UNS 75SA Build

ame16 · Jul 4, 2026

Hey all — making good progress on slowly but surely acquiring equipment ahead of my UNS 75SA delivery in early August (hopefully). Here’s where I’m at:

Bought

Tank: UNS 75SA
Stand: UNS 75P
Light: AI Hydra Edge 44HD
Light Mount/Bracket: AI HMS
ATO: Tunze Osmolator 3 Nano
Wavemaker: ~~Tunze 6040~~ Jebao GMP-20
Heater Controller: Inkbird ITC-306a
RODI: BRS 75gpd 4 Stage Plus
Test Equipment: TDS gauge (Amazon, generic)
Test Equipment: Refractometer (Amazon, generic)

Need To Buy

Heater: TBD
Thermometer: TBD
Lid: Kraken Reef (probably)
Automatic Feeder: TBD
Test Kit: TBD
ATO Reservoir: TBD
Power Strip(s): Kasa

For ease of reference, here are the tank measurements:

Dimensions (LxWxH): 29.52" x 17.71" x 11.81"
Tank Volume: 26.7 Gallons

I’m good on most of the big items, but open to suggestions and feedback on everything else. Tank will be mixed reef. Since this is my first foray into the hobby, starting out mostly with soft corals, but I’m hoping the light + shallow tank depth will set me up well as I progress. Wife and daughter fell in love with the Mocha Storm Clownfish, so I’ll be looking to add a pair along with a goby+pistol (still researching specifics here). I’d like to keep a “spot” or two open on the fish roster to add whatever strikes our fancy (and works with our setup, of course).

In terms of things I could use some particular advice on, I’m curious if the Tunze 6040 is a good match for this tank. I do like the Nero 3, and app integration with lights is appealing, but reviews are mixed. Also very open to suggestions on automatic feeders since I’d like to order the lid as soon as the tank arrives (need to provide measurements). Please also feel free to point out anything I may be missing.

beardedman11 · Jul 5, 2026

Seems to me you're off to a great start. I've got 2 nero 3 on my red sea reefer 170 and 2 nero 5 on my 90g frag tank. You cant go wrong with nero plus like you stated you're going to have the app already for your light just keep them all the same.
Test kits for me are hanna ALK, NO3, AND PO4. salifert i test CA and MAG. those always seem to work the best for me. I just bought a wireless feeder off amazon and so far its doing great. Feed around 12:15 and again around 6:45. just a single rotation and seems to do pretty goodd so far.

ame16 · Jul 5, 2026

beardedman11 said:
Seems to me you're off to a great start. I've got 2 nero 3 on my red sea reefer 170 and 2 nero 5 on my 90g frag tank. You cant go wrong with nero plus like you stated you're going to have the app already for your light just keep them all the same.
Test kits for me are hanna ALK, NO3, AND PO4. salifert i test CA and MAG. those always seem to work the best for me. I just bought a wireless feeder off amazon and so far its doing great. Feed around 12:15 and again around 6:45. just a single rotation and seems to do pretty goodd so far.

Thanks for the reassurance. I’m new to all of this, and the more I learn, the more I realize I still have to learn. But that’s part of the fun!

beardedman11 · Jul 6, 2026

ame16 said:
Thanks for the reassurance. I’m new to all of this, and the more I learn, the more I realize I still have to learn. But that’s part of the fun!

Yeah I watched hours of youtube videos and going through build post on here and still learn something new almost everyday. It's great being able to view someone else mistakes so you don't make the same one or if you do know how to correct the issue right away.

Gumbies R Us · Jul 6, 2026

Following along!

nereus · Jul 6, 2026

Looks great. I'd optionally replace those power strips with a GFCI power strip/s and an in-tank grounding probe.

ame16 · Jul 6, 2026

nereus said:
Looks great. I'd optionally replace those power strips with a GFCI power strip/s and an in-tank grounding probe.

I hadn’t even considered this, but very good call out. Thanks, I’ll certainly look into this.

ame16 · Jul 8, 2026

A great deal on an IM 20 long popped up on FBMP, so I grabbed that today as a secondary/QT tank. I want to seed the main tank with Australian live rock, so having this at my disposal just pushed up that timeline considerably. Pretty pumped!

Seller was a great guy and threw in some rock/filter/wavemaker. Awesome setup to get me going for now, all for $50.

ame16 · Jul 11, 2026

So unfortunately the UNS stand is unavailable, so we cancelled the order. That’s the bad news. The good news? I’m actively trying to order a Tideline 47 AIO. The more research I do, the more comfortable I get with the idea if a larger tank, so I think this is actually a good thing despite the frustrations.