Any thoughts on the JBJ 12g Nano Cube tank?

[24 hours? NE!]

I ordered those fans. They were suggested by another person looking for mods to his hood. I can't remember exactly where. Sounds like they worked, but I'll see. If not, I'll have some extra fans for something.

Thanks for the update.

 

[got bait?]

I guess during the development phase of the nano-cube, they thought about it & shelved it to be able to keep cost down. IMO,

Talked to a Nano Vendor, and they are in the process of adding the fans as part of the package. He said they just made so many of these tanks and the demand was there, that they released them without the fans. My guess is, when the new tanks finally hit the market, they will sell even better. I have also noticed a wide range in price on these tanks. I bought mine from the LFS for only $89, have seen them on line for $119. Guess I got a deal. He can't kee[p them in stock. JMTC

 

[24 hours? NE!]

I've seen them mostly $99 and up. I would definitely pay that again. My sump comes first, though.

 

[pecan2phat]

Did the CSL lighting upgrade last night. Not too bad though it took me a lot longer than I had imagined, probably due to my inexperience.
I did the two CSL 32 watt retofit into the Nano-Cube light canopy. Fitment wasn't bad although the connector makes it a very tight fit. I'll probably cut these connectors off in the future & just go with pin connectors as in the original configuration.
The CSL reflector needs to be cut about .75" & bent straight on one edge. I used the old screw mounts for the old bulb holders to mark, drill & mount the 1st reflector. After a test fit, you need to attach the CSL bulb holders, straighten the inner edge flat & cut 2 small slits on the sides for tabs in the canopy before mounting the reflector.
Then I used the old ballast mount for the 2nd reflector. All this needed was the removal of the old light switch, bend the opposite side of the reflector edge straight so that it overlaps the 1st reflector, mark, drill, place bulb holders on & mount the 2nd reflector.
After this is done, test fit the acrylic spash guard. You'll see that you now need to slightly bend the angled edges in the front & back a little more to clear the rounded screw guide of the acrylic guard.
Now you can wire up the ballast. I soldered the wires & used heat shrink tubing. I did not use the provided light switch because my lights are on timers & I did not want to drill a hole on each side of the canopy to accommodate the switches. If you do not intend to use the switch, then you need to connect the black & white wires together to complete the circuit.
You'll notice the 32 watt bulbs are the same length as the stock 24 watt. The difference will be the CSL connectors that add another inch even after you bend the wire portion as much as you can. One bulb was fine, the other touched the black ABS hood. This I did not like so I cut the pin connectors from the old ballast & used those for the 2nd bulb.
Make sure you plug each ballast in to check that the bulbs work before you replace the acrylic spash guard.
I have only one light on today to let the corals & clam adjust to the new lights. I have to say that even just one CSL 32 watt upgrade, you can see a noticeable difference in the amount of light.
I also added a 60mm fan. I tested it & it was nosier than I care for. I'll wait till I have both lights on to see if the temps rise enough to warrant the use of the fan.

24 hours NE, it's definitely a 60mm fan & not a 80mm. The mounts on the vent are spaced perfectly for a 60mm fan.
How did your upgrade go? I'm sure you would agree that there is a noticeable difference with even just one light. Worth the 40 clams right!

 

[24 hours? NE!]

You beat me to it! I completed the retro tonight.

It did take longer than expected and I'm not totally happy with the placement. I put in the stock and the new bulbs (I do have the bulbs touching the hood because of the extra length in the connectors. I'm not sure how to remedy this. I'm going to have to keep a close eye on it for now. I also don't like the stock ballast hanging around. I may get a second retro, but that extra length annoys me. I kept the stock reflector and had to do some trimming because it wasn't square. Again, if I get a second retro, I'll use the new reflectors.

I noticed a huge diffence as well when I turned on the new lights. Turning on the old ones also, only helped a little bit. I haven't gotten my fans yet, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them. I'm hoping the heat isn't an issue, but if it is, I'll have to rig up some kind of mount.

Pecan, what did you end up doing with the lights and the length issue? You had two kits, right? I couldn't quite decipher it from your post. Is it worth it to get the second retro?

