Stop!! Do Not Buy A Nano Cube

[RedKnightSpecial]

The reason I am interested in a NanoCube is because of the price and ease of use. I can get a reef-ready (and I mean READY) NC6 for 100 bucks shipped. I won't have to worry about DIY'ing it or having ungly cords hanging off 6 different periperals. Is there anyway to do this with a competitor's product for a similar amount of time and money?

 

I will concede that I can't keep a huge variety of reef critters in the NC, however.

[steelhealr]

That is cheap. I've read posts on friendly 'competitions' on how cheap someone could setup a nano. Correct me if I'm wrong...wasn't the quote about $400???? SH

[RedKnightSpecial]

Well..it's 100 for the NC6. Which is cube, lights, filtration, circulation, and 'fuge.

 

It will come to substantially more with LR, water and stock, of course. I was just wondering though, if I could come close to equaling what comes in the NC6 for $100.

 

(Note-I am not being facetious here. I actually want to know. I am about to purchase a nc6 for the competition and you guys are giving me jitters!)

[trumph]

SH..hope you get some satisfaction fron JBJ but let's face it they out & out lie in their advertising about the size of their tanks(overstated by ~20%) so why would they start telling the truth now??

 

A baseline for anyone interested in a Cube... I have exceededed $2200 for my 24DX now that I've begun to add livestock. Though I've done major mods, I don't think ANY SW tank is going to be cheap. Just buy what you like...don't base your intial purchase on price.

[steelhealr]

I agree with trumph....the 'hardware' is nothing. This hobby will nickel and dime you to...uh...er...this hobby will 50 and 100 you to death. But..look at the bright side, you'll have someone looking back at you from the other side of the (hopefully uncracked) glass. SH

[necat2]

Be kind, remember I'm a newbie ...

 

BREAK DOWN OF NANO CUBE 24DX EXPENSES

 

Item Cost

 

• 7LBS box of Reef Crystals 16.99

• 100W Hydor heater 29.99

• Coralife Deep Six Hydrometer 12.99

• Saltwater Master liquid test kit, Model 401M 29.99

• Cycle, by Nutrafin 12.99

• Amquel Plus 12.99

• NovaAqua 8.99

• Thermometer 4.99

• (2) 20LBS bags of Aragalive sand 59.98

• 24 gallon Nano Cube DX by JBJ refunded by LFS

• Six plastic RO saltwater containers 27.96

• 20 gallons RO saltwater 13.80

• 17lb Marshall Island live rock 148.34

• Tax 30.40

Total Non Refundable Expense Lost $410.40

Tank plus tax $243.56

_____________________________________________________________________

Initial Bare Bones Set Up Cost

If Nano Didn’t Crack $653.96

 

 

Nadine

 

PS Can someone tell me how to put those cute little smiles in your message, I just can't figure it out. Thx.

[Upright Joe]

SH..hope you get some satisfaction fron JBJ but let's face it they out & out lie in their advertising about the size of their tanks

 

Fill it up empty without any rock/sand (including the back section) - it'll come to the volume they state. I've tested it with the 6 and 12. Of course, once you have sand, rock, a heater, etc it will take far less water to fill it. My 12 takes about 8 gallons of water to fill, my 6 took about 5 gallons (I don't have much live rock in it right now - just a couple of pieces of rubble - for some people it probably takes 3-4).

[steelhealr]

Well....just FYI how this same post is handled in another forum:

 

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...threadid=614407

 

I'd be interested to hear what our members' input is.

 

SH

[revkev6]

noooooo!

