Here's a post I wrote about the differences between the JBJ 28gallon nanocube, and the Red Sea Max 34 gallon......
I own the Red Sea Max and I was considering the jbj as well. What compelled me to spend more money was the size... an extra 7 gallons really helps the size and look. Not to mention that everything is included. The JBJ has the HQI (high output bulb) which is a requirement only if you want to grow really hard corals, but (this is a guess) 5% of everything you would want to put in a tank would need an HQI. The T5 bulbs will work fine for the other 95%, which is why they went with those bulbs. The HQI also gets really hot, and unless you have a chiller, you may need to minimize the amount of time you have that thing turned on.
also the Red Sea Max DOES have built-in fans for the lighting, and my setup even came with an extra exhaust fan that I had the option of installing if I saw fit.
The JBJ does not come stock with a protein skimmer, and to get a little crappy nano-skimmer (which is recommended by JBJ for this tank) is $50 and doesn't really do much anyway. The skimmer in the Red Sea Max is rated at 320 gallons per hour, which is great for a 34 gallon tank (we're talking almost 10x per hour filtration here) and it's all included in the price.
Bottom line, I chose the Red Sea Max because:
1. I don't need HQI lighting any more than I need a ferrari. It's only necessary if you want to get really
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about hard coral reefs. The T5's will do the job just fine
2. It had a REALLY good protein skimmer, the JBJ doesn't come with one, but offers a built-in skimmer for $50 more, and is really low-quality. (you can buy a $160 one which will also work, but at that point, get the red sea!)
3. Everything was very eloquently designed. I had switches all next to each other on the side, which allows me to turn every component on and off independently of eachother. The JBJ has two switches on the top, and if you wanted to get the skimmer, you'd have even more cords coming out the back. The Red Sea Max has one cord.
The skimmer is really what did it for me. get the 28gal JBJ with a $160 skimmer as an add-on, or get the Red Sea Max 34 with everything built-in and hidden. No brainer.
