Need someone to school me on operating a macro lens...

Make sure the focus limiter switch isn't on.
This would make the lens focus faster and behave more like a non-macro lens when you don't need the full range of focus, like if you were shooting a portrait with it.
Thanks! That's super helpful bc I couldn't figure out what that switch was for! LOL I kept playing with it and saw it was limiting movement, but I couldn't decide what function that was achieving. I was trying to decide if it was changing a function of some kind...like a different kind of focus or something. Now I get it!
 
I have a couple of suggestions that I learned from shooting with my nikon 105 macro underwater in a housing. I have had the lens for years and was never happy with the results until i started paying attention to the aperture/depth of field settings, the focus mode (manual vs auto) and the lighting. If I want sharp images with maximum depth of field I set the aperture to as big (number) of an f stop as possible. I think your lens will shoot at f32. Of course this will probably not allow enough light in to the sensor to properly expose the subject. While I am shooting underwater, I have two 160 watt second strobes pointing directly at the subject on full ttl and that provides plenty of light and stops the subject if the subject is moving. In your display tank, if you have led lights that are not at 100% try increasing to 100% white for your shoot. If you try a strobe, you most likely will get light bounce back off the glass unless you have off camera strobe(s). The focus control is a bit harder underwater, but I would put your camera on a tripod and never hand hold. I think I see a bit of motion blur in some of your images of coral. Since the coral isn't moving, it is the camera/lens that is moving. A tripod will fix that problem. One last item, I looked up a tamron 90 macro. The lens i looked at had a minimum focus distance of 11.3 inches. Is it possible that you are getting too close to some of your subjects? I hope this helps some.
 
Here are some things that work for me for coral shots.

If using a tripod:

· Turn off all pumps
· Set camera to aperture priority mode
· Set f stop depending on how much depth is desired. A higher f stop gets more of the coral in focus.
· Use the viewfinder to focus if possible

If shooting free hand:

· Set the camera to manual mode
· Set the shutter speed fast enough to account for inevitable hand shake (1/400 works well for me)
· Set the ISO high enough to account for the lower light from the fast shutter speed, but low enough to avoid grainy photos (250-400 works well for me)
· Set the f stop low enough to allow enough light for the shot (12 or lower works for me with the other settings I mentioned above)
· Use the viewfinder to focus if possible

You may also want to consider your eyesight. I have progressive lens glasses and I was looking through the wrong part of my glasses when focusing. It took me a while to figure out why it looked like it was in focus when I took the image but was blurry on my computer.
 
I use a tripod and use manual focus on my stills. I also use a remote shutter so the vibration is minimized. So far it looks like your starting off well. It does take some practice and a lot of tries:);)
 
And if you are using a tripod use remote shutter, or delay the shutter for few seconds to minimize shaking
 

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