hey Tom,i have had both tanks and i really like both of them.imo,the jbj has a slightly better filtration setup with the filter basket,similar to Stevie Ts.i couldnt grow much more than softies in either one of them.i didnt run a skimmer on either one either,just 5 gal wc every week.im currently running the jbj as my frag tank skimmerless[no fish though].good luck and i think you cant go wrong either way.oh yeah,the jbj has an open "sump" and the biocubes hood covers the whole top cutting down on evaporation.