UNS R90 Build Journey

[Tanks4theMemories]

Hi all,

Starting a thread to document my progress over time and get support from the community. My R90 was delivered yesterday and is in place. Now the fun starts!





The quality is truly incredible. Here is the current build list for reference:

Lighting

• UNS refugium light
• ATI Straton X

Flow / Return

• Vectra S2 return pump
• Maxspect Jump MJ-GF308 gyre

Filtration

• RedSea Reefmat 250
• Aqua 15W UV (TBD on how I'm going to set this up)

Heating

• Helio PTC 200W (need to order another 200W on Black Friday once it starts to get cold)

Controller / Monitoring

• Hydros X4 and XP8 + MPO Duo probe organizer

Misc.

• Clearview lid (ordered last week and in the queue)
• Tunze Care Magnet Long
• Plank Autofeeder
• ~40lbs of Marco Reef Saver + two medium and two small foundation pieces
• 80 lbs CaribSea Ocean Direct Oolite
• 6 lbs TBS live sand to seed the tank (delivery set for July 22, going in the refugium)
• 7-stage BRS RODI unit

Current Livestock (transferring over from current tank)

• 2x Ocellaris clownfish
• 1x melanurus wrasse
• 1x diamond goby

Need to Purchase

• Reef Octopus Elite 150-SSS skimmer or Deltec 600i (can't decide between these two. Planning to pick one of these up later this year)
• ATI Straton X (currently OOS on BRS where I have a bunch of reward points, so hoping I can pick it up next month)

I'm in the process of building the aquascape, then hoping to get it wet. The only problem I've run into so far is how to connect my Vectra to the return line. It comes with a 1" barb fitting, but the S2 can't do larger than 3/4" tubing. I emailed UNS to see if they have a 3/4" option. If not, I think I'll just need a reducer. @UNS_Parker @UNS_Brandon, do you know?

 

[Delly]

Ooohhh man I can’t wait to see more, this was the tank I wanted but didn’t have the room !

Can’t wait to see you build it out ! Looks amazing . Can we get some pictures of the beautiful sump !

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Ooohhh man I can’t wait to see more, this was the tank I wanted but didn’t have the room !

Can’t wait to see you build it out ! Looks amazing . Can we get some pictures of the beautiful sump !

Some more pictures:

 

[Delly]

Omg I’m so jealous!!

Enjoy the process

 

[NyteRyder1]

Following. I was considering the IM EXT 50 but after seeing that sump and built in cabinet for the controller with cable management I’m going to look into this.

I’m curious about how well the Reefmat 250 fits in the sump. On the IM it requires sump modification and there is no roller mat that fits directly.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Following. I was considering the IM EXT 50 but after seeing that sump and built in cabinet for the controller with cable management I’m going to look into this.

I’m curious about how well the Reefmat 250 fits in the sump. On the IM it requires sump modification and there is no roller mat that fits directly.

It doesn’t have water in it yet, so TBD, but the ReefMat adaptor they sell works flawlessly so far. It’s super easy to install and seems to direct flow properly.

 

[NyteRyder1]

It doesn’t have water in it yet, so TBD, but the ReefMat adaptor they sell works flawlessly so far. It’s super easy to install and seems to direct flow properly.

Is that the RedSea Universal Adapter for the reefmat 250?

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

It doesn’t have water in it yet, so TBD, but the ReefMat adaptor they sell works flawlessly so far. It’s super easy to install and seems to direct flow properly.

Is that the RedSea Universal Adapter for the reefmat 250?

It’s this: https://buceplant.com/products/red-...KK9K-XLj85bZ25LXBI4O36yT5rhzCR2RoCE9QQAvD_BwE

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[UNS_Parker]

Hi all,

Starting a thread to document my progress over time and get support from the community. My R90 was delivered yesterday and is in place. Now the fun starts!





The quality is truly incredible. Here is the current build list for reference:

Lighting

• UNS refugium light

Flow / Return

• Vectra S2 return pump
• Maxspect Jump MJ-GF308 gyre

Filtration

• RedSea Reefmat 250
• BRS mini carbon reactor (unsure if I'm going to use this or just add carbon to my Reefmat)
• Aqua 15W UV (TBD on how I'm going to set this up)

Heating

• Helio PTC 200W (need to order another 200W on Black Friday once it starts to get cold)

Controller / Monitoring

• Hydros X4/XP8 + MPO Duo probe organizer

Misc.

• Clearview lid (ordered last week and in the queue)
• Plank Autofeeder
• ~40lbs of Marco Reef Saver + two medium and two small foundation pieces
• 80 lbs CaribSea Ocean Direct Oolite
• 6 lbs TBS live sand to seed the tank (delivery set for July 22, going in the refugium)
• 7-stage BRS RODI unit

Current Livestock (transferring over from current tank)

• 2x Ocellaris clownfish
• 1x melanurus wrasse
• 1x diamond goby

Need to Purchase

• Reef Octopus Elite 150-SSS skimmer or Deltec 600i (can't decide between these two. Planning to pick one of these up later this year)
• ATI Straton X (currently OOS on BRS where I have a bunch of reward points, so hoping I can pick it up next month)

I'm in the process of building the aquascape, then hoping to get it wet. The only problem I've run into so far is how to connect my Vectra to the return line. It comes with a 1" barb fitting, but the S2 can't do larger than 3/4" tubing. I emailed UNS to see if they have a 3/4" option. If not, I think I'll just need a reducer. @UNS_Parker @UNS_Brandon, do you know?

