issues, or simply unnecessary intensity.

Chihiros didn’t create the VIVID II Mate to serve a “different use case”.

They created it because:

The VIVID II sits at a premium price point
Most users are paying for brightness headroom they’ll never use
The real-world experience is almost always dialled back

The Mate exists to lower the price of entry while keeping the parts that actually matter.

Physical Size & Form Factor (Identical — Literally)

Let’s start with something refreshingly clear.

The Chihiros VIVID II and VIVID II Mate are the same size.

On paper:

Dimensions: ~455 × 162 × 34 mm (L × W × H)
Recommended tank width: 60–90 cm

This means:

Same housing
Same mounting footprint
Same tank coverage
Same accessories

If you already planned your setup around a VIVID II, the Mate drops straight in with zero changes.

WRGB Technology & LED Platform

Both lights use RGB 3-in-1 (WRGB) LED technology, which is the entire reason the VIVID series is popular in planted aquariums.

On paper, both lights share:

Independently controlled Red, Green, and Blue channels
A spectrum tuned for planted tanks (not generic lighting)
Identical app control and colour adjustment

There is no spectrum downgrade on the Mate.

The difference is not colour quality — it’s maximum output ceiling.

Chihiros VIVID II — Technical Specifications
- Power consumption: ~130 W
- LED count: 160 × RGB (3-in-1) LEDs
- Luminous flux: approx. 12,200 lumens * 10th Anniversary Edition
- Recommended tank width: 60–90 cm
- LED lifespan: ~50,000 hours
This is a high-output fixture with serious headroom — more than most planted tanks will ever need.
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Chihiros VIVID II Mate — Technical Specifications
- Power consumption: ~125 W
- LED count: approx. 140 × RGB (3-in-1) LEDs
- Luminous flux: approx. 10,000 lumens (as published by Chihiros)
- Recommended tank width: 60–90 cm
- LED lifespan: ~50,000 hours
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On paper, the Mate:

Uses fewer LEDs
Draws slightly less power
Retains the same physical size and coverage

Yes, the lumen figure looks lower on the Mate and this is where it’s important to be clear:

Lumens are not a plant-growth metric.

Chihiros does not publish official PAR charts for either light, so there is no responsible way to claim one “grows plants better” than the other.

What we can say is that both lights sit well within the range required for high-tech planted aquariums.

Control & App Features (Completely Identical)

oth lights use the My Chihiros app (which is available on both IOS and Android devices), and both support:

Standard built-in lighting profiles
Manual RGB spectrum adjustment
Brightness control
Timer scheduling
Sunrise and sunset simulation
Grouping

There is no software lockout, no missing feature, and no learning curve difference.

If you can use one, you can use the other.

Accessories & Shade Compatibility

Because the housing and dimensions are identical, accessories are shared.

The Chihiros mirror shades designed for the RGB VIVID II work with both models.

They:

Reduce light spill
Improve visual focus
Give the light a cleaner, more professional look

Compatibility:

✅ VIVID II
✅ VIVID II Mate
❌ Not compatible with the VIVID Mini

Shades for VIVID II

What the Numbers Actually Mean in Real Tanks

Here’s the part spec sheets don’t explain.

In real aquascaping:

Lights are rarely run at full power
Excessive intensity causes instability
Most aquascapers intentionally dial output back

Which means:

Most VIVID II owners are already using their light at “Mate levels” — just at a higher purchase price.

The Mate doesn’t remove usable performance.

It removes unused capacity.

So Which One Should You Buy?

Choose the Chihiros VIVID II Mate if:

You want premium WRGB lighting
You don’t plan to run lights at 100%
You prefer value over theoretical maximums

Choose the Chihiros VIVID II if:

You specifically want maximum output headroom
You like knowing the ceiling is higher, even if you never touch it
Budget is secondary to absolute capability

For the vast majority of planted tanks, the end result in the aquarium will be indistinguishable.

Chihiros VIVID II Mate Chihiros VIVID II

Final Verdict

On paper:

Same size
Same WRGB platform
Same app control
Same accessories

The only real difference is how much unused brightness you’re paying for.

The Chihiros VIVID II Mate isn’t a compromise.

It’s Chihiros acknowledging how aquascapers actually run their tanks.

And honestly?

That’s the most refreshing spec of all.

Great starter light

Easy to use, affordable and plants are loving it. Very happy with the online purchase and fast efficient delivery.

