UNS R150 Transformed: Stunning Aquascape From Unboxing to Flooded Forest (Part 1)

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series building a museum-scale flooded river basin aquascape in the new UNS R150 — a reef-rated system we're repurposing as a high-tech freshwater (FW) planted display. Part 1 covers hardscape and substrate. Part 2 will cover the technical build: Neptune Apex controller, CO2 injection, automated dosing, UV, and a Kessil A360XE. Part 3 covers planting and stocking.

Building the Above-Waterline Tree Structure

The UNS R150's internal support legs became the anchor points for a dramatic driftwood tree structure designed to break the waterline — part submerged, part emersed — for a true flooded-forest look. Getting the branch angles right took real trial and error: propping, wedging, and re-angling pieces of wood until the structure read as one natural tree instead of assembled parts.

Securing Hardscape with Rock Wool and CA Glue

Rock and driftwood were bonded using liquid CA glue with rock wool as the bonding medium — rock wool ages and blends in far more naturally than paper towel or cotton, and holds significantly stronger. CA glue fumes are genuinely toxic, so this step always happens in a well-ventilated space.

Substrate Layering

Once the hardscape angles were locked in, the layout moved to substrate: a gravel barrier laid down first, followed by Controsoil to build the planting bed and bury the lower portions of the wood structure, leaving the epiphyte zone (where mosses and epiphytic plants like anubias and buce will be glued) exposed above the substrate line.

Follow along with the full build: Part 2 (plumbing, CO2, and Apex control) and Part 3 (planting) are coming next on Tank Talk. Shop the aquascaping and hardscape supplies used in this build in our Aquascape Builds collection at natureaquariums.com.