Send me an email here: [email protected], and I can help you out.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Hi all,

Starting a thread to document my progress over time and get support from the community. My R90 was delivered yesterday and is in place. Now the fun starts!





The quality is truly incredible. Here is the current build list for reference:

Lighting

• UNS refugium light

Flow / Return

• Vectra S2 return pump
• Maxspect Jump MJ-GF308 gyre

Filtration

• RedSea Reefmat 250
• BRS mini carbon reactor (unsure if I'm going to use this or just add carbon to my Reefmat)
• Aqua 15W UV (TBD on how I'm going to set this up)

Heating

• Helio PTC 200W (need to order another 200W on Black Friday once it starts to get cold)

Controller / Monitoring

• Hydros X4/XP8 + MPO Duo probe organizer

Misc.

• Clearview lid (ordered last week and in the queue)
• Plank Autofeeder
• ~40lbs of Marco Reef Saver + two medium and two small foundation pieces
• 80 lbs CaribSea Ocean Direct Oolite
• 6 lbs TBS live sand to seed the tank (delivery set for July 22, going in the refugium)
• 7-stage BRS RODI unit

Current Livestock (transferring over from current tank)

• 2x Ocellaris clownfish
• 1x melanurus wrasse
• 1x diamond goby

Need to Purchase

• Reef Octopus Elite 150-SSS skimmer or Deltec 600i (can't decide between these two. Planning to pick one of these up later this year)
• ATI Straton X (currently OOS on BRS where I have a bunch of reward points, so hoping I can pick it up next month)

I'm in the process of building the aquascape, then hoping to get it wet. The only problem I've run into so far is how to connect my Vectra to the return line. It comes with a 1" barb fitting, but the S2 can't do larger than 3/4" tubing. I emailed UNS to see if they have a 3/4" option. If not, I think I'll just need a reducer. @UNS_Parker @UNS_Brandon, do you know?

Send me an email here: [email protected], and I can help you out.

I picked up the adaptor your team mentioned and it worked great. Thanks! One other question, do you guys have internal dimensions for the R90? I’m having a lid built and it would be awesome to have those if they exist somewhere.

 

[Nasito]

Tank looking clean!!

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Aquascape is complete and in the tank. I think it came out really nice. It gives me a good mix of natural feeling reef but without being a pile of rocks. The only issue is the foundation rock, shown below.

My only concern here is that the foundation rock somehow isn't very level. I built it on a level desk surface, so no idea how this happened, but I've got to fix it. The rock structure is two large pieces, a left and a right piece, so I'm thinking I can just lift each structure off the glass a bit so there's some sand underneath them that will fill in the gaps. I don't see any reason this wouldn't work, but curious for the groups thoughts.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

A few more pictures from this weekend. Things are finally coming together!

Note: for anyone reading this in the future, these cable boxes are super easy to transfer if you ever have to replace your stand! It's just two screws on the bottom and it pulls right out. I wish I had known that. I got it looking all pretty, then had to redo everything when the new stand came in.

 

[jabberkaycee]

I’m in love with the aqua scape! What are your plans for the tank - mixed, SPS? I can’t wait to see how it looks once it’s filled.

I’ve not added a Reef Mat to mine yet - that something I still need to do. The next thing on my list is replacing my outlet with a GFCI. I noticed you did something different. Is that a heavy duty extension cord with GFCI?

I’ll be interested in seeing how you install the UV. I’ve got mine ordered, but haven’t decided how to plumb it yet. I love the clean design of the ATO and it works perfectly, but space is getting tight in the sump. I may end up having to do an external freshwater supply to allow for more accessibility.

Following along!

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

I’m in love with the aqua scape! What are your plans for the tank - mixed, SPS? I can’t wait to see how it looks once it’s filled.

I’ve not added a Reef Mat to mine yet - that something I still need to do. The next thing on my list is replacing my outlet with a GFCI. I noticed you did something different. Is that a heavy duty extension cord with GFCI?

I’ll be interested in seeing how you install the UV. I’ve got mine ordered, but haven’t decided how to plumb it yet. I love the clean design of the ATO and it works perfectly, but space is getting tight in the sump. I may end up having to do an external freshwater supply to allow for more accessibility.

Following along!

