My review of Steve's LEDs retrofit kit for JBJ Nano Cube 28

[bigdaddy1000]

I thought I'd share my recent experience with Steve's LEDs and their JBJ Nano Cube 28 retrofit kit. I recently picked up the nano cube - I went back and forth on which version to purchase and ended up going with the CF version rather than the LED intermediate or advanced. This decision was largely made based upon information found on this and other forums pertaining to various LED kits. I really wanted the ability to have full control over the light level and also wanted to be able to dim the lights rather than have instant on/off. After additional research, I ended up purchasing Steve's 99% complete kit with the Typhoon controller.

 

I ordered the kit on 08/26/14 and it arrived on 09/06/14. Everything was jammed into a USPS priority mail box. Packaging/padding were decent but I could imagine some people seeing damage out of the box if the postal worker was a little rough on the box during shipping. The entire kit with controller, extension cable and the moonlight kit came in at just under $500, so if you look at the cost of the nano cube CF + the kit versus the LED advanced version of the tank, the prices are fairly close (especially if you don't factor in the Typhoon controller and cables).

 

I opened up the kit, placed everything on the table and then went to Steve's LEDs page for the instructions. The first thing you will notice is that the instructions are pretty bad - confusing and difficult to follow. I had a few questions after reading through everything and searching online, so I sent them to Steve's page via their online submission form. Never heard anything back from them, so I went forward with what I could find on the forums and what I thought was right.

 

Here is the top right before the installation:

 

Be aware that there is a good amount of modification to your biocube lid to install this. You are essentially making it unusable again if you don't like the LED kit or decide later you want to go back to CF. You begin by cutting away one corner of the inner plastic structure. This requires a dremel to do correctly. The space is right to work in, so be careful or you'll cut something you shouldn't. Steve's instructions are pretty lame in that they only show you a picture rather than providing any actual measurements. I had to keep cutting more and more in order to get the heatsink to seat correctly. Here are pictures of the modified lid:

 

 

Steve's instructions and photos make it appear as if the heatsink assembly will fit perfectly, but my assembly looks different than what is shown on their page. It also didn't fit properly without cutting off two additional screw posts. Even then, you can see from the following photo that it doesn't quite fit right - the fan pushes on the outer wall. I had a hard time getting the screws to attach to the existing mounts.

 

 

Once you get to this point, Steve's instructions ask that you put packing tape on the plastic to seal the inner chamber. I did this even though it seems a little wonky.

 

To be continued in next post.

 

[bigdaddy1000]

At this point, Steve;s instructions make it seem like you are almost finished. You need to install some weather stripping above the fan to make sure that you get a good seal for the inner chamber to be cooled. Apparently, Steve decides randomly whether he will include this or not (see instructions).

 

This is where Steve's pictures end and your fun begins. Steve doesn't bother to show you where or how to route the cables out of the inner chamber (that needs to be sealed thoroughly per his instructions). You have a power cable and 2 dimmers to install. His instructions say to install the dimmers anywhere, but we know that other than within the sealed chamber, these things would be toast quickly. I ended up routing my cables and installing my dimmers as shown here.

 

 

Steve also doesn't mention anything about the moonlight kit, so I went at it on my own again.

Note that the double sided tape on the moonlights is close to worthless on the heatsink - mine fell off within a day. Use some glue or some other method to attach.

With all of this complete, I was able to plug everything in and do testing. I then gently cleaned the LEDs with the alcohol prep pads and put everything back together. Here is the completed project.

I would estimate that the entire thing took me 2 to 3 hours to complete.

 

 

[Horerczy]

Man I'd hate to know how much trouble that would be if you didn't get it 99% complete.

[bigdaddy1000]

So, now that you've seen what it takes to get it installed, here is my opinion after having had it for about a week.

 

Pros:

Tank runs cooler. I was running 81-82F with the CFs. I can keep it at 79F with the LEDs - could probably go even cooler.

 

Typhoon controller (once programmed) works great. Really smooth transitions from off to on.

 

Coral seems happy - everything looks good at ~50% white LEDs and ~15% blue LEDs (dimmer levels).

 

Cons:

Hack job on the nano cube lid - will need to be replaced if you want to go to another lighting solution.

