UNS R90 Mixed Reef Tank Build

[OcellarisFish]

Started my UNS R90 Tank a few months ago, cycled with FritzAquatics TurboStart 900, MicrobLift Special Nitrifying Bacteria, some live rocks from my other systems, 80 gallons of Tropic Marin Pro Saltwater, Brightwell Aquatics XPort Bio Block Media, and 30lbs of Aragonite Substrate Sand.

Equipment included:
- x2 Ecotech Marine XR15 G6
- x2 Ecotech Marine MP10
- Vectra M2 Mobius Return Pump
- SHOUT OUT TO ReefScapeDesigns FOR HAVING THE BEST REEFSCAPES!
- Reef Octopus 110INT Protein Skimmer
- 600W Titatnium Aquarium Heater w/ Helio Controller - Redundancy Bundle from BRS
-MagTool Auto Top-Off System
-Triden APEX Dosing

Dosing Material:
-Tropic Marin All-For-Reef
-Brightwell Aquatics Coral Amino
-Brightwell Aquatics Restor
-Polyp Labs Polyp Booster
-Brightwell Aquatics M-Zooplankton
-Brightwell Aquatics Kalk 2.0+
-Red Sea NoPOX
-Red Sea AB+ Energy
-Red Sea Trace Colors

Water Parameter Testing Material:
-Salifert Alk, Mag, Ca, Nitrate, Ammonia, Phosphate Test Kits
-Red Sea Trace Color Test Kits
-Neptune Trident

Will be posting monthly updates on this UNSR90 Tank Build!~

Happy Reefing R2R!

 

[Fish Fan]

Nice looking setup, good luck with your build!

 

[mmorrison55]

Looks great!

 

[OcellarisFish]

Today I ordered the Reef Factory Smart Roller M Filter Roller (Medium) from BRS and the Adapter from BucePlants! It should be arriving next Tuesday or Wednesday (07/14-07/15).

Despite the company going under, the roller appears to have at least a 2-2.5x larger surface area than the equivalent sizes by ClariSea, Red Sea, and AquaReady brands.

I will record a video of the installation process and photos of it installed!

The product description states that each roller should last 3-months, but of course, I'm sure it will vary based on each reefer's feeding schedule.

For my UNS R90, my current livestock includes:
-2x Captive-Bred Ocellaris Clownfish (~1.5 inches)
-1x Royal Gamma Basslet (~2 inches)
-1x Bimaculatus Anthias (~2.5 inches)
-10x blue-legged hermit crabs
-1x juv Tomini tang (~2 inches) *will be moving to my 150g system once he grows a bit more to the sizes of my adult tangs in the future*

Feeding regimen: #1 SF Bay Brand frozen mysis cube BID with daily Two Little Fishies nori sheet

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[MKS]

Following!

 

[OcellarisFish]

IMPORTANT UPDATE WITH REEF FACTORY ROLLER MAT

So today I learned that roller mat devices should be installed prior to the installation of the tank. My UNS R90 has been running for more than a month now and as a result, there is limited clearance above the sump. Thus, I had to manually shave off 3-4 inches of the white plastic frame at the bottom in order to fit it into the space above the sump.

The *first photo* shows how there is not enough clearance. The *second and third photo* shows how it currently is nicely fit into the sump. The roller mat is hung on the second screw hole to allow for the roller mat to rotate without having friction with the top edge of the sump.

It should be noted that the water level is below the designated marked “ideal water level” on the side of the roller mat. Thus, the water level sensor within the device had to be adjusted and lowered beyond what was recommended in the manual. This was done by simply reversing the “L-shaped” plastic sensor holder and lowering the screw to the lowest level. Despite this decrease in elevation, the water level sensor is still at least 2-inches above the sump water level. I believe this should be fine as, overtime with the collection of debris in the roller fleece, the water level within the roller mat should increase and cause the physical float sensor to raise and trigger the device to rotate new fleece.

After plugging the device in, the manual button to rotate the fleece was tested. Following this, the physical float sensor was tested, however upon raising the float valve, the device did not rotate the fleece. I believe this may have been due to the float sensor being in mid-air and not submerged in water. Time will tell if this is water level sensor requires water to be functional.

