UNS R90 Build Journey

[Tanks4theMemories]

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.

Thank you! I’ll follow the directions in the email and will get back to you on how things go.

 

[MKS]

Following along!

 

[Char.toombes]

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.

Im also looking to upgrade to a IM INT 75 or a WB Marine 90.3 but both sumps leave something to be desired/need modifications for rollers. It’s also unfortunate WB isn’t adding their new infinita stand to their whole line. This R90 seems to be the best in the 36” line across the board. Following!

 

[UNS_Brandon]

Is the outside magnet of the Maxspect gyre verified sumbersible?

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Is the outside magnet of the Maxspect gyre verified sumbersible?

I’m not sure, the outside magnet is on the back (dry side) of the tank, so I don’t think that’s an issue. Is that a concern?

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Brief update since it’s been a minute. UNS has been very helpful. They ended up replacing the stand, and the new one gets here tomorrow. I’ll try to update again this weekend once things are moving forward.

 

[UNS_Brandon]

My apologies! I thought I was seeing it attached to the overflow box wall.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

We're up and running! The tank is filled with sand and water. My TBS live rock/sand should be here Wednesday, and once that's in I'll transfer over my two clownfish, Melanurus Wrasse, and diamond goby from their temporary home in the 20G basement quarantine tank. I also received my custom lid from Clearview Lids yesterday, and they did a great job.

Overall my experience with UNS has been good, despite the need to exchange the stand and the frustration that came with that. Parker at UNS has been awesome and the quality of the tank itself is really impressive. My only gripe with the product is still the stand... They really need to figure out a better mounting system for the doors. The top magnets are great, but the door fitment is very awkward and hard to get right. This new stand is somewhat twisted, so I need two pads stacked up under some of the doors to get them to fit right. At this point I just want to get back to enjoying the livestock, so it's fine, but it's surprising to see from UNS given the premium price point. The pads the doors sit on tend to move too, which is really annoying. I would prefer hinged doors, but if that's not an option, magnets on the top and bottom or a hook-type system would be a big improvement.

All that said, I still need to figure out how to dial in the tank. A few things I'm trying to figure out, in no particular order:

1. Calibrating my Vectra S2.
2. The standing drain pipe is too high to surface skim at a reasonable water level. I'll take care of that tomorrow by cutting the pipe down a bit. Right now it's not surface skimming at all, which isn't ideal.
3. The water trickling into the ReefMat is so loud! I think I need to reduce the speed on my Vectra to reduce the water volume some. But I can't do that until I calibrate it. I have about 3 inches from the water level in the skimmer chamber to the sump lid, so I don't think I can raise the water level any higher in that chamber. Might just have to keep messing with it. Any advice there is much appreciated.

 

[Seregus]

You certainly can reduce standing pipe, but UNS recommend a to rise display tank water. Adjustment is simply main is full syphon to a point where a tickling or splashing of water is happening in emergency drain. To rise water in display so just rotate clockwise the big blue true gate valve, just say 1/8 of the turn and wait 1 minute at least between adjustments. Do not forget this means your return pump chamber water level will go down so you need to add fresh saltwater to cover it.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

You certainly can reduce standing pipe, but UNS recommend a to rise display tank water. Adjustment is simply main is full syphon to a point where a tickling or splashing of water is happening in emergency drain. To rise water in display so just rotate clockwise the big blue true gate valve, just say 1/8 of the turn and wait 1 minute at least between adjustments. Do not forget this means your return pump chamber water level will go down so you need to add fresh saltwater to cover it.

I got the surface skimming and water level figured out. Just had to cut ~3/4 of an inch off the stand pipe. Now it skims great and I don't hear any noise from that area. Water level is perfect too, about an inch from the top. Next on the list is figuring out the S2 calibration and setting up my Hydros PH probe. After that I'll tackle the ReefMat noise issue--I think I just need to reduce the GPH and increase the water level in the sump.

I also learned this morning that CaribSea Ocean Direct has nitrifying bacteria in it, so I moved my clownfish into the display to get the cycle started. The TBS sand will be here Wednesday then that'll add to the mix along with the other fish. Very excited for things to finally get moving.