 

It's been a while since I've checked back in on you SH and I must say this is the last thing I expected to see! I am now very scared! BTW my 24g cube is doing AWESOME. with my 144watts of DIY lighting, chiller, and chaeto in the back, if I put on an Auto top off and could get it to change it's own water I wouldn't have to do a thing to it. so far I don't have a lot in it but I'm starting! I've got a good sized colony of bright red zoos, another different type of red zoo colony that I got for free from my brother and I just got a a very nice colony of candy canes for $15! I LOVE FRAG SWAPS. the only way to buy corals! I just looked in my LFS a candy cane half the size of mine was going for $45 heres a pic:

[steelhealr]

Excellent revkev...very nice.....very rewarding to see how others got their tanks up. Great Candy Cane..nice color, and slow and steady is ALWAYS a good pace. I really hope to try and meet some local reefers in my area which I have not been able to do as yet and, I agree, swapping frags is probably one of the best ways to go. Feel free to come back to my other thread and post more tank pix as you add on and grow out your tank. SH

[revkev6]

SH there is a frag swap coming up in your are soon. the one where the candy cane came from was in worcester ma via www.bostonreefers.org , they are a great bunch! there is another club down in the ct/ny region that the boston club is supposed to meet up with. I should try and find you the details. always a good time, some great people too!

[R33F]

If my nano has a crack can I just add everything in it into my other tank? Mostly live rock and some crabs and a clam. Will moving live rock from one cycled tank to another cycled tank cause any problems?

[steelhealr]

Hi..moving LR from one tank to another shouldn't be a problem. Livestock should be acclimated for differences in sg, salinity, pH, etc. SH

[NANOCOP]

I know what it feels like. My cube 24, 10 days old custom, ??200 dollars of Marshall Is. rock, sand ..... cracked right down the side at the corner where the glass is rounded.!!!!!!! What can we do?? Please reply, Mark mc8511@earthlink.net

[fishtherapy]

Well, I'm sorry for your NC cracking. This product is truly has a horrible track record thus far. I was desperately looking for a NC24 around my area and couldn't find one. I finally settled for a 12 gal and bought it yesterday. Now after what I've been reading, especially this post, I just returned the darn thing this afternoon and bought a 20 gal acrylic. I feel like I just dodged a bullet. I'd rather have peace of mind than worry about my animals 24/7. I hope you all get some refund from JBJ for all your heartache....but I wonder if that company will be just as flimsy as their product.

[doublea]

I like my cube!

[reefin77]

What is causing these cubes to crack? Maybe i've been extremely lucky, but i've had no problems yet.... Just curious

[steelhealr]

Hi...I responded to you by PM NanoCop..hope you received it. This thread is brought back to life, so, I thought I'd just be a few notes here if anyone comes back:

 

Causes

 

1)Of the three JBJ Nano Cubes, the 24G seems most prone to cracking, either by shipping individually or, unfortunately, latent catastrophic failure.

 

2) The MOST LIKELY etiologies are thin glass; weakness at the seamless corners and JBJ stated some gluing issues and packaging.

 

If you still want one

 

My recommendations are the following:

 

1) DO NOT ORDER THE 24G over the internet or via Ebay. They are shipped individually this way instead of by palettes to lfs'. This way they are exposed to careless handling. If you do order it over the net, WEAR GLOVES when reaching in to take it out of the box. There may be shards of glass in there.

 

2) Purchase it from an lfs. Have them open the box there and inspect the tank. Look for cracks, scratches and run your finger under the rims and feel for stepoffs. Ask the lfs what the return policy is and KEEP YOUR RECEIPT.

 

3) Minimize your mods to the tank to keep your warranty intact with JBJ.

 

4) Do a long test run with fresh water in an area where failure won't harm your home. Consider a week long test period. Consider setting it up over a plastic bucket.

 

What happens if it cracks?

 

1) Take digital photos if possible

2) Call JBJ and report it. Ask for either a replacement tank (which may crack again during shipping) OR a refund

3) If there is damagae to your house, it will probably be covered under your homeowners policy but some people here have reported that they might increase your rates.

 

Alternatives

 

1) Go with the new AquaPod. Thicker glass. Better surface skimming. Reportedly better lighting even with less wattage.

 

2) Oceanics 30G cube. A solid all around tank.

 

3) Can never go wrong with a 20 or 29G AGA. Overall, the most versatile tank you can get.

