JBJ HQI 28G VS Red sea max 34G
 

Just wondering which system is better JBJ or Red sea?

I'm tagging along on this as well as I am looking at both systems. The JBJ obviously has the better lighting with the HQI halide which would allow you to keep SPS corals and clams. Not sure how well the stock lighting on the Red Sea would work in these same applications. I am also curious which of these tanks comes with the best protein skimmer or do most people scrap the stock skimmer and go with something like a Tunze Nano skimmer.

I picked up a RSM about 3 weeks and its going well. If I would have been able to I would have picked up a RSM D model but its not available in Calgary at least I was not able to find one.

I have seen photos of SPS corals and clams in a RSM but don't know how well they really due with the standard lighting.

So far my skimmer has been working fine ,I have seen it get upgraded to a 9902 and I may do that down the road.

Just a note if you are going to pick one up in Calgary shop around I got my for $500 bucks less then what I saw at one store.

There really is no "better" tank overall, but depending on what you want out of the tank it might not be too hard of a decision.

Red sea max
pros:
-very aesthetically pleasing
-controls are very easy to use and very accessible
-larger than most AIO tanks
-comes with skimmer
-good for LPS and softy corals

cons:
-skimmer isn't the best quality
-can't keep most SPS
-colors other than black usually look quite dreadful

JBJ
Pros:
-Very intense light for keeping almost all corals
-very cool "S" shaped stand
-fits quite well in smaller spaces

Cons:
-possible heat issues from light
-smaller than the MAX
- doesnt look as nice as the max

currently i have a jbj HQI 28G, but i like the look of red sea better, but then if i upgrade to a HQI red sea, it will cost me 450 or more. there is a posting here selling red sea for 500.

brand new??? does it come with stand?

I have a 3mth old JBJ 28g. I was in the same toss up. I liked the fact that the JBJ has better lighting. I keep a very happy clam and a couple sps that seem to be doin' well. However I really liked the size of the red sea max and the wires are much MUCH more neatly tucked away. I got my tank and stand for seven brown bills which was less than what I could get a RSM for. As far as the skimmer goes, I get about 1/2 a cup every week. Everything seems to be doing fine, so I won't be upgrading it. The only upgrade I'd like to add is some atinic lighting.

It's currenlty stocked with
xenia, 2x frogspawns, lots of zoa, 2x sps coral, 3 kinds of mushrooms, huge torch coral, and some candycane

Clam, cleaner shrimp, yellow & six line wrasse, pair of clowns, striped damsel, sea urchin, crabs and snails.

I still like the Cadlights tank better. I've seen Oscar's it's pretty sweet. The Signature 39 is a good size and it's lighting is MH & T5HO plus it has a built in fuge, uv light and cooler. Pricing isn't bad either. Not sure what it cost to get to Summerland but it couldn't have been too much as the JBJ and the RSM were both on Oscar's original list of options.

I had the same debate last year. I ended up going with the JBJ HQI NanoCube and have no regrets at all. I love the look of the tank, and the stand. I thought ugly plastic stand for the red sea max, really cheapened the appearance of it. I have had no problems with any types of algae and keep a lot of corals, including SPS, which are all thriving.

I have the JBJ 28Gallon and love it.

Because i also have a 300 gallon system, I gave into my wife and agreed to sell my JBJ. Mine also has chiller, UV, Canister Filter, better skimmer, and much more.

In Calgary, you will pay $800 for the tank system with Stand. I will give you everything, worth over $2500, for $1000

If you are interested, PM me, we can talk.

Rick

can i see a picture of your tank?

I like the look of the rsm. Some of the reefers over on nanoreef will ship their hoods out to nanocustoms.com and have them modified with an hqi . This however is costly.

Yes, to upgrade to HQI 150W is around $500......

Whats the time way to get rid of the algae hairs? i saw 1 or 2 last week and now is up to 10 little one.. tried sucking them out but no luck, i also tried to pick'em, but no luck too.