Just buy them

These slot into the light very well, Chihiros always A+ with their design. They will stop light bleed and direct the light into your tank (don't worry about the level u can adjust it)

Exactly what you need

This light is powerful and exceptional quality!!! The time, light level and fade in/fade out setting through the app is very easy to use. Who says bigger is better??

Elegant

Aquapro products are always aesthetically pleasing, and I love the blue temp liquid colour. Watch out that your aquatic life doesn't try to use this as an escape tool!

Glass skimmer

Fast efficient & exactly what ordered thumbs up 👍

🐟

Awesome

DIY helper

I'm very pleased with this medoodad - I had concerns about quality but rest assured the materials feel premium and robust. The included instructions are in English and very thorough so knowing what to do flows well. I also had some qualms that the fixed nature of the plastic bar would mean my 2l bottles wouldn't fit what is locally available but my Pepsi/ Mountain Dew tall bottles fit the set up perfectly. All in all very satisfied but would be extra helpful if a bubble counter and diffuser were included.

All the plants I had received are perfect. Thank you so much.

Service is 2nd to none

I had the product within a few days so I’m very pleased with the service.

It’s awesome and calibrated bang on and cool to be able to adjust on a app and uses no power once temp is reached

Great, clean and as advertised

Good stuff quick delivery

That’s it. Those are the things you should care about and this was both of those.

Go8d healthy plant

The plant arrived in great shape it's very healthy and I great addition to my aquarium

Apt fix

Easy to order. Arrived quickly.

Great

Plants are very healty and there is a lot in a culture, great value and fast delivery

Excellent light. Easy app. Really like the suspension accessory.

Very healthy largr bunch of plants

Upon receiving these plants. They arrived very healthy. This is a huge bunch, many more than I expected. I have ordered hundreds of dollars' worth of plants and equipment from The Aquascape shop. Every order has arrived promptly, complete with tracking, well packaged, and above all, very healthy. I highly recommend this and any other product sold by this company

Beautiful

Beautiful healthy plants! Very happy

Great product. Very nice for my planted tank

Best light ive ever purchased, the colours from it are amazing

Anubias Bonsai plants

One of my favourite, lush-ish green and cute aquascaping plants. The mini bonsai, looked fantastic when aquascaping. Very pleased.

Gel Aquascape Glue

Very good. fast and strong bond.

Detailing Tigerwood

Great size and detailed pieces of tigerwood. Thank you. Lucky it was available for me to purchase and in stock. Really enjoyed aquascaping my bumblebee goby nano tank with this wood as it was a delicate project.

Bumblebee Goby Aquascape with ceramic cave

Excellent tube, to create a breeding tunnel cave for bumblebee gobies in a nano tank. Just right size.

Packaged poorly

It's okay but was packaged such that there are kinks all throughout the tube

Week V1200SE-K Aquarium light and shades.

Quality products at reasonable prices. Completely satisfied. Great customer service.

Enjoyable experience

So easy to shop online without the pressure. Makes selection of products enjoyable by reviewing the description especially as new to aquascaping

Amazing shopping experience, delivery was quick and easy. The team is quick to respond and very accommodating with last minute change of mind.

Hope the business grows bigger in the future and become the ADA of NZ.

The Aquascape Shop are awesome. Very knowledgeable staff and helped me out a lot setting up my tank. Highly recommended.

Very helpful and accomodating.the team is always very helpful and take their time in discussing individual needs and always provide expert guidance. Highly recommended shop for your aquascaping needs.

so happy with my order! very happy with the rocks and wood piece they picked out for me! pick up was also quick and easy.

I received my package and unfortunately one of my plants were there, completely fine as things happen. I emailed and told them the issue and send a photo of the bag my plants were in (unopened), unfortunately what I received back was them telling me that they packed it by hand and they didn't miss anything out.. below is the photo I send them and the very rude and unprofessional response I got back basically saying I'm a liar. I have spend alot of money here and I'm not coming back, absolutely disgusting behavior and I expect a proper apology. I understand people forget things and miss things in orders and that's fine and I honestly don't mind but I did not deserve to be treated the way I was. I am now getting a refund but honestly I don't care about the money I care about the lack of respect to a paying customer.

Order two Chihiros lights online from here, realised that I had made an error in judgement and emailed to change my order of 2 x B30 to 1 x B30 and 1 x B45, Eric Jr was more than helpful and polite in making these changes. Would definitely recommend.

Fantastic vibrant plants. Came bigger then I imagined. Will always be my place to shop for all my aquascapeing needs.

