28g HQI Nano Cube Review

JBJ has done it again with their newest all-in-one Nano Cube. The 28g HQI Nano Cube comes with a lot of extras that make it truly "reef ready".

• Built-in protein skimmer
• 150w 14K HQI lighting
• 4 Blue LED Nite Vu lights
• 4 active cooling fans
• Dual return pumps
• Wave timer

Here is a picture from the Aqua Buys showroom from when we first started setting up the 28g Nano Cube. We have had it running for about 3 weeks now with no problems. The flow and lighting is really good. The only gripe I have about the setup is that you have to remove the protein skimmer cup to open the hood. This is not a big problem as I am usually doing maintenance when I am opening the full hood anyway.

Everything looks to be good quality and well engineered. The chambers in the back compartment have been redesigned and solve a few problems from the previous nano cubes. The heater section now maintains a fairly constant water level to avoid the heater running dry from evaporation. The filter basket lifts out for quick maintenance.

The lighting is the Star of this setup with the 150w HQI remote ballast to power the 14k JBJ lamp. The color rendering on corals is nice with this setup and lamp seems to perform well. Initial PAR (photosynthetic active radiation) tests show that the PAR levels near the top of the tank are 1,000 + ! Very bright lighting indeed.

The really nice thing is that the PAR is very even all across the tank. The spread or coverage of the light is certainly a result of the wide diffusing style reflector. A large portion of the hood is dedicated to the reflector. What this means is that this lighting system will support demanding coral species such as Acropora, Pocilopora, other SPS corals, anemones, clams etc. All the light lovers!

The built-in skimmer is not too exciting but it works. This is an air driven style skimmer that uses the limewood and air pump to produce some pretty good foam. This picture was taken after about two days of skimming when we added the cured live rock.

The flow in tank from the 266 GPH Accela pumps is not bad. The Ocean Pulse duo allows you to alternate the return flow from the left side of the tank to the right. The interval can be set from 10 seconds to 6 minutes creating a nice alternating current in the tank.

The 28g HQI Nano Cube Stand completes the ensemble.

Overall the setup is cool and I don't just mean as in "hip" but it also runs cool. The choice of the air driven skimmer was wise as it adds virtually no heat to the tank. The return pumps only use 16 watts power so they also seem to run cool. I have run the lights all day for weeks and the max temp hovers around 81F. This is not bad for a reef tank with metal halide ligting in a closed hood! This is easily cooled down to 79F with a small external fan blowing across the back and top.

The price is right too at about $500 usd for the tank with the accessories and about $120 usd for the stand.

I am really enjoying the one we have set up. So far I only have a few corals and some clean-up crew in the tank. I will be adding some fish in the coming weeks and will of course post some pics when the fish settle in.