nano cube owners (please read)

To stock nano cube, and moded nano cube owners:

 

How long do you think your nano cube will last?

 

Please consider changing lights require unscrewing the screws that hold the clear splash guard to the canopy lid. I belive that each change of lights will cause damage to the lid screw holes.

 

My fans don't last very long, and need to be replaced every 2 months, whihc I thought will damge the fan screw holes as well.

 

To summerize what I was just talking about now, what I am saying is that my lid is slowly becoming destroyed, and the lid is a very important part of the cube. I am not the kind of person that could build a lid for the nano cube which has the front part of the tank curvy.

interesting, i had thought the same thing about the screws in the lights. i guess if it falls apart its a good excuse to upgrade to a different tank... although i do really like the cube.

 

i think it would be interesting to find out whats the longest time someone has had a cube running for.... how long have they been around?

Yeah, same.

 

Basically my hood is super destroyed.

 

My fans lasted about 8 months (I hope you had yours blowing in, not out).

 

My JBJ ballast blew out (again) so it was temporarily down to one light.

 

The tanks inhabitants were rolling along just fine after like 8 months. Coraline grows was cool etc.

 

Then I made the caulerpa mistake.

 

Caulerpa vs me: Caulerpa wins!

 

Anyhow, now the tank sits empty and it's too crapulated to set up again. I keep looking at it thinking how can i make a custom hood and base (yes I know some ppl on the net make and sell them).

 

I'm not using that crapped out hood again though.

Yeah, mine is only 6 months old and I just ordered a new canopy with MH via MattGecko. It just looks so ragged...

 

Incidentally, I have 2 extra hoods: 1 with a splashguard one without. When I get the new top I can sell these along with the one I have now that is all modded...

I have had my tank since January with 96 watts, one bulb blew from moisture, and I havent replaced it, waiting to get new hood from Matt as well, so I can add MH, and use one or two of the compacts for staged dusk dawn effect. yeah my tank is not going to stand the test of time, no doubt about that. Personally I want to rip the baffleing out, its just a depository for #### and gross stuff back there, aipstia grows rampant back there. Its all #### if you ask me, I would have never went this route if I knew back then what I know now. Its a good looking tank, but b0rked in design for longevity. Nano Cubes are great frag tanks, just throw your old scraps in there watch'em grow and parcel them out to friends and family, etc... As far as I am concerned, I am waiting to upgrade to a 18 via aqua or 30g custom acrylic. Don't get me wrong I love my tank, its been the best learning experience of my life. Although I have killed quite a few leathers and 2 rbtas.....in my learning curve. sadly. Luckily none of them were caught there were raised by freinds of mine. Hope this helps anybody.

Heh, maybe I will upgrade the tank, and get new lighting instead of buying a new canopy lid with new lights.

I just bought a brand new Nano..... thanks guys. =D

Heh, just take good care of it. Some of us here were sort of beta testers for the hood mods so learn from our mistakes and successes on the many threads on the site.

 

If you add lights and fans and do it right the first time, you should be fine. Keep in mind that it is not very durable plastic to being with and they aren't made for us to modify at all.

 

If you want to keep softies and fish you will be just fine, even long long term.

 

HTH

 

Chris

Thanks for all the input. I will gather some of this information for my nano cube review.

just upgrade! it's inevitable, and you guys won't look back any more on your nano-cubes. i was proud of my nano-cube, but now having a bigger/more adequate tank has made reef-keeping even better.

custom reef, kappa. or if you ever go back to japan buy a nisso tank. Buy me one as well, I'll pay you back. bent starphire glass. http://www.nisso-int.co.jp/tank/cs/index1.html suki desu

I worked at a store that sold nano cubes.... I have seen alot of complaints about the balasts ... If I were to spend the money I would avoid JBJ.... fan trouble was another issue with some of the costomers.

If work is needed to be done on the canopy lid where it must be taken off the cube, this is risking breaking the clip that holds the lid to the cube. That is another worry I have becasue I use to often take off the lid, and it is a tideous thing to do.

 

Awesome tanks there supernip, I will remember those when I go to Japan in 2 years.

 

I am thinking of upgrading completey soon.

Yeah, 1 of the screw holes for my splash guard is completely stripped. But then just looking at the hoods construction should easily show you it wasn't designed with durability in mind.

 

I followed DitchPlains route. I just upgraded to a plain 'ol 20G a couple of months ago, and I've re-set up the Cube in my kitchen simply as a grow out tank for frags.

