Light upgrade

Mbones728 · 09/20/2019, 03:48 PM

Looking to upgrade my lights on a bio cube 29. Looking at Steve’s led and Dave’s nanobox. Which one do you suggest. Looking to keep Lps and some Sps. Thanks

LedZep fan2 · 09/24/2019, 07:23 AM

Having experience with both, go with the NanoBox. I had a very poor experience with Steve's LEDs some time ago involving their retrofit kit. I purchased the "95%" complete/Plug and play option since I am not tech savy and it was anything but that. When I tried reaching out to them asking for a phone number to help guide me through the installation, they said "sorry, we do not offer phone support" and proceeded to send me a link to their mediocre installation instructions. I pleaded to help walk me through the installation via telephone, but the best they could do was having me send them photos through email. With so many wires I gave up and sought help from fellow reefers to get things to work. Not sure if anything has changed on the customer service end, but I would not buy a unit from them again.

Fast forward to my experience with Dave from NanoBox, it has been night and day compared to Steve's LEDs. When I had questions or concerns Dave not only replied immediately, but personally contacted me via phone to answer all my questions. Aside from customer service, his units are second to none. The LED arrays are fantastic and emit such a natural looking spectrum. In addition, Dave breaks down every LED in his array on his website so that you know what you are getting. Steve's LEDs simply say on their website "full spectrum". Sure, you could contact them and they will tell you the individual LEDs, but I should not have to take the extra step to find out what I am getting. On top of that, Dave personally builds every unit by hand. Honestly - it is a work of art. If you have an older unit of his, he offers a "refresh/update" if you send him the light. He will go through the fixture and swap anything that needs replacing. Who else offers that service? I would much rather do that then buy a brand new fixture!

All in all, I wish I would have found Dave sooner. His customer service goes above and beyond and his units are brilliant. You will not be disappointed going with one of his kits.

Mbones728 · 09/24/2019, 04:56 PM

Thank you for the advice. Nanobox looks easier to install. I’m leaning towards nanobox. Price is about the same.

09/20/2019, 03:48 PM	#1
Mbones728 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 16	Light upgrade Looking to upgrade my lights on a bio cube 29. Looking at Steve’s led and Dave’s nanobox. Which one do you suggest. Looking to keep Lps and some Sps. Thanks

09/24/2019, 07:23 AM	#2
LedZep fan2 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: IL Posts: 956	Having experience with both, go with the NanoBox. I had a very poor experience with Steve's LEDs some time ago involving their retrofit kit. I purchased the "95%" complete/Plug and play option since I am not tech savy and it was anything but that. When I tried reaching out to them asking for a phone number to help guide me through the installation, they said "sorry, we do not offer phone support" and proceeded to send me a link to their mediocre installation instructions. I pleaded to help walk me through the installation via telephone, but the best they could do was having me send them photos through email. With so many wires I gave up and sought help from fellow reefers to get things to work. Not sure if anything has changed on the customer service end, but I would not buy a unit from them again. Fast forward to my experience with Dave from NanoBox, it has been night and day compared to Steve's LEDs. When I had questions or concerns Dave not only replied immediately, but personally contacted me via phone to answer all my questions. Aside from customer service, his units are second to none. The LED arrays are fantastic and emit such a natural looking spectrum. In addition, Dave breaks down every LED in his array on his website so that you know what you are getting. Steve's LEDs simply say on their website "full spectrum". Sure, you could contact them and they will tell you the individual LEDs, but I should not have to take the extra step to find out what I am getting. On top of that, Dave personally builds every unit by hand. Honestly - it is a work of art. If you have an older unit of his, he offers a "refresh/update" if you send him the light. He will go through the fixture and swap anything that needs replacing. Who else offers that service? I would much rather do that then buy a brand new fixture! All in all, I wish I would have found Dave sooner. His customer service goes above and beyond and his units are brilliant. You will not be disappointed going with one of his kits. __________________ ~Rich >120 Gallon Reef< Fish- Multicolor Angel, Pair of Clowns, Purple Tang, Blue Spotted Jawfish Current Tank Info: 120 gallon, 12 gallon nano Last edited by LedZep fan2; 09/24/2019 at 07:46 AM.

09/24/2019, 04:56 PM	#3
Mbones728 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 16	Thank you for the advice. Nanobox looks easier to install. I’m leaning towards nanobox. Price is about the same.