Hello everyone, I have been doing salt for a little under a year now and am working on my 4th tank now. I was looking at the JBJ 28g HQI nano cube b/c of the lighting and everything else you can get for 500 bucks. This appeals to me because I am a college student and 500 dollars is pushing it.
Question:
Does anyone have any experience with this tank? I would like to know the positives and the negatives of this tank and if people have strong feelings about it one way or the other before I spend 500 dollars.
Thanks anyway guys, I’m sure someone will have some input on the tank! It’s great to be on the site, and im sure I will be able to pull some info out of everyone by the end lol.
Ive got a 34g Solana and did quite a lot of research on mutiple nano tanks before my purchase. I wouldnt call it a bad tank but here are some things you may want to consider with all of the “all in one” tanks.
With metal halide lighting there is a tendancy to overheat. A lot of people end up purchasing chillers which, for me, is unnecessary for a nano if its done right. Also, some of these tanks are difficult to work in and are even more difficult to modify. There is a LOT of information out there for everything nano. Check out nanoreef.com and nanotuners.
:TWOCENTS There is only two ways to go with a nano. High end and budget. If you want an ultra clean looking piece of art look into maybe getting a cadlights, finnex, or ADA tank…or maybe a solana. DFS has an exclusive solana thats a little smaller but has HC glass. The other route is a modded of the shelf tank. You would be amazed with what kind of system you can create for less than $100. For me the acrylic all in ones just arent worth what you pay for. However, with that said, they do make for very nice beginners tanks for someone that might not be ready for a large investment or creating a system from the ground up. Just be prepared for possible temperature issues with a metal halide version.
I think when you go ‘all in one’ anything you should be very cautious. Purpose built parts always outperform the ‘all-in-one’ dohicky that does it all.
Purpose built parts always outperform the 'all-in-one' dohicky that does it all.
Absolutely.
You definitley want to think it through before you buy. In my case the “stock” skimmer was the equivalent to an airstone in a soda bottle. A VERY loud soda bottle! The glass canopy was uselss. The “stock” ATO was a joke as was the bio balls. I pretty much gutted and modded the entire filtration area of the tank. Its something worth considering if you plan on keeping demanding livestock down the road.
Honestly… I plan on ripping out all of the back filtration. The things that caught my attention: the lighting, I want to carry various types of anemones that like good lighting and great flow… which leads to my second point, which is the duel return system which i can put new pumps on and create great flow along w/ a korilla or two. Along w/ that i like the central return center and i figured if the skimmer doesn’t work to well, I can always add a small sump and buy a silly seaclone 100 or something. I just can’t find a better deal w/ all of the items that this comes with but I do agree that I have to think a lot before getting it. (I was planning on getting a 1/15 hp chiller for it b/c i live in an un-air conditioned room and well… the chiller will help w/ that and with the HQI lighting system.
Chillers are quite the investment and one you really dont need IMO.
Try comparing the overall cost of the all in one with an open top nano + a clip on MH or MH pendant + a clip on azoo 2/4 fan strip. I would keep it simple. Chillers lead to controllers which lead to empty bank accounts!
I would love to do that, but I honestly think after last year that I will need a chiller b/c as I said… I already live in a hot area, and it stays near 90 until it drops into the 50’s lol. I had a Hell of a time keeping it cool last year, and I figure if I get the chiller, I will have it for future tanks if I need it. What would the controller be needed for? Just wondering, I don’t have a lot of experience w/ chillers as you might be able to tell lol, but I was looking for a current USA 1/15 hp and they say its pretty much plug and play and it does a great job w/ regulation. Its a bit pricey at 300 bucks, but ill probably be able to get it for about 280 which would bring my total tank cost to about 780 IF i were going to go w/ the nanotuner jbj 28 w/ HQI and 2 atinic lights. Thank you again for all the input everyone I really do appreciate it!
You could use the chiller as is if it has a thermostat, but most people use a dual controller because temps can swing VERY quickly in a nano. Also, keep in mind, a chiller that size will be pretty much worthless in a larger tank so you will only get your money out of it on similar sized systems.