I'm convincing myself right now to get it. I'll have to go into it again to do something with the fan(s) anyway. I like the lights! Add this to more experience (and an excuse to get more tools- don't tell the wife).

 

[ViciousFishes]

I just did the same mod to my Nano. Got the SmartLite 32 watt retro from http://www.drsfostersmith.com/. It's only 13" long. It was on special for $40, pretty good deal in my opinion. The only thing I would've done differently would have been to order 2 of them. Installing the retro is a zip but having to splice new wires to the existing ballast to relocate it outside is a @#$%&. Plus i was looking for a replacement 24 watt bulb for the original in case it goes bad and I only found 1 no name brand bulb.
Guess I could try a 32 watt but the ballast wont power it fully I think, who knows. I'll probably order another soon. Oh one last thing I also added a Coralife 1 watt blue led moon light that fits snug under the plastic light cover right in between both bulbs. Looks pretty cool. wish i had some pics. 1 watt cost $30, bit pricey and 3/4 watt is $15 from http://www.marineandreef.com/
Good luck

George

 

[24 hours? NE!]

I'm trying to find a way to get a moonlight into mine as well. I've got all the parts to do it myself, but I'm not sure about the fit.

 

[pecan2phat]

You beat me to it! I completed the retro tonight.

It did take longer than expected and I'm not totally happy with the placement. I put in the stock and the new bulbs (I do have the bulbs touching the hood because of the extra length in the connectors. I'm not sure how to remedy this. I'm going to have to keep a close eye on it for now. I also don't like the stock ballast hanging around. I may get a second retro, but that extra length annoys me. I kept the stock reflector and had to do some trimming because it wasn't square. Again, if I get a second retro, I'll use the new reflectors.

I noticed a huge diffence as well when I turned on the new lights. Turning on the old ones also, only helped a little bit. I haven't gotten my fans yet, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them. I'm hoping the heat isn't an issue, but if it is, I'll have to rig up some kind of mount.

Pecan, what did you end up doing with the lights and the length issue? You had two kits, right? I couldn't quite decipher it from your post. Is it worth it to get the second retro?

I'm convincing myself right now to get it. I'll have to go into it again to do something with the fan(s) anyway. I like the lights! Add this to more experience (and an excuse to get more tools- don't tell the wife).

All we need to do is find those crimp pin connectors like on the original connection of the old 24 watt bulb. Now I see why they used the crimp pin connectors vs a real socket connector. Obviously they knew that any socket connector whether square pin or straight pin would have been an issue with spacing.
With the crimp pin connectors, don't even use the length of wire with the square pin connector & insulation housing, just connect the crimp pins to the start of the grey sleaved wire which contains the four separate wires. This way you can cut the wire to your desired length and then splice the crimp pin connectors from there.
Now only if I knew where to get those connectors. Tried Radio Shack with no luck.
As for the 2nd retro, whether it's worth it, I would say yes if your trying to keep light loving LPS corals. If your staying with polyps & softies, than one upgrade is good enough especially since you also kept the stock 24 watt bulb on.
As for the length issue, the front retro clears the sides of the ABS hood, probably due to the curves, the rear retro would not so I ended up breaking apart the square pin socket to see if I could just use the pins like in the stock setup. No good, the pins in the square CSL socket are not 360 degrees round so they won't stay on the pins of the bulb securely. I ended up cutting the stock pin connectors, spliced & used those for the connection. I would still like to get my hands on some new connectors so that I can redo the job on both bulbs & clean up the wiring a bit by cutting some length away.
With the one bulb on (waiting a few days before I turn both lights on) I noticed that there was 90% less condensation under the hood. (you know when you lift the front flap to feed, it usually drips some condensation or when you lift the hood and condensation starts running down the back corners)
That probably means that the 32 watt bulb is running hotter than the stock bulb but my tank temps have not risen with just the one bulb on. I might just have the fan turn on in sync with the rear light.

 

[pecan2phat]

24 hours? NE!,
I just read your other post & noticed that you have a BTA. With this in mind, you might want to consider a 2nd retro. I find anemones need intense lighting to prosper.

 

[24 hours? NE!]

Yeah, mine opened up 50% more as soon as I turned on the light. I hoped by putting the better light in front, I would entice him to move to the front of the cube.