 

Power supply is crazy loud. Steve's instructions say the fan only runs when it gets above a certain temperature, but that seems to at least 50% of the time. Not only is it loud but it has a bad tonality to it - really annoying - probably my least favorite thing about the setup. The power supply also has semi-exposed electrical contacts on the back - seems dangerous for use on a fish tank.

 

Zero response from Steve's LEDs on any questions. You are on your own.

 

Installation instructions are pretty crappy. They assume you know more than you probably do and fail to adequately address a couple key installation points with cable routing.

 

Really bad disco ball effect with any ripple on water surface. So bad that you won't want any ripple.

 

With my rock situation, I can see distinct LED light points in my tank. In other words, I can see a blue LED spot on the bottom sand where the light is coming straight down from above.

 

Some might be challenged with Typhoon setup and use.

 

With blue LEDs turned up much, default LED color option is too blue for my taste. I leave the blue almost all the way dimmed. This is with the default LED color order option.

 

Didn't fit exactly right in my tank. Had to force it. Also had to remove the screw post at the corner where the fan is. Not sure if this will cause any issues with water ingress down the road.

 

Although it is very bright, you can tell that the LEDs don't provide as much whole tank light coverage as the CFs did. I think this might be because they are all in a central strip along the heatsink. The stuff in the back doesn't get as much light as it did with the CFs unless you turn the LEDs all the way up (which Steve tells you not to do in his instructions).

 

In Summary:
Would I do it again? No. I'd either go with another LED retrofit option or just purchase the intermediate or advanced version of the aquarium. The installation is a bit of a pain, the power supply is way too noisy and the disco ball effect is terrible.

 

Let me know if you have any questions - happy to help.

 

Thanks.

 

[Horerczy]

Swap the power supply out when you get the chance.

 

An equivalent meanwell hlg power supply would work nicely.

[bigdaddy1000]

Hold the presses - I finally heard back from support at Steve's. Sounds like my power supply fan may not be operating as expected. According to them, the sound should be barely audible... They are sending me a new fan. I'll update once I get it installed - fingers crossed that there is improvement. Current one is completely ridiculous.

[GM0NEY]

I spent over $400 to upgrade to Steve's LEDs in my coralife biocube 29 and it was a colossal waste of money. First of all the instructions they give are complete garbage. Secondly, the hood must be modified beyond recognition and the splash guard must be cut so it is no longer water tight. I spilled a small amount a water onto my hood and it shorted out the led system destroying them. Now I have to buy a new hood and go back to the old biocube lighting set up, which in all honesty wasn't that bad in retrospect.

[Horerczy]

 

I spent over $400 to upgrade to Steve's LEDs in my coralife biocube 29 and it was a colossal waste of money. First of all the instructions they give are complete garbage. Secondly, the hood must be modified beyond recognition and the splash guard must be cut so it is no longer water tight. I spilled a small amount a water onto my hood and it shorted out the led system destroying them. Now I have to buy a new hood and go back to the old biocube lighting set up, which in all honesty wasn't that bad in retrospect.

if you get the urge to retrofit again get Dave's nanobox retro. You don't have to mangle the hood and frankly Dave's leds are just plain better.

[farkwar]

If you posted pics, they are not showing.

[Horerczy]

 

If you posted pics, they are not showing.

They were there. I remember looking at them. It's like watching a chop shop tear apart a car watching steves kit get installed.

[reefernanoman]

This is somewhat related, but I installed an LED retro kit from rapid LED and had tons of questions, all which were answered fast! It sounds like if you want help with a purchase like this, rapid LED would be a much better option. I'm almost sure that they sell retro kits for biocubes too. I have had great success in keeping my corals alive and growing nice BTW.

[nc2tarheels]

I also did the steves LED's. I have most of the same experiences. The lights themselves, have been great. However, the instructions on how to wire them up were god awful. I emailed them several times and it took 3-4 days for them to respond most of the time. The driver in my kit also went bad after only owning it for a year. So I ordered a new driver, and reordered all new lights. All in all, I've spent a lot of money on this setup, and I'm not super thrilled with it. The low temps are fantastic, but I feel like the entire job was a hack job.