 

[tırıvırıı]

I got the surface skimming and water level figured out. Just had to cut ~3/4 of an inch off the stand pipe. Now it skims great and I don't hear any noise from that area. Water level is perfect too, about an inch from the top. Next on the list is figuring out the S2 calibration and calibrating my Hydros PH probe. After that I'll tackle the Reefmat noise issue--I think I just need more water in the sump.

I also learned this morning that CaribSea Ocean Direct has denitrifying bacteria in it, so I moved my clownfish into the display to get the cycle started. The TBS sand will be here Wednesday then that'll add to the mix. Very excited for things to finally get moving.

Will you be taking the necessary PAR measurements regarding the lighting?I have a tank with the same dimensions, and I'm wondering if a single Straton X unit would be sufficient for an SPS system.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Serious Reefs did some good testing on this. From what I remember, this thing puts out ridiculous PAR if you ramp it up. I can't imagine you being PAR limited with this on a tank this size.

That said, I will probably rent a PAR meter at some point down the road. I don't think I'll have coral for quite awhile while everything settles in, so it might be 6 months to a year before I post any readings on that.

 

[svg_sixfo]

Did you fix the noisy reef mat?

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Did you fix the noisy reef mat?

Yep, I was able to quiet it down. Once I calibrated the return pump, I reduced the flow rate down to ~25% of the S2's max capacity. That gives plenty of flow while keeping things quiet. After that I raised the water level in the sump a bit and moved the return nozzles up so they won't siphon as much back in. I still hear some gurgling from the lines that I'll have to continue tuning over time to get out, but it's quiet enough now that I can work in the same room and it doesn't bother me.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

My TBS package got here yesterday. I got 6 pounds of sand and 2 pounds of premium rock. Unfortunately the rock didn't take shipping well, and came in looking pretty bleak. That's in an observation tank downstairs for now. The sand seems okay (although it's harder to tell with sand) and is in the sump now. I see at least one snail and a hermit crab moving around in it, so I'm hopeful the biome on the sand survived the journey. For anyone curious in the future, six pounds of TBS sand gives you about a 1" sand bed in the refugium chamber of the R90. I suspect the package may have gotten too hot since they shipped it in a sealed bucket inside a box, but that's just a guess.

 

[Seregus]

Did you fix the noisy reef mat?

There is a water level line on a side of reef mat, if you have your water level at the line it should be silent

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

I ordered 16oz of pods and phyto from Reef Legends. Those should be here this week. I met the owner at RAP NY this year and he was a great guy, so I wanted to give his shop a try.

Starting to plan out the CUC as well. I think I'll wait until the lights turn on next month, then place the order. That way when they get here there will be enough food around to keep them all alive. This list feels a bit heavy on hermit crabs, but 15 is the smallest quantity Dr. Reef sells for Scarlet hermits.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Got my Ring camera and Hydros all set up. Pretty mind blowing how much different this is than setting up a tank in 2012.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Pods and phyto came in from Reef Legends yesterday. Such a cool experience seeing so much life go into the tank. I should have taken a video of the pods all over the sandbed, but maybe next time.

The main light and the refugium light are still off. Sunday is three weeks since water and sand went in. I'm starting to get some diatoms on the right side of the rock work from sunlight, as well as some gas pockets in the sand over there. Also starting to see some films develop on various areas, which I think is a positive sign. I think I'll give it another two weeks, then slowly start turning the light on. I think I'll start at 10% intensity for four hours a day, and over maybe 2 weeks increase it to the full 10 hours. Then over another two weeks increase the intensity up to ~30%, which is where I'll keep it for now.

 

[Tanks4theMemories]

Another update to file.

The rubble from TBS unfortunately didn’t make it. It turned white and looked real bad in the observation tank I set up. Everything arrived pretty hot and smelled somewhat off. Luckily the sand seems okay, so I’m happy overall. A few hermits and a snail survived in it, which makes me feel better. I emailed their customer support and got a $25 store credit, which is pretty disappointing. Apparently they didn’t see it as DOA, which doesn’t make much sense to me, but it is what it is.

I saw CJ’s Aquariums had good luck with Marco Rocks’ new maricultured rock and I’m always excited to try something new, so I picked up 6lbs of their rubble to place throughout the display along with the TBS sand in the sump. I haven’t seen many reviews online of the stuff yet, so I’ll post pictures and give my thoughts once it comes in.