Transforming a UNS 45E Paludarium: Introducing the Strata Pro Aquascape Insert

A full build of the UNS 45E paludarium using the new UNS Strata Pro hardscape insert — a freshwater (FW) build that's efficient to set up while still looking artisanal.

Equipment

• UNS Delta 30 canister filter, plumbed through the tank's built-in bulkheads down into the cabinet — the 45E's bulkhead version makes running a spray bar, return, and intake completely hidden
• Aqua Worx Orion Nano LED, height-adjustable with five color modes and dimming
• UNS Strata Pro hardscape insert — hand-assembled stone and driftwood layouts mounted on a rigid resin platform, making installation far more consistent than piecing together loose hardscape

Pro Tip: Softening Tubing for Clean Fittings

Heat tubing in water just before boiling (around 180°F) to soften it and remove the memory of being coiled in the box — it slides onto canister fittings far more easily. As it cools, the tubing shrinks back around the barb fitting, creating an airtight seal that also keeps microbubbles out of the canister.

A Waterfall Effect Using the Spray Bar

The UNS Delta 30's spray bar has nozzles designed to accept airline tubing directly — routed behind rockwork and secured with rock wool and CA glue, this creates a genuine waterfall effect feeding down through the hardscape.

Plant List

• Ocelot swords (variegated foliage, grow both emersed and submerged, though above-water leaves take training time)
• Bucephalandra Maneri (grows immersed and submerged)
• Cryptocoryne varieties (CP Red Wendtii, CP Undulata)
• Lendera MB and mini Alternanthera Reineckii for red/green contrast
• Monte Carlo, trained to crawl across rockwork above and below the waterline
• Bucephalandra throughout the wood (low light, water-column nutrient uptake)

South Florida's naturally soft water means crushed coral was added to the substrate and hidden areas of hardscape to help buffer alkalinity.

Want an artisanal hardscape without the guesswork? Shop the UNS Strata Pro hardscape insert at natureaquariums.com.