Ultum Nature Systems is best known for its ADA-style aquascaping product line and aquariums but until now, its saltwater offering had been limited to small All-In-One tanks. The new UNS Reef System, or R Line, breaks the aquascaping mold however, with the company venturing into “proper” reef tanks, with sumps and weirs, metal frames, and in larger sizes than before.
The R Line comprises four aquariums from two to five feet in length, blending mandatory black vinyl wrap and black central weir with the brand’s signature 45-degree mitered corners, and for reef, black instead of clear silicone. Like the glass, the weir features angled corners too, with a lid, dual returns, and top and bottom scavenging weir slots.
The tanks sit on aluminium frames with adjustable feet, but unlike most others the doors are not hinged, and instead adhere by magnets and are completely removable. This feature will appeal to some but not to others, as it grants maximum possible access to the cabinet, yet involves door removal just for the smallest task, and the doors then need to be put somewhere while it’s carried out. It’s one way of removing the problem of rusty hinges and swelled-up doors, however.
The acrylic sumps are feature-rich, incorporating a prefilter tray, removable filter sock plate, skimmer section, refugium section and an overhead ATO reservoir, and the blue pipework features a precision gate valve and a manifold for running a reactor.
All models come with a built-in controller box for controllers, power bars, dosers, and cables, and the three-foot R90 and over also feature room for a chiller, and a viewing window.
What we think
Ultum Nature’s R Line enters an incredibly busy reef-ready aquarium market, we can easily think of a dozen others, and we admit to becoming desensitized by the sheer number of tank/cabinet/sump combinations we can choose from. But the combination of mitred corners, top and bottom scavenging weir, dual returns, precision gate valve, manifold, aluminium frame, removable sock plate (for roller filters,) controller box and more does leapfrog the R Line to the top few percent when it comes to features, and like all Ultum Nature products, it’s good-looking too.