 

Of course, now I'm looking at getting a 40-55G tank drilled, and using the 20G as a sump.

 

It never ends. But it never would have started if I hadn't seen the Nanocube.

Originally posted by djtodd

It never ends. But it never would have started if I hadn't seen the Nanocube.

lol, agreed! the nano-cube made a good run while it lasted. i still have mine setup with some zoo's/couple shrooms/and a bunch of GSP on the back wall.

 

i learned everything a noob needed to learn through the nano-cube, and i think that i put a lot of use into that tank.

 

here's something to consider, if your nano-cube's holes get stripped from the screws... just go to HD and buy a wider diameter screw. that's what i did and it's worked charms. the less you mess around w/the nano-cube, the less likely it'll spit crap at you in the future.

I figure at some point I'll have to upgrade if I want to keep reefing. In retrospect, I would not have bought the cube if I had known. Oh well, I can always use it for something else when I upgrade.

people.... use it for its true purpose. Planted tank! rah

now that you mention it, i've seen planted nano-cubes and boy do they look nice!

 

you got a point there, we could use it for planted tanks when we "retire" the cube...heheh

I saw my first cube in-person today. LFS got in a few for the first time. As soon as i started to investigate it, first thing i thought was "how many times can this lid be opened before it breaks" lol. The look and concept is great, but simply from observing one for a matter of minutes i can understand why it sounds like so many people have problems.

Your LFS just now got Nanocubes? Wow, they are far behind the times it seems...i thought they were the rage everywhere. I personally think they're a pretty good deal, I mean they could be improved, but they would cost more that way too. I mean 100 bucks and you're ready just add livestock? That's a damn good deal on any sort of reef setup...

well, you need LR & LS first before you add anything... but as you said, it is a very good "starter" reef for any person.

 

as for the hood being crappy, it's not that it sucks, it's just that when people do mods to their nano-cube, the quality of the hood degenerates over time. my LFS has 3 nano-cubes running that have been setup for quite some time... and they still look new! that's only b/c they haven't messed around with it like we have. i'm sure if you leave it the way it is w/no mods, it will last you at least 2x longer than if you did mess around with it.

At work we have a nanocube setup that is the old style without the fans which has been setup since JBJ came out with the nanocube and it's not messed up at all, but we haven't modified it either.

Let's face it, the nano cube is for somebody who wants to start a reef tank, and don't want to dump a whole lot of cash for the uncertainty of the hobby. Now that I know I can maintain a nano reef, I think I will go for another tank that will be good for a halide setup. I was thinking of doing a smaller tank than Uchiha's via agua 18. Maybe a 16g with 150w or less halide setup. I am going to setup my tank around a mountable halide lighting this time. First I get the lights I want, then I find the tank that will fit it.

 

I want to still keep hobby as nano as possible and not go past 18g.

 

In about 4 months or so, I will upgrade completely to a halide setup, and toss the nano cube in the garbage, and let it rest in pieces.

Definately, when I got into this hobby I assuredmyself I would kill my tank criters, so figured why blow heaps of cash on hobby I knew #### about, despite my readings of Fenner and Calfo, etc... I still had no hands on experience. Today nearly 10months later F the Nano Cube, and buy myself a real tank, truthfully as much as I love nanos I got into this part of the hobby out of necessity , concenring money. I am poor grad student, so cash is tight. Spending 5 grand for my dream 200G tank is just out of the question, so that being said 100 bucks on a nano cube is just about right. I do love nano's and want my house when I can afford one to have plenty of nanos and one giant display tank. That is years moons and a marraige away...lol This is what a gf can do to your pysche...lol Anyways, I would love a viaqua 18g or a custom acrylic 20 g bow.., sigh I do still think bigger is better when it comes to this hobby for the sake of stability, but nanos are gorgeous aren't they? I just love my little reef, its something that keeps me hapy no matter what goes on in my life, I can look at this tiny world of beauty and keep going..snif snif..lmao Well yeah, Nano Cubes dont offer much once you know what your doign and halides, well its obvious and lets face facts if your trying to recreate mother nature why go half ass, and compacts and vhos are half ass. Soon I will be replacing my Nano with a Via Aqua 18g with a 250watt metal halide 15k HQI. soon I hope....crosses fingers lol

take care

well you have to expect that with anything stuff is gonna get worn out and messed up the more you try to fix, up grade or just mess with it!