Thanks! I appreciate that. It was quite the process to build, but a lot of fun. I've always had "pile of rocks" aquascapes and finally decided to try something different. For anyone planning something similar in the future, the total cost was ~$300 for the Marco rock (two medium foundation pieces and two small pieces, along with 35 pounds of Reef Saver), maybe $80 for two sticks of epoxy, BRS glue and accelerant, and Marco Rock NSA powder, and then $15 for a hammer and stone chisel at Harbor Freight. It took 8-10 hours over a few week nights and one weekend. If I did it again, I'd probably go with 45 pounds of Reef Saver. I love how mine turned out, but I used nearly all the rock and I'd want to have more options for pieces to use if I didn't like a piece that was sent for some reason.

That GFCI box was recommended to me by a fellow forum user and it looked good, so I bought it off Amazon. Link is here. They also make a 3 outlet option with a shorter cord. I'd probably go that route if I did it again just so I didn't have to cable manage the excess wire, but this one has worked great so far.

I have no idea how I'm going to do the UV lol. It's been a huge effort just to get to this point, so I'm thinking I'll install the ATI Straton X, get things set up and stable using more or less the Serious Reefs 90/10 method (although my TBS sand will be in the sump with Ocean Direct Oolite in the display), and then let it run on auto pilot for awhile while things settle in. Then I can tackle the UV project, as well as setting up the Hydros cord leak detector and a few other things some other weekend.

 

[OcellarisFish]

Hi all,

Starting a thread to document my progress over time and get support from the community. My R90 was delivered yesterday and is in place. Now the fun starts!





The quality is truly incredible. Here is the current build list for reference:

Lighting

• UNS refugium light

Flow / Return

• Vectra S2 return pump
• Maxspect Jump MJ-GF308 gyre

Filtration

• RedSea Reefmat 250
• BRS mini carbon reactor (unsure if I'm going to use this or just add carbon to my Reefmat)
• Aqua 15W UV (TBD on how I'm going to set this up)

Heating

• Helio PTC 200W (need to order another 200W on Black Friday once it starts to get cold)

Controller / Monitoring

• Hydros X4/XP8 + MPO Duo probe organizer

Misc.

• Clearview lid (ordered last week and in the queue)
• Plank Autofeeder
• ~40lbs of Marco Reef Saver + two medium and two small foundation pieces
• 80 lbs CaribSea Ocean Direct Oolite
• 6 lbs TBS live sand to seed the tank (delivery set for July 22, going in the refugium)
• 7-stage BRS RODI unit

Current Livestock (transferring over from current tank)

• 2x Ocellaris clownfish
• 1x melanurus wrasse
• 1x diamond goby

Need to Purchase

• Reef Octopus Elite 150-SSS skimmer or Deltec 600i (can't decide between these two. Planning to pick one of these up later this year)
• ATI Straton X (currently OOS on BRS where I have a bunch of reward points, so hoping I can pick it up next month)

I'm in the process of building the aquascape, then hoping to get it wet. The only problem I've run into so far is how to connect my Vectra to the return line. It comes with a 1" barb fitting, but the S2 can't do larger than 3/4" tubing. I emailed UNS to see if they have a 3/4" option. If not, I think I'll just need a reducer. @UNS_Parker @UNS_Brandon, do you know?

Do you think the Red Sea ReefMat 500 would fit in the UNS R90 or would the 250 be an easier fit?

 

[JCarrow]

Looks awesome, man. I'm still tweaking mine. I think I'm gonna run my UV 25 W into another cabinet. I can't find any really good options. It's already super crowded under the tank, and it will give me a chance to put the ATO reservoir in a small cabinet with the UV. Was going to pick up the UNS 60U stand, but they're out of stock.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

A very disappointing update. The stand is pretty out of square, which I realized when trying to center the tank so it was flush on all sides before filling it with water. No matter what I do, I cannot get it to sit flush. If I line up the front of the tank on the stand, the back left corner sticks out about 1/4" and the front right has an overhang. If I push the tank left to fix that, the front comes out of square. You can kind of see what I mean in the photos above on the back left side of the tank. It's very obvious in person and quite frustrating given the cost and premium branding.

I reached out to UNS about this and they got back to me pretty quick with some initial thoughts. They suggested trying to use the leveling feet on the stand to get it back in square, but that didn't help. I'm really hopeful I don't need a new stand, but that may be the only way to fix the issue. If nothing else, hopefully the controller box can swap over. I was really hoping this would be a smooth process, but I'm trying not to let this bother me too much while we work on a solution.

 

[UNS_Parker]

Hey @Tanks4theMemories

We're really sorry you ran into this issue.

The stand arrives pre-assembled for convenience, but in rare cases we have seen stands shift or torque slightly, most likely from rattling/vibrations during transit. That’s why our first recommendation was to check and adjust the leveling feet. If one or more feet are not making solid contact before the tank is placed on the stand, the frame can sometimes settle unevenly as weight is added, which can make the tank look like it is sitting out of square.

That said, this type of adjustment should be done with the tank off the stand, since the stand has much more adjustability without weight on it. The next thing to check would be the fasteners around the inside top frame of the stand. Use a square to check the inside corners, then using the appropriate Torx bit, the fasteners can be loosened slightly, the stand squared up, and then re-tightened.