Personally, i just dont feel that chillers are necessary and never had the need for one even with running 500watts of MH. The azoo 4 fan unit can drop my 100g+ system 2 full degrees.
Temperature has been a much debated topic on this forum in the past. Some will say that there is a very tight window that you should keep your temp dialed in to, others say let the temp swing. Personaly, i think somewhere in the middle is good. I wouldnt be to concerned with higher temps swings in the summer. I think a fan that comes on with your MH timer that blows across the surface of the tank will keep your temperatures in an acceptable range, but you really wont know until you try.
I do agree about the fans… If I lived in an area where I could control the external temperature, but no matter how much I can decrease temperature due to a light, if the room temp is 90, I wont be able to keep my tank at 78 which is where I keep all my tanks. That’s the main reason I wanted a chiller, and also the chiller im looking at works on systems up to 50 gallons, which is plenty for me for the next 10 years (cause i still have grad school and stuff before I can get a large nice tank.) also I raise a lot of anemones and they don’t like temperature swings at all (or really anything else lol they stink sometimes) but… I like the idea of a chiller b/c it creates a rather stable temperature system (which i plug and play). The other thing is this is the hood im looking at off of nanotuners is modded enough, and i really don’t have the time or tools at school to make more mod’s for fans and stuff. Im still up in the air though… I’m still not even sure that I will be getting the 28 jbj, its hard deciding your next tank lol grrrr. I really do appreciate the input though and if I don’t go w/ the jbj, I probably wont have HQI lighting cause I just dont have the money for a nice HQI system so… ill probably just go T5HO and be fine but we shall see.
If keeping the temps at 78 steady works for you then i wouldnt change it, but you are incorrect about anemones. I leaving the cutting and pasting of scientifc evidence to someone else, but anecdotally i can tell you that ive keept my GBTA for over 4 years and wide ranges of conditions with little to no trouble. Right now i have an RBTA in my 34g on 250w MH where i would guess the temperature flucuates close to 6-8 degrees f daily and you would be hard pressed to find a finer specimen.
In the end you need to do what works for you and what you are comfortable with. I dont blame you at all for wanting the extra insurance of chiller. My advice to any new hobbyist would always be to keep the temp stable within a reasonable finite window. However, over the last year or so ive found myself leaning towards the opinions of reefers like bellamy(Icy) and chris(mbuna) and letting that window stretch a little bit, at least with my nano. I feel perfectly comfortable letting my tank range from 78-84 over the course of a day in the summer.
On another note, that is a very nice tank something i would deff consider if i had the space to put it right now, but sadly i don’t have the space until i move back into my room at school but it is a very nice tank! (Very nice for 400 dollars…) and if he were willing to wait i would buy it in the middle of august no questions asked lol, but… its a great deal and probably already sold lol. If you do see some more tanks like this towards the end of the summer I would appreciate it if you could let me know (because i don’t go on many forums or anything and just went on this through a friend that said that i should go on lol). Thank you again!
I wouldn't say that my information isn't "Cut and pasted," It is through personal experience, and im glad that your anemones do well w/ 8 degree changes but i would disagree that that is good for any invertebrate or fish
you misunderstood. what i meant was that there is a LOT of scientific evidence that supports the benefits of temp swings and i would leave that to other people to post. There have been very long and interesting threads on the subject. What i offered was my experience on the subject. I didnt say that you lack knowledge, i simply said that a tank doesnt have to stay at 78 degrees to be sucessful or healthy. Again, you do what works for you.
Thank you for that article as well, maybe over time I could try to get my tank use to a more variant temperature in the event that something goes wrong and I cant keep it totally static. Very interesting, and as i said i have plenty to learn (i didnt think about current and all the other factors that increase/decrease temp so much and so quickly down there in those great old reefs. Thanks again, and i enjoy a good quick read so if you run across more interesting things let me know (it can only help having more knowledge lol)