The all in one forum on nano-reef.com has lots of threads comparing these two AIO. Have a gander over there before you make any decision.

How about the Solana? At 34g bigger than the JBL, comes with choice of t5, 150 hqi or even a 250w Sunpod. Cheaper than a hqi modded RSM too.

.

I like the Solana myself but my wife is not too crazy about the appearance. The Solana is definately a different concept with the disco ball like MH pendant. I have also heard that the stock skimmer on the Solana is quite decent. Like karazy said earlier in this thread there really is no better tank overall as they each have their own pros and cons. Since we are putting this in our living room I am kind of leaning towards the RSM since my wife and I think it is the nicest looking and we probably will not be keeping SPS corals anyways.

I hear ya about the disco ball. You can always order one with the Sunpod instead. That way you could go for a 250w hqi.

The stand is rubbish though!

I agree that the RSM looks nicest though.

I have had my RSM for about a month.

1) I really like the look
2) So far the lights are fineI don't "Plan" to do much with sps but I would like a clam
3) I am having skimmer issues that that is being replaced in the upcoming week
4) I am already thinking about my next tank
5) My wife likes it and that is the most important thing see number 4

As a new person to the hobby I don't regret my buy and would buy one again but get the 130D version or move up to the 250.

Brian

JBJ - great lighting options which gives you more options for coral
RSM - Poor lighting options, not to many coral options
Solana - Tanks are beautiful, leaves more room for upgrades (Lights, hang on skimmer, hang-on refugium)
Cadlight - Simple design, you pick your lighting, stands are crap.

No matter what, stock skimmers that come with nanos just dont cut it. You will almost always have to replace and upgrade the stock skimmer.

Its just a matter of budget, taste in tank styles, and what you want to grow in your nano that will make your decision in which tank you want. They all have different pros and cons for each person, its just a matter of which one suits your needs and desires.

How are you finding the rsm for heating issues? I have had to turn my heater right of because it gets over 82 finally now I am about 77 to 78.I am running the fan as well and leave the skimmer hatch up for airfllow.

Heaters only come on when needed so either the heater was not set correctly and was in fact was heating your tank above 80 or something else is raising the temp up and your incorrectly blaming the heater. Turning off the heater will only cause the temps to drop too far overnight or when the tank is at its coolest.

You should continue to use the heater and make sure it is working correctly by coming on and maintaining the temps when it drops below 78 or 77.

I have to agree with Snazz here, my small 10 gal nano setup heats up to 79 MAX with the MH on it and room temp over 25 C. But I have to keep my heater on at a minumin temp of 77 F other wise my tank is going down to 67 F over night!!! Yikes!!!

Anyways, if your room temp is high, your tank temp can be pretty high too, heaters only turn on once they hit the minumin temp set.

One other consideration should be the Finnex 30M. Aquacave ships to Canada without issues and they are priced quite well. They come with T5HO so you should be able to have corals of your choice.

http://www.aquacave.com/30-gal-m-tan...ture-1931.html

Or you could get the HQI version with combo T5Ho lighting...only a little more.

Thanks..Sorry I didnt mean to highjack your thread,ive been following it with interest and I thought I would get some input from you guys.I have my rsm away from windows and my place is cool.I run my lights for 10 hours,without the heater on my temp dropped to 80 overnight.

Sherry

my personal feeling on ALL AIO is you get subpar everything for way too much money. JBJs quality is absolutely horrible, ive had a couple of there products and they remind me of Hyundia Tiberons, they are just flashy enough to attract enough people willing to part with there money, but when you look under the hood you see cheap ballasts, cheap glass, cheap plastic everywhere. Even the stands are overpriced garbage. RSM's not entirely sure, never had one, but im guessing they aren't that far off. Personally, if i was gonna spend a grand on a tank and wanted an AIO, i'd do some serious homework, and build it myself or get someone to. its not hard, it lets you pick ALL your equipment and you learn alot during the process.