aaronfmd Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 had my new 12g jbj nano cube dx for about 2 weeks, cycle is just ending, good algae bloom (is that an oxymoron?) and about to add my cleanup crew. Took a look at the tank after the timer kicked the lights on and they are flickering. it's almost like a complete on off. thought it might be the timer, so plugged right into the wall, with no change. I haven't opened the acrylic cover over the lights at all. could this be water/salt creep? if so, how do i fix it. i dont' want to put my snails in there yet if this is going to be prob. thanks. Link to comment
fishykid9212 Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 ok I think it is your ballast I already went through 5 ballasts in a year the JBJ ballasts are horrible Link to comment
aaronfmd Posted January 21, 2005 Author Share Posted January 21, 2005 did jbj warranty them? i thought they were a lights company, you would think they could make them well. anyone else have this problem? Link to comment
lou52onu Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 Yep I'm having the same problem.. .I saw it this morning. I'm on nano cube #4.. (only 1 of the 4 cubes I had problems w/ the ballast) but now this one's flickering now too.. I'm going to be ####ed if I have to return it b/c of the ballast AGAIN. I've had #### poor luck w/ jbj. I've returned 3 cubes b/c of poor manufactoring, and 1 b/c of the ballast.....this one will make 2 returns for a bad ballast. What makes it worse is that I heard they were catching fire...any truth to that? What's everyone else's experience w/ JBJ? I'd like to upgrade to the 24g but there's no way in hell I'd do that after all the problems I've had with them Link to comment
ccjung Posted January 21, 2005 Share Posted January 21, 2005 Hi guys... Im sorry to hear about your experiences with the JBJ nanocubes.. I have done a lot of work on these cubes and have been impressed by the build quality of the tanks and the choice to use Fulham Ballasts to drive the lights... To be clear, the problems that were marked by salt creep were generally the OG/DF models.. Those contained magnetic ballasts that were unfortunately placed in the salt creep ridden splashguard... The DX and newer models now use Fulham PONY electronic ballasts, which are of much higher quality and the same company that makes the drivers for PFO and other big names in the business.. In addition, they have brought the ballasts outside of the canopy and placed them into a remote enclosure... IMHO, the biggest weakness of the JBJ DX series (external remote ballasts) is the AC-DC transformer that they use.. In earlier models they looked like cold war relics, but lately they have been "new".. In all of my retros/upgrades one of the first things I do is remove the transformer and supplement the fans with thier own AC adapter.. In the incident where a fire was reported, it appeared to me that the transformer was involved, as the Fulham Ballasts feature thermal protection... As with all products tho, manufacturing defects do occur, and unfortunately, you have been subject to them... Call JBJ and let them know what has happened.. They generally try to help the consumer rectify their problems.. They arent a huge outfit, so its easy to get a top feeders attention there.. Hope this helps Chris Link to comment
aaronfmd Posted January 21, 2005 Author Share Posted January 21, 2005 so if i'm understanding you correctly, the most likely item is outside of the tank, so I can replace it without disturbing the tank. If that is the case, I'll go ahead and order my cleanup crew, hope the flicker doesn't bother them much. Link to comment
ccjung Posted January 22, 2005 Share Posted January 22, 2005 Well, the flicker is definately abnormal.. When you plug in the remote ballast, can you ensure that they are lined up correctly and are in snug? Also, note which light is flickering.. If 1 is flickering, try swapping the plugs to the ballast, meaning left to right right to left.. If the same bulb flickers, the problem is in the wiring to that bulb, or that bulb itself.. If both are flickering, try inverting the order they get plugged in and see if the condition persists, if so, contact JBJ and ask for a replacement.. They are usually good on customer service.. Hope this helps Chris Link to comment
aaronfmd Posted January 22, 2005 Author Share Posted January 22, 2005 i think it is both, i'm post call tomorrow and will try it. will let you know, thanks. Link to comment
lou52onu Posted January 22, 2005 Share Posted January 22, 2005 yep what I saw yestreday wasn't a fluke...mine lights are going in and out. I'm going to try and call JBJ but I dont expect them to do much.. .I've called after each one of my tanks screwed up ...I think they're still on speed dail, hell they might recognize my voice by now.. I have livestock in there, will it hurt them? Link to comment
lou52onu Posted January 22, 2005 Share Posted January 22, 2005 how long has everyone had their nano cubes? Like I've said I'm on tank #4 in a span of ~ 3months! Link to comment
aaronfmd Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 well, came home today, and the lights weren't on. wasn't the timer either, the lights are completely out. will call jbj tomorrow i guess. Link to comment
lou52onu Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 we should start a club...hell maybe a union....something Link to comment
aaronfmd Posted January 25, 2005 Author Share Posted January 25, 2005 sent an email this morning. they don't open until noon my time (damn those time zones!) so we will see if they answer. Link to comment
lou52onu Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 I got a reply email yesterday...they asked for my shipping address...they're going to send me a new ballast!!!!! Link to comment
goisles26 Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 Hello, Brand new to the site, and just moved to a saltwater tank 2 months ago. I've heard from alot of people that the Nano Cube DX is the best model out there...if there are all of this lighting problems are there any other products worth looking into Link to comment
aaronfmd Posted January 28, 2005 Author Share Posted January 28, 2005 mine is being cross shipped (i give them cc, they ship, i have 10 days to return mine before they charge me like $100) i was very happy with their customer service, they promply replied and i faxed reciept, etc, and it was on the way. no muss or fuss. the only other problem i've heard of is the weak stock pump. mini-jet 606 is like $15 so i'm not too worried about. Link to comment
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