The Aquascape Shop is hands down the best place for anything aquarium or aquascaping related. The team consistently go out of their way to provide genuine, solid advice that’s practical and easy to follow. Their service is top-notch — they don’t just sell products, they make sure you’ve got the knowledge and support to get the best results for your tank.

They stock a massive range of quality products, and you can tell they only carry things they stand behind. On top of that, they’re genuinely good people who care about helping you succeed.

I can’t recommend The Aquascape Shop enough — whether you’re new to aquariums or a seasoned aquascaper, this is the place to go.

Cheers
Fraser

I had a fantastic experience at Aquascape today. The owner went above and beyond to help me, answering all my questions and providing great advice. It's clear they're passionate about what they do. The selection is great, and the service is top-notch. I'll definitely be back!

This review is long overdue! I've been buying most of my supplies for my hobby here and have always had a great experience. Highly recommend – excellent value for money, top quality products, and fantastic customer service.

The staff are knowledgeable and genuinely helpful, always recommending products that suit both your needs and your budget. You can find beautiful hardscape pieces here at very reasonable prices – no need to break the bank!

I recently purchased a 1.5m tank from them, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s absolutely perfect!

I am an absolute beginner and I had no clue which light to get, the aquascape shop were incredible and gave me such good advice and service. It arrived two days later and I am in love! I'm very grateful for all their help

Absolutely fantastic service at the Aquascape Shop. All their products are of the highest quality and their customer service and advice is amazing. Highly recommend.

Chihiros-heater-pro-smart-external-aquaarium-heater-10w-1000w

This is a great product, heating my 240L Turtle tank in about 45 minutes. I can access the temperature and wattage from my phone through an app, making the monitoring of the water temp simple. The heater was also easy to set up. Love it.
The best part was the customer service I received. I purchased a much cheaper heater first but couldn't get it to work with my set up. They spent a lot of time on the phone trying to help me, offered me the new heater, credited the first one and sent it straight away. Amazing. Thanks guys 😊😊👍👍👍👍

Great selection, amazing customer service. Were able to get a replacement part in for me, which was fantastic!

Good service

Amazing team of boys here
Went over and above to help out

💯

I had a fantastic experience with Aquascape Shop. The service was excellent—everything was handled smoothly from start to finish. Delivery was quick, and all the products arrived in perfect condition. The quality is spot-on, just what I needed for my aquascaping projects. Highly recommend these guys if you're into aquascaping!

Incredibly helpful, great range, fast service, what's not to love!

Very friendly and helpful on the phone. Products arrived within a few days. Overall, it was an excellent experience.

Thank you so much.

I have assorted driftwood pieces from large to small selection for aquarium as decorative

Best aquarium shop. Very good products with the best price anywhere you find in Auckland. Really helpful with any questions you asked. Highly recommend

I've ordered twice now and everything has been perfect, amazing quality plants and you definitely get the most bang for your buck here. The owner is very helpful and willing to answer questions ! very slay

I am really grateful for The Aquascape Shop, being a beginner to setting up my tank I had many questions which they were so patient and answered, and also helped me pick the right plants for my tank and which products to use. The plants are so healthy and doing really well in my tank set up, once I get more confident with maintaining what I have I will come back to The Aquascape Shop and get them to help me again. I will continue to buy products and plants through them and I also HIGHLY recommend them to anyone seeking good honest advise along with there products and plants. Thanks Team :)

Passionate and knowledgeable. Definitely the number to call for pond/aquarium assistance. Great selection of aqua plants

Great quality products and just really good people to deal with. My new Week Aqua light made a huge difference to my struggling tank and the team have so much passion and experience in the aquascaping hobby.

Do you have floating plants?

Excellent service, size and quality of the plants exceeded my expectations. Happy customer, will be supporting again.

Fantastic service and plants. No questions I had were too much trouble. The knowledge on offer is outstanding!

Product Comparison

Chihiros VIVID II Mate vs Chihiros VIVID II

Why the VIVID II Mate Exists (The Honest Answer)

Physical Size & Form Factor (Identical — Literally)

WRGB Technology & LED Platform

The Numbers: VIVID II vs VIVID II Mate (On Paper)

Chihiros VIVID II — Technical Specifications

Chihiros VIVID II Mate — Technical Specifications

Control & App Features (Completely Identical)

Accessories & Shade Compatibility

What the Numbers Actually Mean in Real Tanks

So Which One Should You Buy?

Choose the Chihiros VIVID II Mate if:

Choose the Chihiros VIVID II if:

Final Verdict

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