The *last photo* shows the internal perspective of the Reef Factory Roller Mat (M) where you can see the water level sensor, the current water level in the sump, and the fleece roll. Ideally, overtime, the water level within the sump should raise with the buildup from the fleece.

 

[Seregus]

Since I’m in the same shoes and a few your rised topics I hope will be cleared.
1. Float valve in the unit does work, but its not instant - it takes like either a minute or 30 seconds to start reacting. I guess to avoid splashes triggering it. Their app worked last time I checked - helps a little with functionality.
2. It will fit the section if you remove brackets and try from the inside of the sump. At least I did it. And I screw brackets as legs inside the section… a little annoying but it works.
3. You are using brackets. Try either to lower them or if you already at maximum screw them at the foot instead, this way you can lower everything more. Just make sure controller is not in the water with return pump off…

Hope it helps.

 

[Seregus]

Here is a picture of how mine is sitting, however my tank is larger and no water yet…

 

[jabberkaycee]

IMPORTANT UPDATE WITH REEF FACTORY ROLLER MAT

So today I learned that roller mat devices should be installed prior to the installation of the tank. My UNS R90 has been running for more than a month now and as a result, there is limited clearance above the sump. Thus, I had to manually shave off 3-4 inches of the white plastic frame at the bottom in order to fit it into the space above the sump.

The *first photo* shows how there is not enough clearance. The *second and third photo* shows how it currently is nicely fit into the sump. The roller mat is hung on the second screw hole to allow for the roller mat to rotate without having friction with the top edge of the sump.

It should be noted that the water level is below the designated marked “ideal water level” on the side of the roller mat. Thus, the water level sensor within the device had to be adjusted and lowered beyond what was recommended in the manual. This was done by simply reversing the “L-shaped” plastic sensor holder and lowering the screw to the lowest level. Despite this decrease in elevation, the water level sensor is still at least 2-inches above the sump water level. I believe this should be fine as, overtime with the collection of debris in the roller fleece, the water level within the roller mat should increase and cause the physical float sensor to raise and trigger the device to rotate new fleece.

After plugging the device in, the manual button to rotate the fleece was tested. Following this, the physical float sensor was tested, however upon raising the float valve, the device did not rotate the fleece. I believe this may have been due to the float sensor being in mid-air and not submerged in water. Time will tell if this is water level sensor requires water to be functional.

The *last photo* shows the internal perspective of the Reef Factory Roller Mat (M) where you can see the water level sensor, the current water level in the sump, and the fleece roll. Ideally, overtime, the water level within the sump should raise with the buildup from the fleece.

Any updates on this? I have the UNS R90 and haven’t bought a Reefmat 250 yet because I’m concerned it will not be enough filter. My tank is mostly SPS. I don’t want to use filter socks, but I don’t want to pay for a roller that may be inadequate for my tank either. Copying Parker to get his thoughts. @UNS_Parker

 

[OcellarisFish]

IMPORTANT UPDATE WITH REEF FACTORY ROLLER MAT

So today I learned that roller mat devices should be installed prior to the installation of the tank. My UNS R90 has been running for more than a month now and as a result, there is limited clearance above the sump. Thus, I had to manually shave off 3-4 inches of the white plastic frame at the bottom in order to fit it into the space above the sump.

The *first photo* shows how there is not enough clearance. The *second and third photo* shows how it currently is nicely fit into the sump. The roller mat is hung on the second screw hole to allow for the roller mat to rotate without having friction with the top edge of the sump.

It should be noted that the water level is below the designated marked “ideal water level” on the side of the roller mat. Thus, the water level sensor within the device had to be adjusted and lowered beyond what was recommended in the manual. This was done by simply reversing the “L-shaped” plastic sensor holder and lowering the screw to the lowest level. Despite this decrease in elevation, the water level sensor is still at least 2-inches above the sump water level. I believe this should be fine as, overtime with the collection of debris in the roller fleece, the water level within the roller mat should increase and cause the physical float sensor to raise and trigger the device to rotate new fleece.