[jojo822]

Yeah, Steves. They used my hood to blueprint this retro hood. I didn't get my hood back for weeks. Lost multiple corals/fish. Def NOT worth it!! What settings do you guys have your LEDs set at? Royal Blues/neutral whites

[reefernanoman]

I must add, that with the retro kit from rapid, I didn't have to hack any part of the hood off. Just took the hood off, took the hood apart and just installed the heatsink. But if I was to do this right now again, it looks like Nanobox might be a better option.

[Buckleysean85]

I also had issues with my Steve's led kit for my biocube... Hood hacking, excessive algae grow and the disco effect... Removed them after eating the $500 I spent moved on to a radion which I mounted in the hood since it was alread destroyed and all my issues went away. Needless to say I wouldn't recommend Stevie's led to anyone!!! Biggest letdown ever

[Wjcastiglione]

yes, as a recent buyer of steves LED kit for my biocube 29 - I have the same exact complaints.

 

-customer service sucks

-the instructions are basically worthless, so you have to freestyle it.

-it took me 4-5 hours to install something that was supposed to be 99% complete.

-my fan also was broken and they had to send me a new one

-disco ball effect is in full force (but I kinda like it)

-Algae growth is out of control. seriously. and I have the lights basically turned all the way down.

 

... it's just a scam. horrible customer service. never again.

[RowdyWest]

DAMNITTTTTTTTT

I absolutely scoured the internet before making my decision on Steve's LED retro for my BC29 and somehow missed this thread lol.

I installed last night, experienced alot of the same things you guys did, and the first google search I do today "steve's led retrofit reviews" and I stumble upon this thread.

 

I am just really praying my experience is different from the ones you guys have described, but so far....mine has been pretty much the same

 

-Instructions are nothing less than a JOKE! It's like Steve's just playing a prank on you by including these silly instructions. I mean, for god sakes...it's full of grammatical errors.

 

-I paid an extra $80 or so for a 99% complete kit and it took me about 5 hours to absolutely tear apart my hood. Do not even attempt the 99% kit if you don't own and know how to use a Dremel.

 

-I plugged everything up and was surprised to find that the cooling fan for the unit was very quiet! One of my main issues with the stock PCs was that the fan was loud. I was very happy with this........then the fan for the power supply kicked on. WTF? it's like a CPU fan from 1988.

 

-Over all I like the LED set up and am happy with how the LEDs are performing, but only time will tell if this unit is going to actually last me a while.

 

-I would recommend getting the Typhoon controller. I didn't and I regret it big time. I will be getting it soon though.

 

-BigDaddy....did your new fan they sent you solve your issue?

 

Thanks!

 

[phineous]

Hate to resurrect an old thread, but I feel this is important so nobody else gets screwed like the above posters.

 

A friend asked me to look for a light for his JBJ Nanocube and off hand I recommended Steve's LEDs since I hadn't looked for a retrofit kit in years. I started looking at what was available today and I realized that much of the lighting color/tech in retrofit kits hadn't been updated since the last time I looked. Steve's has updated some of their kits, but I can't say what they've done has made their lights better, also there's the other issues discussed ITT. I do buy LED stars from Steve's and have always had good service from them in that respect. Plus they were one of the first reef lighting manufacturers to cater to the DIY hobbyist so I respect them for that.

 

I followed the advice of Horecrzy and asked Dave what he had available.

 

Nanobox is the only choice for a retrofit kit, and if you keep researching I believe you'll agree. Dave doesn't promote the retrofit kits well on his page so he's not an obvious choice. Please write to dave@nanoboxreef.com and ask about kits for your model of AIO tank. They're less expensive for what you get, use the most recommended LED colors, and use better components/technology. Plus, Dave writes back to you almost immediately where the others don't even give pre-sales questions priority.

 

One other thing Dave's got going for him, Jedimasterben gets excited about his lights. If that isn't a ringing endorsement I don't know what is.

 

Sorry to jump back into the forums looking like a shill, but I would be kicking myself right now if I had let my friend buy the wrong light.

[RudeBoy]

Phineous, thanks for bringing this thread back to life. Thanks to your post I've decided to go in another direction for lighting for my nano and the Nanobox Retro is exactly what I need for my BC 14. I reached out to Dave and he wrote me back in less than 30 minutes. Thanks again.