Nano Cubes

[CrayolaViolence]

Are the all in one Nano cubes worth the money for a smaller set up? Or are you asking for trouble when parts die and need replacing? Are they propitiatory only? Or can things be fixed?
How reliable are these systems.
I'd like to get an angler fish, but since they eat all other fish it would be a coral only tank with the one fish. Want something small and easy to place and take care of since I have two project tanks already.

 

[Mark426]

They are not bad. I had one (JBJ Nanocube) way back when nano tanks were the new thing. Mine was quite successful as a zoa,paly style setup and actually was one of my favorites. The only thing lacking is the lighting, its barely adequate and I upgraded mine. As far as replacement parts go, its easy to replace or upgrade most all brands of all in ones with aftermarket parts. There are several that are a pretty good now. Red Sea would get my vote as it stands at this moment. The others I have seen are a far distant second.

 

[MrG]

I bought a nanocube (28g) a few years ago as my first reef tank. Equipment was reliable enough and really you're only talking about two small pumps, the light and a couple fans (with the nanocube I had anyway).

I would say the the pros of the all in ones is that you make one purchase and have everything you need for a basic set up. The downside is that, as is, the provided equipment may or may not satisfy your long term needs. For example, the skimmer that came with my nanocube wasn't all that great. I'm not all that familiar with anglers, but being a predatory fish, they may produce a lot of waste which might drive you towards wanting a better skimmer.

If you check out the nano section here, you can probably get some good ideas.