After plugging the device in, the manual button to rotate the fleece was tested. Following this, the physical float sensor was tested, however upon raising the float valve, the device did not rotate the fleece. I believe this may have been due to the float sensor being in mid-air and not submerged in water. Time will tell if this is water level sensor requires water to be functional.

The *last photo* shows the internal perspective of the Reef Factory Roller Mat (M) where you can see the water level sensor, the current water level in the sump, and the fleece roll. Ideally, overtime, the water level within the sump should raise with the buildup from the fleece.

Any updates on this? I have the UNS R90 and haven’t bought a Reefmat 250 yet because I’m concerned it will not be enough filter. My tank is mostly SPS. I don’t want to use filter socks, but I don’t want to pay for a roller that may be inadequate for my tank either. Copying Parker to get his thoughts. @UNS_Parker

07/23/26: Video Update on the Reef Factory Smart Roller Mat (M) on UNS R90!

In the video I go over the functionality of the Smart Roller, details regarding its operation, and last-minute thoughts on buying it.

My nitrates and phosphates before installation was at 15ppm and 0.1ppm, but after about 1-2 weeks, my nitrates have dropped to 8ppm and 0.06ppm. It has been “visually” pulling more organic waste than my OCTO Classic 110-INT, but that’s probably since it has first-contact with the return water from the display.

I would highly recommend getting the roller mat while supplies last. I believe there is another R2R Thread about where to find alternative roller mats that fit the Reef Factory specifications.

I’ll do another update once the entire roller has been used to see how long it lasts!

 

[OcellarisFish]

@UNS_Parker do you know how I can get the exact measurements for the UNS R90 overflow box? I’m trying to make a custom lid for the tank!

I found a pdf for the measurements of the UNS R systems online, but the entire document is pixelated.

 

[UNS_Parker]

Any updates on this? I have the UNS R90 and haven’t bought a Reefmat 250 yet because I’m concerned it will not be enough filter. My tank is mostly SPS. I don’t want to use filter socks, but I don’t want to pay for a roller that may be inadequate for my tank either. Copying Parker to get his thoughts. @UNS_Parker

Both units should provide a similar level of filtration. The main advantage of the Reef Factory is its larger roll, which means it would need to be changed less frequently. That said, in my opinion, the ReefMat 250 is much easier to install and get dialed in. Just keep in mind that you may need to reduce the return flow slightly to accommodate the roller mat.

For an R90, I definitely think the ReefMat 250 is sufficient. I’m currently using one on an R90S, and while the roll gets dirty faster than the Reef Factory’s would, it is still pulling a significant amount of waste from the water.

You also should not need to shave the top of the Reef Factory unit. You can unscrew the feet from the body, place the roller mat inside, and then reattach the feet once it is in position.

If you are currently using filter socks, either option would be a substantial upgrade.

 

[UNS_Parker]

@UNS_Parker do you know how I can get the exact measurements for the UNS R90 overflow box? I’m trying to make a custom lid for the tank!

I found a pdf for the measurements of the UNS R systems online, but the entire document is pixelated.

Here you go.

 

[OcellarisFish]

@UNS_Parker do you know how I can get the exact measurements for the UNS R90 overflow box? I’m trying to make a custom lid for the tank!

I found a pdf for the measurements of the UNS R systems online, but the entire document is pixelated.

Here you go.

These are the measurements I found online at different vendors (TSA. BucePlants, etc).

The 10.25” was something I measured with a measuring tape, but that was measuring from the overflow box to the outside of the tank.

Thoughts on the measurement discrepancy?

 

[UNS_Parker]

These are the measurements I found online at different vendors (TSA. BucePlants, etc).

The 10.25” was something I measured with a measuring tape, but that was measuring from the overflow box to the outside of the tank.

Thoughts on the measurement discrepancy?

The measurement I provided is taken from the inside of the glass to the overflow box, while the measurement you sent is based on the tank’s exterior to the overflow. The 12 mm glass adds approximately 1/2" to the 9.8" measurement.