Any expierence with JBJ Nano Cubes?

[miniflea84]

Or any comparable all in one marine package? Something like this:

http://www.marineandreef.com/JBJ_28_Gallon_Nano_Cube_with_150_Watt_HQI_p/rjb10050.htm?gclid=CLCg4O2PvZgCFQwNGgodkBBGaQ

Due to budget and space concerns, this appears to be a good deal. Of course, these things invariably never actually contain all the gear you really need. Does anyone here have any experience with this type of setup? Would it work for a beginner who really would like to start with a 100+ gallon setup but really doesn't have either the space or the money? Or should I just enjoy my freshwater setup for now and keeping reading and researching? Thanks!

 

[OniTweak]

I have an Oceanic Biocube 14G and it is great and there are a lot of people who would recommend them. Just ditch the bioballs throw in some LR Rubble and enjoy.

 

[pat8you]

I have the JBJ and its a nice tank. My mom bought the 29 gallon model and had it crack where they bent the glass on the corner out of no where. This is not an uncommon problem. They were good about replacing it though.

The plus side is they do look really nice and have an "almost" all inclusive package going on. They hide equipment in the back which is a bonus over piecing it together from a regular tank.

The down side is they are not real flexible about upgrades. If you want to swap out pumps or lights or any of that depending on fish or corals and all that it can be a pain. They offer a higher watt MH hood if you decide to start keeping more high light corals but it costs almost as much as the whole tank package did to begin with and i have heard they have problems with heat.

Long and short. I'm happy with the tank and would recomend it for a begginer with limited space. If you plan on getting into the reef/coral side of things i would suggest putting the parts together your self so you have more options for lights and flow if you chose to change things up down the road.

Edit: just saw that you were already planning on getting the MH model. I would strongly recommend you look around for other options in that case. The price they ask for that is insane. You can get the viper clip on MH pendants or part together your own MH set up for considerably cheaper.

 

[Innovator]

An option for you: Nanocustoms.com - nanocustoms

 

[miniflea84]

So, after doing some more looking around, I've found two possible deals. The JBJ nano 24, with a stand for less than $300.

JBJ Nano Cubes Chillers and Lighting | JbjNanoCubes.com

This honestly seems to be too good of a deal, but I'm not sure. What do you all think?

My local petsmart has a package dea on the oceanic 29 that also seems pretty good. The system itself, a bag of salt, skimmer, hydrometer, filter, and a few other necessary things that ecape memory at the moment. Total is $500. The stand though is an extra $175.

Either way, I've decided to go with a fowler setup instead of reef, for the sake of simplicity (and my wallet). This means though, that I'm looking for something without metal halide lights, but still with a skimmer.