Official JBJ Nano Cube Announcement

[Enrique]

Steal, I'm not objecting to your reasoning, youre probably right, I agree with you but based on the past experiences, not only with me but others as well, the current tanks that JBJ are manufacturing have flaws, not all of them but maybe most of them. And the only way to deal with it is to live with it. We all deserve a perfectly manufactured tank, as customers, we deserve the best but thats not the case unless we all are given the chance to choose our own tanks at the manufacturing plant of JBJ which seems to be impossible. But even so, we still woudnt know the integrity of the glass once we take it home. I like the NanoCube, no doubt about it. I myself live each day hoping and that my tank doesnt crack. And each day that passes means theres another day to hope that it doesnt crack. As I said I speak for myself and have no intention in offending anyone with any of my comments. Its just "my" opinion.

[prove_it]

long time lurker, first time poster...

 

Is it just me, or is it strange that JBJ has only posted twice on this site, and we automatically feel reassured, even in spite of the fact that a few replacement tanks have been damaged.

 

Are we getting the wool pulled over our eyes, are is this really getting resolved. Fix & replace all you want, but if they arent addressing this issue at the point of manufacture, how long will it be before we see a horror story posted here about a tank/house that caught on fire?

 

my 0.02

[Enrique]

Thats what I meant in my replies, "just deal with it".. Maybe after the next 10-20,000 tanks manufactured, then we'd probably see better results. But for now, i'm just hopping my tank doesnt break.

 

As for JBJ's post, I didnt know there were only 2 posted on this site. Very keen of you.

[chipmaker]

Still lurking for the most part, but IMHO if a companay wants to put out a scratched or otherwise inferior tank, pump or what have you, and they knowingly do it then the prices need to be adjusted accordingly.....Would I still consider a cube marked as "defect" probably not.......would I want to live with one that has the potential and history of cracking that already has scratches on the glass that were made during manufacture...definately not.......I just can't see spending any amount of money on anything that has the potential, and obvious signs of failing. I like suspense and suprises, but prefer the suspense to be in mystery movies and surprises for special occasions like birthdays.....not waking up and finding the floor saturated with salt water, setting there waiting for the Tsurnami to occur. If they are so sure of the tanks they could jack up the warranty on the tanks.......its not uncommon for a lot of things to have various warranty periods on different pieces..........There is a way to make it work, and be reliable, but there sure is a lot of silence on the manuf. part in this regard, which from my viewpoint is just like they are evading the facts and hope it will die down or go away......... Its certainly not a shiping problem in most of the cases.....its a manufacturing defect and Quality Control problem....

[sNEIRBO]

Chipmaker - Give yourself some peace of mind - buy something Acrylic!

 

Enrique is exactly right - why has JBJ suddenly gone quite? 2 posts in 3 weeks while cubes continue to crack is ridiculous.

 

Are they listening to us? Or ignoring us?

[NotGumbelWV]

Originally posted by Web Guy

So after looking at things further I know what broke the tank when shipped from JBJ! They packed it really well and used tons of peanuts and foam. But what they did not do is tape down or secure the ballast. It is shipped inside the tank! It is loose, just bouncing around.

 

If you think about it, JBJ could very well be providing a cube that is designed to meet the stresses of containing water, and easily meeting those standards (exception: noticeable defects such as bubbles or dimples). However, they wouldn't likely be testing for the stress of the loose ballast smacking around during shipment. :ermm:

 

Just something worth thinking about. I have no Nano Cube but I have decided not to invest $$ in one at this time based upon the current problems reported.

 

Bryant

[prove_it]

This thread gets my blood boiling... How ironic is it that nearly everyones "replacement" tank has flaws, nicks, scratches, or has cracked during shipping?

 

Even worse, some of those who got replacement tanks have "settled", with comments like, "if it breaks in the next 6 months, I'll just get another one."

 

 

Also, how ironic is it that JBJ has commented twice, and all is good. I bet Mr. Yim is sleeping soundly in his mansion right now.. Anyone ponder to ask the question, "do you have a nanocube?"

 

Even better yet, "do you have a nanocube on your desk?"

 

I also saw another post that SNIERBO made, stating that the glass on the 24g is 1/8 - 3/16" thick. Does this make any sense to you?

 

I own a 24g and Im scared out of my wits... Anyone got any recommendations on a good alternative? or should i just get out of this hobby while I can?

