the powerhead with the cube sucks huh? that's too bad. I can always get a Maxi-Jet like you got. I'd rather not have to modify anything, but then what would be the fun? the lighting sounds great for softies. i had a similar SmartLap modified to an old Eclipse. i upgraded to a JBJ 2 x 55w combo and killed all my 'shrooms. i'll check around my local LFS's to see what kind of Clowns they have. $60 isn't bad for a mated pair BTW, at least around here
JBJ 12 gallon nano cube review and pictures
- Thread starter bdelaney
- Start date
i tried Montipora under the 2x55 PC and was not successful. it was a 20 gal. tank (don't remember the dimensions) and was sure that it was enough light, the only thing that did well were a few Acropora frags at the top of the tank. is the 32-w considered enough light for the dimensions of the NanoCube for hard corals (i was never good at that formula)?
The clowns weren't a mated pair, they're both Juveniles,, the biggest is only an inch long. They've already sorted out their roles though,, the smaller one has begun swimming on it's side and twitching,, a sure sign it's gonne be the boy.
I thought $28 a pop was a bit expensive compared to juvenile Ocellaris, which sell for about $12 around here.
BTW,, although I got a brown Monti to grown in there for a month, I definitely wouldn't advise this as an SPS tank. I think most SPS's would lost their color pretty quickly under 24watts of PC lighting,, however close it is.
I thought $28 a pop was a bit expensive compared to juvenile Ocellaris, which sell for about $12 around here.
BTW,, although I got a brown Monti to grown in there for a month, I definitely wouldn't advise this as an SPS tank. I think most SPS's would lost their color pretty quickly under 24watts of PC lighting,, however close it is.
i would agree about the hard corals. i'm sticking to softies with this one. hard corals get too confusing to take care of with all the calcium levels and what not. i can't run metal halides which is the only way i'd try them again. i wondered about getting juveniles and putting them together. I was always afraid that they wouldn't get along. there's a local FS that sells juveniles pretty cheap. i might try that route rather than buying an expensive mated pair online.
Yeah, Monti is definitely not a typical SPS coral. I wouldn't really consider any other SPS coral, and very few other stony corals, in this tank. Nemenzophyllia and Plerogyra are the only ones off the top of my head that seem like good candidates. I definitely wouldn't suggest going out and buying a $30 Monti colony and throwing it in there either. I just fragged some that was growing into an Acro, and decided to put it in here as an experiment rather than throw it away.
havent been around in a while...been battling a cyano outbreak in my cube....SO sick of it!! anyways, ive had several inquiries about the 'knockoff' tank that i have, and where i got it...it's made by a company called 'boyu', the website was forwarded to me...it is www.boyuaquarium.com i got it at a LFS near my house, just under $100...the only thing is, the 'newer' generations DO NOT come with the fans, guess they want to be more and more like the jbj. anyways, any other questions, feel free to shoot...ill try to be around here more often....s
eight2178-
Here's my advice coming from a guy that had that identical setup for a year:
1) You will never get rid of the cyano hair algae problem in that tank. WHY? Because all of the detritus and food goes into the back section and will always cause a nutrient nitrite nitrate issue.
2) The light and fan will die soon because of the shotty ballast.
3) The power head is so weak! It will require some mods to the outlet hole to fit in a bigger/better pump.
4) Good luck cleaning coraline off of the bowfront. You will have to stick your hand in the tank weekly to clean it off with a razor blade. And in doing so will always stress out your tank.
5) The screen like intake on the top left of the tank will need to be cleaned daily. Otherwise, the tank will fill up with water and flood.
.........So not to make you super depressed or anything but I hated that tank. I eventually ditched the money pit and went to a standard 10 gallon. I am MUCH happier and wiser now.
Here's my advice coming from a guy that had that identical setup for a year:
1) You will never get rid of the cyano hair algae problem in that tank. WHY? Because all of the detritus and food goes into the back section and will always cause a nutrient nitrite nitrate issue.
2) The light and fan will die soon because of the shotty ballast.
3) The power head is so weak! It will require some mods to the outlet hole to fit in a bigger/better pump.
4) Good luck cleaning coraline off of the bowfront. You will have to stick your hand in the tank weekly to clean it off with a razor blade. And in doing so will always stress out your tank.
5) The screen like intake on the top left of the tank will need to be cleaned daily. Otherwise, the tank will fill up with water and flood.
.........So not to make you super depressed or anything but I hated that tank. I eventually ditched the money pit and went to a standard 10 gallon. I am MUCH happier and wiser now.
Hello everyone! I just signed up to be a member of the reefs.org community. I just got 10 days ago the JBJ Nanocube wich I love. I am very new to reefs but I wanted to have one for such a long time.
I have about 11lb of Tonga LR and a big piece (6lb) of Fuji rock that I am trying to accomodate in the tank.
I already have anout 1.5 inch of livesand and my question is the following: does it hurt the LR if I move it inside the tank in order to arrange it better? Should I leave it alone until later to do a new arrangment?
I am a professor in digital photography so I will be happy to give everybody some tips about how to get the best images possible so we all can enjoy our little treasures! OK?
Thanks for any advice that I can receive!
Roberto
I have about 11lb of Tonga LR and a big piece (6lb) of Fuji rock that I am trying to accomodate in the tank.
I already have anout 1.5 inch of livesand and my question is the following: does it hurt the LR if I move it inside the tank in order to arrange it better? Should I leave it alone until later to do a new arrangment?
I am a professor in digital photography so I will be happy to give everybody some tips about how to get the best images possible so we all can enjoy our little treasures! OK?
Thanks for any advice that I can receive!
Roberto
Here is a pic of my nano cube so far....
investigator1":1tmow4du said:
Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with this tank. I would like to address your points though. I think many of them have a simple solution.
1) I have no cyano or hair algae, but it hasn't been running for over a year yet. I think the key to prevent this is to vacuum the filter compartment every so often. I do this every couple of months with the sump on my 29 gallon. It should be part of any tank's regular maintenance. Why would the nano cube be any different?
2) I have only heard of two cases of the light failing. You are one of them. Perhaps you got a faulty unit.
3) Yeah, the powerhead is weak. No argument there. I'll keep running it until I find a suitable replacement.
4) This is an issue with any bowfront tank. Especially the smaller ones like a mini-bow. Brandon had some nice suggestions for cleaning curved glass in another thread. I believe he uses a clean razor blade on some forceps and allows the blade to bend to conform to the curvature of the tank. A simple solution that only requires a little patience.
5) I haven't cleaned the intake screen since I set up the tank, and it hasn't clogged yet.
Ditto for me on #5, except for large pieces of Caulerpa when I prune it.
On #1, I keep a crab in the back to eat extra food, yanked out all the sponges/bioballs, and turkey baste it once a week or so. Ditto on any other tank I've kept.
Re #3, I think the powerhead configuration is a bit lacking as well. It tends to make a circular motion around the perimeter of the tank, with not much motion in the center. My xenia is practically getting blown off the rock if I place it on the outside, but isn't receiving enough flow in the center. It's hard to find a middle ground. If I were to redesign it I would have a spray bar at the back surface that sprayed forward.
On #1, I keep a crab in the back to eat extra food, yanked out all the sponges/bioballs, and turkey baste it once a week or so. Ditto on any other tank I've kept.
Re #3, I think the powerhead configuration is a bit lacking as well. It tends to make a circular motion around the perimeter of the tank, with not much motion in the center. My xenia is practically getting blown off the rock if I place it on the outside, but isn't receiving enough flow in the center. It's hard to find a middle ground. If I were to redesign it I would have a spray bar at the back surface that sprayed forward.
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