Due to a job opportunity, I had to significantly downsize my tank to a small Innovative Marine 8g Nuvo. I was able to take a few pieces of rock from my main tank, and a few of my favorite corals. Not doing fish at this time. Regardless...the lighting unit I chose to light this little guy was the Nano Box Reef Mini. Here are the details and my review:
Company: Nano Box Reef (Nano Box Reef - Custom LED Aquarium Lighting)
Fixture: Mini Tide (full spectrum LED) w/ Tank Gooseneck
Driver: Nano Box Reef 2 Channel Dimmable - 700mA
Channel 1: 1 Natural White, 1 Cool White, 1 Warm White, and 2 Violet
Channel 2: 2 Royal Blue, 2 Blue, 2 Cyan (I think...Dave will Clarify)
The Quality: The quality of this unit is impeccable. The finish is flawless, the wiring is clean and the sleeves add a great professional touch to the unit. The gooseneck is also very strong and sleek. The cables are hidden through the gooseneck!
Light Output: This thing is perfect for my Nuvo 8...which is roughly 11x11x10ish inches....but I would recommend this light for any tank up to a 14'' cube. The 700mA that both of these channels can reach is more than enough to support any coral type in the proper tank size.
The Color: Oh man....this is one of the main reasons I left the LED world a couple years ago. I've had a custom unit by Nano Box Reef in the past, I have had an AI Nano, and I have made 2 of my own custom LED units, and I couldn't stand the coloring of ANY of them! As some of you may know, LED's that are assembled in the standard Royal Blue / Cool White combo, have a very icy blue coloring to them...which is super harsh on photography as well as the naked eye. This is why I ended up switching back to T5HO with ATI bulbs. Well my friends....this unit right here has gotten me back into the LED world! The full spectrum coloring achieved by the intricate selection of LED's on the Mini Tide makes for a WONDERFUL view! The coloring is much more satisfying than my recent T5HO setup w/ full ATI bulbs...and that is saying a lot! Photos turn out nice, and my corals show their natural beauty!
Customer Service (I am a stickler on this no matter where I buy from): Flawless! It looks like Dave really has this lineup set in stone, and there were absolutely no gaps in communication what-so-ever. I asked Dave when he could ship the unit before I paid him, and even after the payment and a week later...he shipped on time and the unit was delivered in one day! One week turn-around for a custom LED unit? HECK YEAH!
Photos (unedited): I tried to get the light in the picture as much as possible.
Conclusion: This is a great unit for pico/nano tanks, if not the best on the market. Sure, there are other good units out there....but good luck finding one that is full spectrum like this! For its size, the Nano Box Reef Mini Tide cannot be beat. Customer service was great, the quality is amazing, the product was created and is assembled in the USA....what more could you ask for? Amazing LED fixture all around. No complaints.
Company: Nano Box Reef (Nano Box Reef - Custom LED Aquarium Lighting)
Fixture: Mini Tide (full spectrum LED) w/ Tank Gooseneck
Driver: Nano Box Reef 2 Channel Dimmable - 700mA
Channel 1: 1 Natural White, 1 Cool White, 1 Warm White, and 2 Violet
Channel 2: 2 Royal Blue, 2 Blue, 2 Cyan (I think...Dave will Clarify)
The Quality: The quality of this unit is impeccable. The finish is flawless, the wiring is clean and the sleeves add a great professional touch to the unit. The gooseneck is also very strong and sleek. The cables are hidden through the gooseneck!
Light Output: This thing is perfect for my Nuvo 8...which is roughly 11x11x10ish inches....but I would recommend this light for any tank up to a 14'' cube. The 700mA that both of these channels can reach is more than enough to support any coral type in the proper tank size.
The Color: Oh man....this is one of the main reasons I left the LED world a couple years ago. I've had a custom unit by Nano Box Reef in the past, I have had an AI Nano, and I have made 2 of my own custom LED units, and I couldn't stand the coloring of ANY of them! As some of you may know, LED's that are assembled in the standard Royal Blue / Cool White combo, have a very icy blue coloring to them...which is super harsh on photography as well as the naked eye. This is why I ended up switching back to T5HO with ATI bulbs. Well my friends....this unit right here has gotten me back into the LED world! The full spectrum coloring achieved by the intricate selection of LED's on the Mini Tide makes for a WONDERFUL view! The coloring is much more satisfying than my recent T5HO setup w/ full ATI bulbs...and that is saying a lot! Photos turn out nice, and my corals show their natural beauty!
Customer Service (I am a stickler on this no matter where I buy from): Flawless! It looks like Dave really has this lineup set in stone, and there were absolutely no gaps in communication what-so-ever. I asked Dave when he could ship the unit before I paid him, and even after the payment and a week later...he shipped on time and the unit was delivered in one day! One week turn-around for a custom LED unit? HECK YEAH!
Photos (unedited): I tried to get the light in the picture as much as possible.
Conclusion: This is a great unit for pico/nano tanks, if not the best on the market. Sure, there are other good units out there....but good luck finding one that is full spectrum like this! For its size, the Nano Box Reef Mini Tide cannot be beat. Customer service was great, the quality is amazing, the product was created and is assembled in the USA....what more could you ask for? Amazing LED fixture all around. No complaints.