[sNEIRBO]

Originally posted by JBJ-USA Aquarium Products

Although our warranty states that we do not cover "modified" products we have honored the warranty on modified Nano Cubes in the past. We will no longer offer warranty coverage for modified Nano Cubes purchased after 07-01-05. All current owners of modified Nano Cubes will be covered if purchased before 07-01-05.

 

I have wondered why some of the most popular mods would void the warranty. Why would a cassette skimmer, hydor-flo, replacement of the stock pump, add-in moonlights (or a fix to the crappy stock DX moonlights) or a fuge light void the glass warranty? It's not like a majority of us are drilling holes through our tanks, hanging add on filters or otherwise stressing the glass with these mods.

 

Technically, isn't adding a heater to the tank a modification? Do we all void our warranty when we add a heater? Has JBJ ever made a recommendation for heater size? Is 50W too small? Is 100W too big? How about 200W?

 

Looking back at all the tanks that have been reported as cracked in the past month, how many of them had any modification that would have stressed the glass? I'm pretty sure they were only modded with the majors mods I listed above - if any mod at all. And the only reason those mods are even neccesary is to make the Nano Cube functional. How hard / expensive is it to include a surface skimmer, decent pump and moonlights that can be turned on/off independently of the main lights. Let me answer that -

 

Surface skimmer - tooling change for the back wall plastic of the Nano Cube. Up front, maybe $250. Long run production - negligible per piece cost.

Decent pump - they probably pay $5 for the current pump. I bought my MaxiJet 1200 retail for $20. I'm guessing wholesale they cost less than $12. Net cost increase - $7.

Independently controlled moonlights - remove the wiring for the LEDs out of the main ballast, add on a separate Power Adapter - $8 from RadioShack (I bought one to power my 36 LED Fuge light).

Total Cost of the 3 major modifications if JBJ would include them - $250 tooling, $15 in materials. Raise the price $20, and you've got a 25% profit margin, and customers with warranties intact.

 

I've been a defender of JBJ and Nano Cubes over the past month. I really did think they stepped up to the plate last month. I really thought they were going to take an active role in this forum. To ask us questions. To see how we use the products we buy from them. But instead, they turtled, pulled their heads in and have disappeared. How disappointing!

 

I have been wondering how much experience the staff at JBJ has in Nano Reefing? Or if any of them has a Nano Cube in their homes? Or even if they have one setup in their Offices? Do they care about the hobby? Or just about making money?

 

Just things that have been rattling around my head the past couple of weeks.

 

"I didn't mean to go off on a rant . . . but I did." - Dennis Miller

[NotGumbelWV]

Originally posted by sNEIRBO

Technically, isn't adding a heater to the tank a modification?  

 

Perhaps adding water, or removing the tank from the box, are modifications ... :*(

 

I really do hope there comes a resolution for everyone who's going through these difficulties (both customer and JBJ). Hope you don't mind my chiming in with encouragement.

 

Bryant

[prove_it]

Has anyone thought of calling JBJ to ask them to officially respond to the past 5 pages of threads since they "turtled?"

 

Does anyone remember the Ford Pinto? I'd hate to imagine JBJ is "sweeping" us under the rug, considering whats at stake..

 

http://www.fordpinto.com/blowup.htm

 

It seems like in their "rush" into the market, JBJ forgot some very important points... SAFETY.

 

1/8" glass holding 200+ pounds of water. The reason they are cracking is clear... The damned things weren't built with a factor of safety, just a factor of MONEY.

 

How hard would it be to increase the thickness to 1/4"? Oceanic cubes and others have glass at least double that of JBJ. Right now Im paranoid, watching my cube any chance I get.. I even wake up in the middle of the night to make sure its ok.. How much is too much?

 

When is enough, enough...

 

When i started this hobby, i never imagined I'd be posting in a forum somewhere about the fear that my tank is going to crack..

 

I've decided that I'm ditching my tank and getting something else.. Anyone know if they will give a full refund?

[jaykay]

If you want a refund contact them privately, they won't honor it in public so everyone can ask for one as well. They're trying their hardest to hold on to their $$$$$.

[prove_it]

Jaykay - have you done it? I'm really serious about getting my money back, but want to be sure its possible.

 

If they tell me no, im going to get a petition/class action started to get them to recall or else..

[jaykay]

I've heard they're "nicer" one on one over the phone.

