After a little research, I purchased one of the new 12 gallon JBJ nano cubes. It's currently cycling with some live rock. As a whole, I'm quite pleased with the tank. The size and shape will allow for some nice aquascaping. The usable area within the tank is approximately 14 inches wide by 12 inches deep and 12 inches tall. An additional 3 inches of depth are included for the integrated filter compartments.
The lighting seems adequate for a variety of soft corals, and the 106 gph pump seems to push enough water to create some nice currents with few dead spots.
The integrated filter compartment has three partitions to make 4 separate areas. The intake is on the left most side, and that partition contains 2 foam prefilter blocks. The next partition contains some coarse ceramic pieces with a generous supply of carbon on top. Next is a foam block with 6 bio-balls that sit on top. The final compartment houses the return pump which is plumbed through the rear divider. The return pump also has a small airline hose split off from the output to provide a trickle of water for the bio-balls.
When I purchased the tank, the store employee mentioned something about needing to cut a piece of acrylic to block one of the dividers. I didn't know what he meant until I got home. The dividers are all open on the bottom with some other slits cut throughout their length. While this is great for promoting flow through the filter medium, it makes each filter chamber have the same water height. This makes the wet/dry section always wet. I fixed this problem by cutting some scrap acrylic to fit next to the middle divider, and it forces all water to go up and over into the bio-ball chamber. (I had to silicone this in place, which was a challenge given that I couldn't get my hand inside the small compartments.) This allows two separate water heights, with the bio-ball and return pump chamber filled halfway. I have to admit I was a little disapointed at this "feature." I would have thought this kind of problem would have been worked out before the tank went to market. It was an easy enough fix, but it should not have been necessary.
Anyway, I still relatively pleased with the clean design of this tank. The curved glass is easy too look through and the bowed front gives a slight magnifcation effect without other distortion. The canopy has a small front section the opens for feedings, and the entire canopy can be held open with some small plastic supports for maintenance.
The lighting seems adequate for a variety of soft corals, and the 106 gph pump seems to push enough water to create some nice currents with few dead spots.
The integrated filter compartment has three partitions to make 4 separate areas. The intake is on the left most side, and that partition contains 2 foam prefilter blocks. The next partition contains some coarse ceramic pieces with a generous supply of carbon on top. Next is a foam block with 6 bio-balls that sit on top. The final compartment houses the return pump which is plumbed through the rear divider. The return pump also has a small airline hose split off from the output to provide a trickle of water for the bio-balls.
When I purchased the tank, the store employee mentioned something about needing to cut a piece of acrylic to block one of the dividers. I didn't know what he meant until I got home. The dividers are all open on the bottom with some other slits cut throughout their length. While this is great for promoting flow through the filter medium, it makes each filter chamber have the same water height. This makes the wet/dry section always wet. I fixed this problem by cutting some scrap acrylic to fit next to the middle divider, and it forces all water to go up and over into the bio-ball chamber. (I had to silicone this in place, which was a challenge given that I couldn't get my hand inside the small compartments.) This allows two separate water heights, with the bio-ball and return pump chamber filled halfway. I have to admit I was a little disapointed at this "feature." I would have thought this kind of problem would have been worked out before the tank went to market. It was an easy enough fix, but it should not have been necessary.
Anyway, I still relatively pleased with the clean design of this tank. The curved glass is easy too look through and the bowed front gives a slight magnifcation effect without other distortion. The canopy has a small front section the opens for feedings, and the entire canopy can be held open with some small plastic supports for maintenance.
