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Nano Box Reef Mini Tide Review


evilc66

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So, this is mostly just a link to the review I posted on Reefbuilders, but I can express some personal opinion here, where I couldn't in the review. (This isn't an attempt at bumping traffic to Reefbuilders. I just didn't want to re-post everything here)

 

http://reefbuilders.com/2014/05/06/hands-nano-box-reef-mini-tide/

 

Bottom line is, if you have a small tank, you are doing yourself and your corals an injustice by not considering this as an option. Dave really goes above and beyond with every product he ships, and the proof is in the pudding.

 

Most of you know me as one of the early ringleaders of DIY LED lighting, and I've even had a short stint working the commercial side of things. I've built many different LED configurations, with many different LED combinations, and I have yet to get as good of results in terms of color as Dave did with this setup. He absolutely hit the nail on the head, and I'm pretty sure that it's partly due to the use of the Luxeon Rebel Lime LEDs.

 

As of right now, lime isn't part of his default setup (but it should be), and the fixture he sent me was more of an experiment with that color more than anything. It paid off though, as the color of the light reminds me very much of a 150W 12K Hamilton bulb (those in the know will understand what I mean). It's a perfectly clean 12-14K white with awesome color rendering. There is no purple tinge from the use of neutral and warm whites. And it's BRIGHT. Yes, the color temperature can be adjust to more blue if that's what you desire.

 

I can say without a doubt that this is one of my favorite LED fixtures, and that's saying something considering that I build everything myself generally.

 

If you have any questions, ask away.

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natalia_la_loca

Thank you for the review :) I've been lurking around the Nano Box threads to learn more about this fixture.

 

I'm very interested in ordering a Mini Tide with either the Storm or the Bluefish controller for my Nuvo 8 (thread in my sig), but I'm intimidated by the possible LED configurations. I just want something that balances polyp growth with showing off the beautiful colors of my zoas and palys. (I'm aware that I would not need to run the fixture at anywhere near full intensity.)

 

Would you be able to suggest an LED configuration that would work well for this tank?

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DaveFason

Thank you for the review :) I've been lurking around the Nano Box threads to learn more about this fixture.

 

I'm very interested in ordering a Mini Tide with either the Storm or the Bluefish controller for my Nuvo 8 (thread in my sig), but I'm intimidated by the possible LED configurations. I just want something that balances polyp growth with showing off the beautiful colors of my zoas and palys. (I'm aware that I would not need to run the fixture at anywhere near full intensity.)

 

Would you be able to suggest an LED configuration that would work well for this tank?

Shoot me an email. My standard config would be perfect for your tank.

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natalia_la_loca

Shoot me an email. My standard config would be perfect for your tank.

 

I will :) Thanks Dave.

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Nice review Evil. I have only had mine for a couple days, but I have to agree with you on it being an amazing light. Mine was actually the white/yellow one you used in the pictures!!!

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I see that! I went pilfering through Dave's Flickr account for some pictures of different colors.

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Paleoreef103

Gotta love those nanobox units. They're pretty, powerful, and on the cutting edge. Are lime LEDs going to be in the standard configuration from now on?

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DaveFason

Gotta love those nanobox units. They're pretty, powerful, and on the cutting edge. Are lime LEDs going to be in the standard configuration from now on?

Working on it. The current array looks bananas now however I will be putting some lime in at some point. Clive was my test subject. I guess he likes it! ;)

 

-D

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  • 1 year later...

hey, I never did a product review yet myself. But, here I go.

 

I purchased a Mini Tide Plus M Custom paint.

 

I found the bluefish a little awkward to initialise - problems doing blinkup. Likelihood was that it was the fact I was using a HUGE tablet and I have super tiny hands. Even Cellphones can be too big for me. Some people like small hands, don't judge. So once Bluefish did its blinkup, I got the light working nicely.

 

Can I say colour pop?

 

COLOUR POP!

 

I used a DIY LED array of my own creation, but this has, not only power, but the ability to bring my poor corals colours back to the glory they were when I first purchased them. I have had it for over a month and have seen excellent growth. I had a slight browning as my Montipora adjusted but its colour has been vibrant since.

 

I love the photo mode, I adore the lightning mode. I think its all around a sweet fixture.

 

Pros:

Super Easy to set up

Small, Sleek, and very compact

Super powerful

Amazing Tech Support - Dave is awesome.

Beautiful Custom job

Made in North America.

 

Cons:

Addictive - want more.

I really can't think of any others.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I got this instead of the AI. Dave set it up for me and I just have to say I couldn't be happier. Colors look absolutely flawless. $$$ well spent.

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I got me a tide plus m... and love it

 

Heres so pictures

Nevermind photo bucket sucks tonight

Let the rest of Pnwmas haha they are little slow on the LED world I feed

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just bought 2 mini tide plus m and now after reading all your reviews I can't wait to get them and put them on the tank.

Really pumped up about it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The new ones are even better than the one I reviewed. You are going to have slightly more efficient LEDs, 3 extra channels, fan control, single plug setup, integrated Bluefish Mini (mine is external), and a much smaller body.

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  • 2 weeks later...

How would one of these be over a Fluval Spec V?

More than enough. If you look on the pico forum there are a few using the Tide.

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