[steelhealr]

Whew....OK..well...in response to JayKay and Prove_it, I have an answer. As I posted earlier, I had purchased my cube from another retailer thru an Ebay auction. It was over $100 cheaper than any of my lfs'. It's Ok...I've taken some hits from that already, but, as posted earlier, I tracked down all of the others who purchased one thru the same Dutch auction. Everybody's save one cracked.

 

Where is this going? Well...hearing that they are nice over the phone isn't 100% true. I received 3 replies when I first tracked down the other cube purchasers. One recently emailed me the other day. Here is the contents of that email:

 

HI FRANK, IT'S ME MARK, REMEMBER THE GUY WITH THE 3 CRACKED NANO-CUBES. YOU QUOTED ME IN ONE OF YOUR THREADS. WE BOUGHT CUBES FROM THE SAME E-BAY AUCTION..  

 

HEY, CAN YOU TELL ME THE NAME/E-MAIL ADDRESS OF THE BIG WIG AT JBJ WHO IS SUPPOSEDLY BEING SO HELPFULL IN GETTING PEOPLE REPLACEMENT CUBES?  

JBJ IS GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND AND SCREWING ME, NOT GIVING ME A REFUND OF MY MONEY CUS I WOULDNT TAKE ANOTHER CUBE IF YOU PAID ME TO.  

IM GONNA SUE THEM IF I DONT GET A REFUND,  

ANYONE WANT TO JOIN IN IN A CLASS ACTION?  

ANYWAY MY LAWYER WANTS TO WRITE A NICE THREATENING LETTER BEFORE PERSUEING LITIGATION AND GIVE THEM ONE LAST CKHANCE TO REFUND MY MONEY BEFORE I SUE THEM FRO EVERYTHING FROM HARDWARE TO LIVESTOCK TO DRYWALL AND MENTAL ANGUISH, NOT TO MENTION TIME.  

 

PLEASE SEND ME THIS GUYS NAME/EMAIL AND IM GONNA GIVE HIM HELL.  

 

PLEASE HELP AS I DONT HAVE TIME TO SORT THRU THE THREAD AGAIN.  

 

Not everyone is being treated fairly.

 

I am not a CEO nor do I run a large retailing business. But, I can tell you one thing. If I knew that an internet forum existed, with thousands of members, that was solely based on setting up aquariums that were in the range of my product, I'd be watching it like a hawk. Not only that, I'd assign some to do it and expect a report. I DO find it worrisome that JBJ has not come back to respond to their customers on this forum in view of the fact that they started a repsponse. Whatever the problems are with this tank, would anybody else run their business this way? SH

[chipmaker]

sNEIRBO

 

I sort of already done that....Our wedding anniversary is coming in about 3 weeks, and the wife knew I would like a good saltwater setup (so does she) and she has ordered the entire 9 yards.....which I have no idea what she ordered (local LFS) but she did assure me its not a Nano, and its gonna have all the bells and whistles and more than sufficient lighting and filtration etc so she warned me upfront, do not buy ANY equipment as she already did........I just have to wait until Aug 08 to find out what it is.....Supposedly all I am gonna have to add is my time to set it up.

I sure hope you guys get things right with JBJ.......and I too find it hard to believe especially with their opening post on how they want to make things right, not make one mention of the problems.....or future intentions........I know for a fact they lost one customer due to it....me.....and I am sure there areplenty of others you'll never hear about.

[sNEIRBO]

chipmaker -

 

Congratulations on the Anniversary! Sounds like a GREAT wife that would go out and buy her husband a new Aquarium, when I'm sure she was none to thrilled to see the last one break!

 

And congratulations on the new Acrylic Tank!

 

Cheers -

sNEIRBO

[reef n ale]

Hi guys! I want to say first that I feel terrible about all the trouble you people have had with these tanks. I've been following events closely, but have not been sure what to say until now. I am an owner of a 24G DX-NVM since 2/21/05 with no problems. I'm currently in the process of a major upgrade (which I will post about later...I'm very excited!!). Any upgrade would be a MAJOR upgrade from this product. I have NO confidence in the JBJ Nano Cube, and you shouldn't either. The risks involved in operating one of these tanks are too high. Financial loss...property damage...fire... that's too risky for me! I can't wait to replace this thing...I'm afraid to touch it!!! What has really "sealed the deal" for me is JBJ's blatent lack of response to this thread. There can be NO EXCUSE for ignoring this thread for so long. I was hopeful about their initial involvement here, but I've now lost respect for the company. I bought my 24G from NanoCustoms.com and I'm glad I did. Chris has my continuing support no matter what. His genuine concern for our well being is beyond expectation, and certainly beyond what any company could expect from their distributor. I take this opportunity to say "cheers!" to Chris. These are just my opinions guys, and I mean no offence, but please consider biting the bullet and upgrading to something else....there are alot of great and fun options out there!!!

