12g Nano Cube or 10g or your suggestions...

oracledba72

oracledba72

Member
I'm thinking of getting into a nano tank. I'm wanting to order the equipment asap so that I can start the cycling process. Possibly the 12 gal nano cube, maybe the DX version of that. I also have looked at nanocustoms and they have some modded and upgraded nanos you can get from them. I haven't thrown out the idea of a standard 10g with a 96 watt coralife on it as well.
I am leaning towards the 12g nanocube, just because i think it looks cool. I have read through and researched on here, but as always, opinions differ. My other tank is a FO tank, no live rock, but i'm thinking of a reef tank here, live rock , live sand, etc.... will the 48w dx provide enough light for what i'm wanting to do?
Can someone lay down a guestimated pricing list on items that i will need to accomplish what I am wanting.....
(i.e.)
12g Nano Cube DX $???
10 - 20 LR $ ???
10 LS $ ????
etc.....
Thanks for any and all help.
 
mbrands

mbrands

Member
A lot will depend on the costs that your LFS charges. At mine, you could do the set-up for around $250
12 gallon nano (including lighting needed for reef) - $150
15 pounds LR - $75
15 pounds LS - ~$25
powerhead - ~$15
Good luck!
 
rbaby

rbaby

Member
Hey, I bought a custom nano system from Chris from that place you mentioned. My system cost around $420 with tax...no shipping--because I will be picking up.
It's a lot heftier than just buying a nano DX and doing a DIY lighting on it...but being that I'm a ditz with DIY's, and I want it to look nice and professional...I opted to order from Chris.
My tank ended up with 126 watts of Actinic/10k lighting...completely compacted into that hood. I haven't opened it yet as I haven't had time but if you want I can send you pictures of his workmanship.
I will be adding different moonlights though--I didn't like the ones he offered...had different ones in mind.
 
jester805

jester805

Member
The nano tank sounds like a cool idea. Do you need any special filtration for the reef stuff? I would recommend getting the LR locally....or else you'll have to re-cure it once it shows up.
 
clarkiiclo

clarkiiclo

Active Member
Sounds like a nice tank rbaby.
What are you doing to combat the heat fromthe lights?
Those are going to be quite hot. Did you get a chiller?
oracledba72-
the nanocube is a good way to go. Dont use the bioballs they come with. Dont use the carbon or ceramic either. Fill that section with small pieces of live rock. You can usually get that from your LFS. It makes a better filtration system.
Also you will want to purchase a powerhead for circulation. I like the Eheim 600 I purchased for mine. VERY compact!
Do use sand. Live sand would be your best. Do use live rock.
It is suggested to use 1.5lb per gallon.
So this is what you would have:
Tank- 12DX w/48W 50/50's 139.99 from a popular auction site.
Powerhead- 21.99
Heater(for safe water temp although it hasnt come on yet) Ebo Jager 50W 18.99
Salt- Oceanic 29.99 makes 50 gallons mixed- you dont have to use Oceanic it is just an example.
Live rock- anywhere from 4.99-6.99 per lb from LFS or buy online
LS- 20lb from SWF.com is 60.00. I used black tahitian sand and it was 21.99 for 20lb. Aragonite is about the same at 20.00 or so.
SOOO the total so far is:
About 300.00 give or take. That includes several pounds of rock and shipping costs.
I still want to upgrade my lights but I need to look into a chiller. I dont want to have to drill a hole in my tank so the pump style is what I will use but they are SPENDY!!
That will have to wait.........
 
oracledba72

oracledba72

Member
Clarkii, thanks for the rundown. I am now getting a better idea of what i'm looking to dish out in terms of cash. Thanks for the other replies as well. I am starting a shopping list now. :)
 
rbaby

rbaby

Member
If it's between the Nano Cube DX and regular, I would go for the DX. The main difference is that you get twice the wattage in a DX (48 watts) as opposed to the regular model (24 watts). This leaves you with more light for your corals, no matter how low-light they are.
As soon as I get the tank up and running I will post pics, Chris has been really busy lately so I haven't received my tank yet. But I'm a patient girl :) and he's really good at communicating with what's going on and the timeline of his project.
As far as the heating is concerned, I've spoken with other people who have gotten Chris' systems and they never seem to have a problem with the heating issue. I also have some Marineland heater that detects water temperatures so I actually don't have to turn it on and off depending on the water--does it on its own...I just monitor it to make sure it's doing its job properly. So if the temperature is high, the heater should stop on its own.
If I do have a problem with it though, I'll panic =D...until then, I won't think about it LOL...but I know that during the summer when the heat can reach temperatures to about 100+ here in the valley, I know I will have an issue, but I figured with so much lighting I can always just set it up to half the bulbs until the heat cools down.
 
rbaby

rbaby

Member
Oracle I know the ordering page is quite confusing, but Chris has actually updated it lately to make it a bit clearer. It was more confusing when I was trying to order :)..
My setup was based on Larnie's setup, he helped me a lot through the ordering process (because as I just mentioned I was totally confused--ended up having Larnie send me a screen shot of his selection based on the page).
Here was my selection (in the appropriate order": 3.24 Complete System):
Bulb Type: 10k Daylight
Additional T-5: Actinic Blue
Second T-5: Actinic Blue
Third T-5: Actinic Blue
Moonlight Option: none
Second Bulb: 10k Daylight
Third Bulb: 10k Daylight
Overflow Mod: Overflow Mod (+$10.95)
Rear Sump Lighting: 50/50 (+59.95)
Rear Sump Ballast: none
Ballast Control: Base
Installation Options: none
According to Chris this is 126 watts overall. Now if you were interested in Larnie's Tank which can be found here (total of 92 watts):
Bulb Type: Jalli 24w Actinic Blue
Additional T-5: Actinic Blue
Second T-5: Actinic Blue
Third T-5: none
Moonlight Option: none
Second Bulb: 50/50
Third Bulb: 10k Daylight
Overflow Mod: none
Rear Sump Lighting: none
Rear Sump Ballast: none
Ballast Control: Base
Installation Options: none
If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask...many of my fellow reefers have benefitted greatly from Chris' custom systems so I have complete confidence in his work.
Keep in mind that this is a COMPLETE system...so the price actually already INCLUDES a TANK and HOOD. Currently, Chris said that he does not sell the hood only because he modifies the 2nd edition hoods (has better cooling rates than the 1st generation hoods). And since the 2nd edition hoods are new, I think he still hasn't received a shipment of the 2nd gen hoods from JBJ yet so he only sells the complete tank.
 
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