I've already ordered the second retro. Now, the issue is those stupid connectors. My fans should be coming soon and soon as the new retro comes, it's time to open up that hood again.

Let me know what you find on the connectors. How do you attach the old ones, anyway?

Man, I wish I had more time. I just put a shelf into my main tank's stand and I'm looking into a sump for it.

 

[24 hours? NE!]

I'm probably going to try to get my two new 32s in there as well as my stock 24. There are a couple of people doing it on this site:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=2766319#post2766319

I guess it looks like it can be done. I'm a little concerned about the heat, but I'll install my fans at the same time.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[24 hours? NE!]

Here's my hood with 88 watts (stock 24 and 2 32 watt retrofits). They fit snug but I'm not totally at ease with the heat issue. I'm waiting on fans to hook up.

 

[pecan2phat]

Okay, I took a chance & ordered 2 square pin endcaps from hellolights.com. They actually turned out to be perfect for the length issue caused by the CSL connectors.
With the endcaps installed, there is about 3/8" on both ends to play with. This is a big difference from having 0" clearance with the CSL connectors.
Word of caution with the new endcaps, they have a base type platform which is the height of the CSL bulb clips. Meaning if you bent your clips to achieve additional clearance between the bulb & acrylic splash guard, then you'll have to bend them back or live with a uneven bulb placement. The endcaps makes the length of the bulb level with the reflector.
These were $4.95 x 2 + $5.95 for shipping, so add another $16 to your nano mod!

(with CSL connectors)

(with new endcaps from hellolights.com)

(picture of endcaps)

 

[24 hours? NE!]

Interesting, but if I put $1 more into modifying that hood, I'll be shot and then fed to the fish.

My bta isn't looking that impressive right now, he doesn't seem to like the lights and all the obvious work I've put into them.

 

[pecan2phat]

Try acclimating the BTA to the new lights by staggering the lighting. Say the BTA was under the 24 watt for a month or two, then leave the 24 watt on 12 hrs, (1) 32 watt for 5 hrs & the remaining 32 watt for 2 hrs. Each week, increase the 32 watt by 2 hrs until you have: 24 watt = 12 hrs, 1st 32 watt 10 hrs & 2nd 32 watt 8 hrs.
Of course, this is just my opinion. Hope your BTA gets well!

I know what you mean about the wife & Nano mods, heres my cost so far for setup:

Nano Cube shipped from Dr Fosters - $111
(2) CSL 32w retro + (1) CSL 32w 10K bulb shipped from Dr Fosters - $107
(2) square pin endcaps shipped from hellolights.com - $16
20 lbs LR & 10 lbs LS shipped from liverocks.com - $128
Won titanium pro-heat II heater shipped from captiveraisedcorals - $42
60mm cooling fan & 12v DC converter from Radio Shack - $37
(2) appliance timers & powerstrip from Home Depot - $30

Total without fish & corals = $471
To think that this started out as a $99 itch!

 

[24 hours? NE!]

Yeah, no kidding. I didn't get anything from Liverocks, but I spent much more than I anticipated. Better be a productive coral home.

 

[pecan2phat]

24 hours? NE!,
How is your Nano doing with all those lights? Just wondering cause with my CSL upgrades, I'm having a hair algae problem now.

 

[24 hours? NE!]

Yah, me too! It looks a lot better than it was a couple of weeks ago. It seems to be under control. I'm slightly toying with the idea of an emerald crab to take care of things, but I'm trying to talk myself out of it.

I added a small rbta about a month ago. After six days it split into two and almost a third. Early this week the top one split again. My rbtas love the light. I wish I could say the same about my original. Hopefully he'll come around.

Do you know much light shrooms should have? Will I have too much?

 

[24 hours? NE!]

Oh yeah, I had to drill some holes into my light cover to let out some heat. I should have done it sooner. It seems to be working well (after I had already melted it a little).

 

[pecan2phat]

Did you end up installing a ventilation fan? I have my 60mm fan come on with the second set of lights and the heat is under control. Although everyone suggested that the fan should blow air in due to salt evaporation and longevity of the fan, I left my fan exhausting as this makes the most sense. When I left the fan off for test purposes, the temperature would rise almost 5 degrees.