 

Rob

[Web Guy]

Well my 3rd replacement is on the way. If this one has defects or is cracked I am getting a full refund on my tank and stand purchase.

 

I will then be able to look into something else.

 

Steven with JBJ has be more than helpfull on the phone and emails.

[Nico]

I'm on my second replacement nc 24G...

[prove_it]

JBJ -

 

Recently, there has been a rise in the broken tank category that we are looking into. We have noticed that over 70% of "broken" tank claims have been purchased over the internet or have been modified from its' original design.

 

Although this is a "shocking" statistic that seems to "point" the finger at internet retailers. There is not enough information here to determine if its a cause of the issue.

 

Namely, we dont know how what portion of JBJ's sales are attributed to internet retail.

 

If internet retail accounts for 70% of JBJ's sales, than this figure means absolutely nothing.

 

I knew the 8 years i spent in Junior college would pay off.

 

- Hank

[steelhealr]

JBJ....I think it was a bad business decision to not work with Chris at nanocustoms.com. SH

[JBJ-USA Aquarium Products]

Hello Everyone,

I would like to apologize for not making any posts in the past weeks, but I wanted to assess the situation on this forum objectively with facts. I have seen many posts on this forum either "bashing", "defending", or "staying neutral" about the Nano-Cube. And I welcome all of the above as this is the sole purpose of any online forum, to share information based on either opinion or personal experience.

 

Here are some of the most common issues that I have seen and would like to address:

 

Cracking/Broken Concerns:

Since my original post on June 20,2005 I have made contact with 11 people who have filed claims from this forum. These claims varied from tanks that were already broken to worries of hairline cracks.

 

I have tried to make the claims easy and painless as possible, to ensure getting their tanks back up and running. But during this claim process, some of the tanks that we sent out via UPS Ground or Air cracked in transport. As I mentioned in my first announcement, we send out all Nano-Cubes via trucking (on pallets) to retailers. So we are new to shipping the Nano-Cubes out by UPS. We called in our UPS manager and had him explain in detail how we should exactly have these tanks packed. He stated that we should have a min. of 2" around the exterior box with peanuts and then packed inside another box. We ordered boxes that gave us 3-4" of space for peanuts and sent out the replacement tanks.

 

But some of the tanks still arrived cracked or broken. So we tried to send it again via 2nd day air hoping it would be handled with more care, but it arrived broken again. In my opinion, I do believe shipping the Nano-Cubes does cause extra stress on the glass, especially with the weight of the larger 24g (42lbs).

 

As I mentioned previously, we are working on stronger, thicker, packing to absorb more impact.

 

Recall Thread:

Although, there have been unfortunate incidents of cracked/broken cubes, the numbers are very low compared to the number of cubes in the market. And majority of them have been purchased over the internet or modified. These are the common links between the cracked/broken category of claims excluding the pallets that arrive at retailers already crushed or broken.

 

We have sold over 100,000 Nano-Cubes since the first release of the 12g Original (24wx1) model. So there are thousands of cube owners without any cracked or broken issues. Even on this forum, I received 11 total claims since my first announcement. I am not stating that the unfortunate incidents that occurred are not important. We have tried to either replace out or work out something with the people to have made claims. We are committed to the owners of our products. We are trying to gather information collectively nationwide to see if there is a large scale problem or clustered incidents with common denominators.

 

We understand the online community is a growing market and we have taken notice of requirements for better packaging for current and future products.

 

In a market of "supply and demand" I would reasonably think if Nano-Cubes were having incidents of breaking/cracking on epidemic proportions, all retailers would boycott the product and we would be left with no customers to sell to. This is not the case, as the Nano-Cubes have consistently been selling on a regular basis since day 1.

