Review: JBJ Nano Cube (28 Gallon) & MTS-60 Stand

By Luke • Jan 18th, 2011 • Category: Hardware and Supplies

The JBJ 29 Gallon Nano Cube is an awesome choice for people who want an all-in-one aquarium system with a 150w metal halide lamp. Do you want to grow sps corals and other organisms that need intense lighting? You’ll be happy to hear that the integrated lighting offers 5.35 watts per gallon.

Not wanting an HQI? JBJ also offers this aquarium system with LED lamps or Compact Fluorescent lamps. You can choose between these options when ordering online at PetStore.com, for example. The LED option will cost the most, followed by HQI and then the compact fluorescent is the cheapest.

For the purposes of this review, we are looking at the HQI option as it’s the ideal balance between cost and ability to support corals.

Let’s take a look at the details of this system, and we’ll be able to better understand why this is such a highly rated aquarium system.

Improved Over Time

This is an improved version of the original JBJ nano cube, and it has a lot of features that have been revised to make it a very versatile and high-powered aquarium system. Some of the things that have been improved on this model since it’s original inception are:

A higher powered lighting system
More space in the rear compartment
Better water circulation
A dedicated area in the stand for chiller storage
Water level columns in the rear for the main components (skimmers, heaters, refugiums)

Powerful Lighting

The main feature of this system that is going to draw people in is the powerful and well implemented lighting.

This aquarium uses a 150 watt metal halide lamp (a double-ended HQI) , and as we mentioned it delivers 5.35 watts per gallon. That’s some pretty intense lighting! This is going to be plenty of lighting power for coral growth. JBJ also uses a German Parabolic Reflector in this Nano Cube that helps to disperse this light into all parts of the aquarium, giving the entire aquarium a very nice shimmer when the lights are on.

In addition to the main daytime lamp, there are also 4 LED lights that provide a nice illumination in the tank during the night.

Both lights have separate power cords, so they can be set on different timer intervals.

The Canopy Handles the HQI Lamp Very Well

The first thing I thought when I saw the size of the hood was “Holy crap there’s an HQI in there? Isn’t that going to get hot?”

Well, that was a good initial reaction on my part, but upon further inspection this hood is designed quite well to handle this lamp.

First of all, the canopy is made from flame retardant ABS plastic. There are also 4 cooling fans integrated into the hood. These fans are split onto different circuits, two fans on one circuit and two fans on the other circuit. This gives the fans a bit of redundancy in case something fails. There is also a thermal protector integrated into the canopy. What does this do? If the cooling system ever fails, this protector will shut down the lights when the system reaches a certain temperature.

It’s a very well thought out system with fail-safes in place. You won’t need to worry about this aquarium melting down at all.

The Canopy Lids

The canopy has two separate lids integrated. You can open the feeding lid (which is smaller) for feeding, or you can open the full lid when you need more access to the tank for maintenance. This might seem a little trivial, but it will be a feature that you appreciate once you start maintaining this aquarium on a daily basis.

The Filtration System

This system handles filtration very nicely. The rear filtration area is easy to access, and you can get into this area without having to open the canopy.

Water enters the filtration system through the center overflow in the back wall of the aquarium. The water first passes through a 3 stage filter basket. You can put whatever media you want into the baskets, what you use will be a result of your filtering needs.

After passing through the media baskets, the water is sent through the heater unit and the skimmer. After skimming and heating, the water flows into the pump columns and then is pumped back into the main aquarium area.

The Water Pump & Wavemaker

Two 266 gph water pumps send the water from the aquarium filtration area back into the main aquarium area. The water passed through two directional nozzles before heading back into the main body of the aquarium.

There is also a wavemaker that can be set on intervals of 10 seconds up to 6 minutes. The wavemaker is a great feature to help simulate a more natural reef environment.

The Stand

This nano cube is being sold with a free stand, which is a really nice perk. The stand is 32″ high, which props the aquarium up nice and high for easy viewing in your home.

The stand is easy to put together, and there are no cam locks or bolts required when assembling the stand.

A nice feature of this stand is that is has designated chiller area (with vents), so you can put a small chiller inside the cabinet and not worry about restricting the air flow around it.

Specifications

Let’s take a quick look at the specs:

Aquarium dimensions: 18″ x 22″ x 22″
Stand dimensions: 18″ x 22″ x 32″
Aquarium volume: 25 gallons
Glass thickness: 6mm
Water pumps: Two Accela pumps, 266 gph
Cooling fans: Four ball-bearing fans all rated at 3,000 rpm
Main lighting: 150 watt double-ended HQI – 14,000k
Night lighting: Four LED lights
Wavemaker: Ocean Pulse Duo alternating wavemaker
Center overflow
Flame retardant canopy with heat failsafes
Removal filter media baskets with handle

Where Can You Buy This Aquarium System?

The JBJ 29 gallon nano cube can be bought at PetStore.com – we recommend them as an online retailer. They have great customer support, they are very helpful if you have questions. This aquarium will also qualify for their free shipping.

The Reviews

What are people saying about this aquarium?

All-In-One Appeal…

One reviewer mentioned that he is new to saltwater aquariums and chose this system because of its all-in-one nature. They are very happy with it and said they would recommend it to friends.

Needs a Little Breathing Room in Back…

Another person that bought this aquarium had never ordered an aquarium online but was happy to find that it was all delivered with no issues. They also mention that the tank stays at 78 degrees with the fans running, so they don’t have any heat issues. This same person also mentioned that it might be best to give a little breathing room behind this aquarium and the wall, as it can be difficult to get behind it otherwise.

Cabinet & Tank Assembly…

One person that bought this mentioned to keep an eye out when assembling the cabinet. It apparently is easy to confuse the bottom shelf with the mid shelf, but just make sure that the one you use on the bottom is the one with two holes rather than three.

People say that the setup is very easy, there are really no complaints about this part. Even the shelf is easy to put together.

Customer Service…

What about customer service? People that mention calling in or needing replacement parts find customer service to be very helpful. One person needed a new bulb as the one shipped with the aquarium did not work, and JBJ sent a replacement right away. Another mentioned that some of their parts were mislabeled but they called in and got help sorting it out without any issues.

The Heat…

The heat? As we mentioned, there is an HQI in a closed hood. However, there are mixed comments about the heat. Some buyers find that the water temps are fine, and some find that it runs a little warm. This will vary depending on your own situation, so don’t invest in a chiller unless you find that you do need one after having this system running.

Noise Levels…

Noise? Some buyers report noise, one saying that this aquarium definitely is noisier when the fans and the pumps are all running at the same time. However, this person also says that it is more quite than their freshwater filter. Another person says that it is quiet and simply sounds like a computer.

A Successful Downgrade…

Another interesting comment was from somebody who had downgraded to this tank from a 90 gallon setup, and they are very happy with this JBJ. He did however find that it was a little tricky to find a skimmer that would fit in the rear (he wanted to upgrade the skimming capabilities), so keep this in mind if you add any hardware: make sure it will fit in the tank before you buy it.