 

Hope this helped. SH

[shao-lin nano]

I really like my 24g but when all this talk of cracked cubes surfaced I was still in my cycling stage a couple of months ago. I would come home holding my breath and go to sleep nervous...haha. Hopefully this tank will last till I'm ready to trade it in for an upgrade.

[NEVER SATISFIED REFFER]

id sh#@ can it and go buy a 29 gal before u cycle...im glad i didnt buy one. almost did, ill stay away from jbj products.

[nanokube]

No problem with our cube no Cracks or issues (knock wood) but our is new with the LED's for night there is a scratch on the glass but not a crack so I am very happy with our cube at the monent how do we register with JBJ to keep the tank warrantied?? Advise please

[kinetic]

Originally posted by steelhealr

1) Oceanic's 30G cube tank, submitted by lgreen

2) SeaClears acrylic 30G by SNEIRBO

3) 26G AGA Bowfront

4) Garf's DIY tank based on your measurements specifications, submitted by outtafocus

 

You could look into the Finnex M-Tanks as well. There's a new 20G comming out with HQI.

 

I just ordered a 32 Gallon M-Tank

[NANOCOP]

I have been a freshwater person since I was a child, I am now 46. This was my first salt water, . It was going to to be a surprise for my daughters Birthday. You should have seen the tank prior to cracking, it was breathtaking with the 20 lbs of Marshall Island rock. Everything was cycling great, I had a couple of small hermits so far, at least I didn't put any fish in yet. I was really proud of the way that I arranged the rock as well as the custom wood stand that I made myself. I also had 40 lbs of live sand. My LFS sold me on the Cube idea. I wish I had researched the Forum better. My living room floor is a mess!!!!!!!!!!! Not to mention how bad I feel about all the work and planning I did. It was the proudest I had ever been, setting up a tank. My wife and I were sitting in the same area as the tank and it sounded as if someone was tapping lightly on our window, then there was a loud crack, and the water started pouring out. It mad a nice split from top to bottom on the right side, right were the curve of the glass was. I bought it brand new in the box off Ebay from: mailto:contactus@aquariumworks.com. When I emailed him what happened, his reply was: you put too much sand in it. He also stated that these cubes are not made for much stress. I am done with any more JBJ NANO CUBES. Even if they sent me one free of charge, I would not feel comfortable with it filled with water!. I am going to give the rock away. I really can't afford to invest in another setup. I even have supplies (Reef test kit, additional moon lights, $55.00 refract.) being mailed to me of which I bought over the internet last week. I was really excited about my Cube. I also paid for a clown Perc. and a small bubble tip anenome at my LFS, hoping to surprise my daughter with it on her upcoming Birthday. To add insult, about ten days ago I paid my LFS about $200.00 for the Live Rock 20lbs, When the tank broke today I immediately brought the rock back to him, hoping to at least get 50% back. $100.00. He only wanted to give me $40.00. So I told him I would rather give it to someone rather than be insulted by him

[steelhealr]

NanoCop...I feel really bad. There is another person here who suffered similarly...sNEIRBO. He hasn't given up the nano reef hobby. I have a family situation similar to yours. Don't deprive them of the beauty of the tank or the fun in getting it up and running. For one thing, it sounds like your lfs guy is extremely uncaring and insensitive...especially considerint the future investment he had in you as a customer.

 

I started a thread on the 24G and as soon as these problems arose, I put a warning, retroedited, on the front to try and make people aware. First off, you did nothing wrong with how you aquascaped nor how much sand you put in. Some people have used deep sand beds in these. In fact, that is how I saw my first tank set up. I hope that other nano reefers here will come to help. SH

[Esper]

my 24G came cracked as well, 2 or 3 in the rear corner of chamber one. I glued it with silicone and it stopped leaking.

 

bulletproof since then.

 

after reading this thread though, i might switch to an oceanic 30G, unless i can find a similar acrylic for a similar price! there are so many inherent flaws in the nanocube that keep me up at night wondering how i'm gonna fix....well how about a NEW TANK? lol.