 

Design Concerns:

I have personally seen many modifications that have been made on this forum that are very ingenious that add enhancement of the present basic features. These modifications have been noted as we prepare for newer versions of the cube. At this time, I would like people to understand that the Nano-Cube was initially designed for the beginner hobbyist to get their feet wet on an affordable budget. Although the cubes may not have all the bells and whistles, we are proud that the Nano-Cube has allowed so many new people to start the saltwater hobby and has revived the nano reef sector of aquarium sales.

 

Many of the advanced hobbyists on this forum have stated they would like to see better features and this is what we are currently working on:

1.Nano Protein Skimmer / venturi

2. Overflow skimmer - black color to match the existing filter compartments.

3. New pump - Low heat production on the lines of a maxi-jet. We are currently in the middle of applying for UL Certification.

4. Nano Chiller - The first Nano Arctica Chiller that contains a compressor that will be geared at an economic pricepoint.

 

Many of these new projects have been inspired by this site and the information I have been able to relay to our design team. I thank everyone for their input and creativity.

 

Warranty On Modifications:

As stated previously, we will no longer offer warranty coverage on modified units purchased after 07-01-05. I know many people have asked about coverage on adding a cassette skimmers, or adding a powerhead, adding a heater. These mods will definitely be covered. We are more concerned with mods that could effect the structural integrity of the nano-cube with additional lighting, changing fans out, drilling the glass, hanging protein skimmers with extra weight, and altering the canopy from its original design.

 

But for the sake of support to nano-reef.com, anyone who didn't have this information prior to purchasing your modded cube, contact me directly steve@jbjlighting.com. I will handle your claim personally if you need assistance with Nano-Cube.

 

Customer Service:

A few people on this forum have mentioned that JBJ does not care about the members of this forum. And I would have to disagree. I am a member of JBJ and I do care what transpires from this forum. I believe that the people I have been in contact with can agree that I have tried to be as helpful as possible and will continue to do so as long as hobbyists need support on our line of products.

 

Nanocustoms Announcement:

First, I will agree that Chris Jung at nanocustoms has been a valuable asset to the nano community. I would like to clarify the reasons behind the decision to stop business relations with Nanocustoms. I think it is always objective to hear both sides before making a conclusion.

 

1. Since our first post, we have stated that modified Nano-Cubes would not be warranted. And since nanocustom's primary business is focused on the modifying of the Nano-Cube, especially now with even more elaborate design schemes. We would not consciously sell him nano-cubes to simply make a sale and then tell the people who purchased it that the warranty is voided.

 

2. There has also been an issue of misrepresentation of JBJ on behalf of Nanocustoms regarding warranty claims and inaccurate information stated to customer(s). We would like to state that Nanocustoms is not affiliated with JBJ, but was a reseller. He does not have the authority to approve claims and should not be used as the liason when making a claim. This will only delay the claim process and may lead to misinformation. I would not like to get into the details of this so I will leave it at that. I just wanted people to also hear the other side. I just don't believe that because he voiced his opinion about cracked/broken concerns that JBJ would terminate him. If that were the case, I wouldn't have been authorized to handle anyones claim since the people on this forum have also voiced their opinions.

 

I would like to personally thank everyone who took the time to read this long post, but I did want to chime in and give everyone an update.

 

If anyone has further questions please feel free to contact me steve@jbjlighting.com

 

Sincerely,

Steven Yim

[sNEIRBO]

JBJ -

 

I for one don't think you have a problem with the 3.83mm thickness glass on the 6 Gallon or 12 Gallon Tanks. You're talking around 48 lbs and 96 lbs of water respectively.

 

What is the crack rate for the 24 Gallon tanks with the same thickness glass as the smaller volume tanks? The 24 Gallon Tanks can be holding upwards of 200 lbs of water.

 

When did JBJ start selling the 24 Gallon version of the tank?

When was the first 24 Gallon crack reported?

 

EDIT: Strike the comment about the glass thickness for the 6 Gallon and 12 Gallon tanks not being a problem. Looks like a lot of 6 Gallon Tanks for the competition cracked. And it also looks like a few 12 Gallon Tanks have been reported as cracked on the "Crack Rate Poll".

[triz]

Just wanted to state that I purchased my Nano Cube 6 at a lfs in March '05 and now hairline cracks have appeared.

I will be filing my claim with JBJ soon.

[bryandbx]

I have over 3K in damages to my house. Sure I have a new cube, but I'm afraid to fill it up with water.