Hello all, I have been enjoying aquariums for about 6 years now. I currently have a 55 gallon planted, 29 gallon community and a 10 gallon planted. I am wanting to start a nano reef and have some questions. I have looked at the JBJ 24 gallon cube and i feel that that is probably the size that I want to do. I want to allow myself room to enjoy 3 or 4 fish and others. I have read on here about earlier problems with the 24 gallon cube, however I guess there is a new version out that JBJ claims to have fixed the problem. My question to you is this. How does this JBJ cube compare with my own 20 or so gallon tank that I could set up myself. What would the price difference be? I understand the advantage of seperate components and ease of replacement. I do not have a clue what equipment would be required to start the process so I do not even know how to get a rough estimate at what price I would be at if I did my own set up. I am sorry to ramble on in this post but this is about wht is going thru my head right now. LOL Any opinions or help would be greatly appreciated.
New to reef aquarium and need opinions please.
- Thread starter acey525
- Start date
I like the nanocubes for their clean look. However I wouldn't spend my money on one. You've probably noticed that most of them need to be modded in one fashion or another. With the cost of the cube, and especially with any upgrades, I could easily setup a regular sized 29g tank with a fuge, and lights, and it would be easier to add skimmers, auto top off, etc...
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Anonymous
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i totally agree - JBJ nanocube = a very pretty piece of junk (IMO). Start with a tank size you want say a 20 L or T and have fun buying just the equipment you want and need for your little piece of ocean reef. That way you can have any lighting, filtration, skimmer, plumbing, flow you want.
I agree with the other two. Avoid the nanocube...it is much more cost effective to go with a 20 gal long. That will probably be the next size tank that i would set up. as far as equipment needed to start, that would include about a 2" to 3" inch bed of, IMO, the finest aragonite sand, preferably LIVE sand, and about 1 lb per gallon of the best quality live rock you can afford. From there, consider the filtration that you want, generally a protien skimmer and/or refugium. once you have done this, you will want to moniter your water quality while your live rock cycles using a good quality test kit (salifert i a good brand). During this time, consider the lighting that you will want...this will be determined by what you are going to want to keep. This is one selection that you will want to put alot of thought into. I would suggest getting the most lighting you ca afford...for a 20 long, probably metal halide. Most people who start with lower lighting regret it later, then have to upgrade. Retro kits are a less expensive way to purchase lighting, then all you have to do is build/find a housing for it. Add a cleanup crew of hermits/snails throughout your cycle, and you should be off to a good start.acey525 said:
mikeguerrero
Active Member
Back in 1984 Apple comptures captivated viewers and revoltionized nano comptures when they released Macintosh.
It was an all in one unit capable of doing all the tasks that a large PC could do in a much smaller package; it had speed, graphics and style yet it was very pricey.
Keeping from allowing anyone from clonning it kept the prices up on these machines. So high and untouchable for many new users that it with time found a grave just as quickly as it had emerged.
JBJ is a good example of this scenerio in that it created a small all in one nano reef that anyone could enjoy but left the high end user with out the high end support they would like for SPS corals and the like.
Sure you could upgrade the tank with third party manufactures but it was going to cost you. And it voided your warranty and since the specs changed with light intensity so did the inescapeable HEAT, that doomed many new users.
Is the JBJ cubes worth the price tag? In my opinion no, and with the clones comming in this x-mas take notice that they will drop in price allowing just about anyone to pick one up.
They are elegant but as addictive as this hobby is you will soon find yourself upgrading the tank as quickly as your last coral is dropped into this little guy.
JBJ should've catered to the high end users and not tried to monopolize the market, Apple computers learned to diversify and bring in the clones but much to late; power pc etc.
However, now with nano ipod and the ability to be backwards compatible; both PC and Mac friendly make you think why did they take so long to go this route.
Mike G
It was an all in one unit capable of doing all the tasks that a large PC could do in a much smaller package; it had speed, graphics and style yet it was very pricey.
Keeping from allowing anyone from clonning it kept the prices up on these machines. So high and untouchable for many new users that it with time found a grave just as quickly as it had emerged.
JBJ is a good example of this scenerio in that it created a small all in one nano reef that anyone could enjoy but left the high end user with out the high end support they would like for SPS corals and the like.
Sure you could upgrade the tank with third party manufactures but it was going to cost you. And it voided your warranty and since the specs changed with light intensity so did the inescapeable HEAT, that doomed many new users.
Is the JBJ cubes worth the price tag? In my opinion no, and with the clones comming in this x-mas take notice that they will drop in price allowing just about anyone to pick one up.
They are elegant but as addictive as this hobby is you will soon find yourself upgrading the tank as quickly as your last coral is dropped into this little guy.
JBJ should've catered to the high end users and not tried to monopolize the market, Apple computers learned to diversify and bring in the clones but much to late; power pc etc.
However, now with nano ipod and the ability to be backwards compatible; both PC and Mac friendly make you think why did they take so long to go this route.
Mike G
Thanks everyone for the opinions. I have learned already with planted tanks that no matter how big i want bigger, but no matter how much i would want there is no room in my house for a bigger aquarium, whether I like it or not. I like the size of the nanocube 24, however I do not like the lighting restrictions. I currently use pc lighting in my planted. Would you prefer a 20 tall or long. Seems like a tall would use less rock without it appearing empty, however I'm sure that the extra distance would make some difference in lighting getting to the corals. I would not like to be restricted in my coral choice. Is a refugium necessary in a tank that size or is it just benificial? I know very little about the requirements of saltwater and reef setups. I have a local fishstore that has been very helpful in the past with my planted tank and sure they will be with the nano reef, but I still appreciate your opinions. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
Personally, I would prefer a long. the reason being that i find it easier to aquascape a shorter, longer tank as opposed to a taller tank. My 16 gallon bow, for example, is the same WxL as a 10 (approximately) but it is about 6" taller. that makes it harder to aquascape. Also, like you hit on, you get more out of your lighting out of a shallower tank.acey525 said:
As far as a refugium, I have read, and seen, some great results of people who use them. I personally have no experience with them as all that I run is a bak pak 2r and a couple power heads. An undertank sump, that usually goes in the stand of your tank, is another great option.
And as far as lighting goes, I would consider some of the hqi metal halide fixtures that are out there now. these allow for the most flexibilty as far as corals go. That is unless you know for sure that you will never want to house lighti demanding sps's or clams. I you know that you do NOT, then, there are many pc fixtures that will provide enough light for a 20L.
hope this was of some use! good luck.
FYI...Here is a link to a 20 L from another site (wouldn't recommend the site...they are a bit rude), however this tank is a prime example of what a 20L with some good lighting and good aquascaping could look like ----> http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.p ... 2536&st=80
You should also consider breeder tanks, they are 18" front to back instead of 12" and are easier to aquascape since you have more space to built a solid footprint in. Either a 15 regular (12x12x24) or a 20 or 30 breeder would be my choice if I were trying to build a new tank. Skip