Is the jbj Nano cube a value or junk?

[mmd]

i previously kept a reef in an oceanic 37 gallon
im looking for a tank which may be planted fw or another reef
i came across the jbj nano quad online for 299 with the stand (fosters smith)
is this a quality product?
any problems?
are the pumps and lghting name brand or knock offs?

 

[PSU21Reef]

Ive had the 28g LED model for about a year with absolutely no issues. I'm not sure about the pumps and lighting being brand name or not but theyve worked great for me since day one. Most people upgrade the pumps anyway for a reef or just throw an mp10 in like I did. They'll work perfectly fine for a fw planted set-up though. The stand is kinda cheap and not my favorite but good enough to support the tank. The hood is plastic which I don't really like either but it does its job also. You can find other aio tanks that are higher quality but they're also more expensive. Overall, it's a really nice set-up in my opinion.

 

[nvdiz]

I think its a quality product. Not the best, but mine still looks great.

I should say I have the Nanocube 24 without the hood. If you want the reef, you might as well go w/ the LED or the HQI (you're gonna need a chiller). Otherwise buy a fixture and go hoodless.

I'm not sure what the pumps are, but I dont think anyone really cares for them anyways. An MP10 will provide you all the flow you'll ever need.

 

[dano83]

My friends was junk, leds never worked.

 

[SHADYreefer]

I hear all the jbj AIO systems get pretty hot. +1 on the chillar.

 

[PSU21Reef]

I don't use a chiller on my tank and the temp stays at exactly where I have it set. The lights release all the heat upwards and the fans remove it pretty well. It really seems to depend on your room temp. I have central air and it is never above 68 in my apt. If you don't use ac and the room temp gets above 70 you'll probably need a chiller simply because of the closed top.

I'm talking about the LED. If you go hqi or quad I'd have to agree that you're gonna have to go with a chiller. That's why I went with the LED. It uses less power, lights last 10 years, and you probably won't need a chiller. The extra money upfront kinda evens out. Good luck deciding.

 

[MrIcky]

Overall I'd say it's a quality kit if you've done your research and know what you're getting. The problem is more that reefers are never happy and always want to upgrade and buy toys, etc. for their tanks. Beyond adding a circulation powerhead, you really can run a NC stock and grow a reef. I point you toward Kidninja's tank if you want a good example of a basically stock tank- there are others I'm sure, but his comes to mind.

The higher end of NC's with the HQI and LED probably really can grow anything.

The Bad:
Hard to add equipment, particularly in the < 28gal sizes.
Tanks tend to run hot, will need to work out fans or chiller depending on your ambient temps (see #1- this likely means a mod if your house gets over 75-77 degrees).
Curved front can make it hard to photo.
Stands are functional and I'll leave it at that.

The good:
Compact.
Clean lines.
Quite a few mods have already been figured out for you.
Solid and sturdy now.
All the basics are there to successfully start a reef as long as you match your corals well to the lights that came with it.

Personally, I've owned 2 now and I like them. So does my wife because she didn't like how AGA's get to looking with equipment hanging all over them. If you have the space, an aquarium with a well thought out sump is going to be a better overall system, but NC's really are pretty good tanks.

 

[d2mini]

What pumps are suggested as an upgrade in the 28g Quad?