My Mushroom Garden Table Saga 2.0 build thread

LRT

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Hey all,

Wanted to do a spin off from my original Diy Saga build thread because this is starting to become something entirely different from what I had originally planned.
I'm still In the beginning stages but it is finally starting to come together after too much work and I'm digging it!
First for anyone not familiar with origin build thread. Heres a quick re cap of what I started off with-
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I knew pretty much immediately that wasn't going to work as soon as I put water in it. And after a major over haul recently I added these equalizer pipes and daisy chained the tables together-
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Removed 4 pumps from the system and added a bunch more flow through the system. All surfaces are natural skimming back to the skimmer in bottom reservoir.
I've also totally automated my pumps and lights with these wifi surge protectors-
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Upgraded my Ro system to 6 stage RODI and had it professionally installed. It now direct feeds from my washing room adjacent to fish room.
I know I need an ATO it's on very soon to do checklist.
For now its hooked up directly to a float in my 1st reservoir.
Removed the chiller as it's not needed right now.
Important to add I used all 1 inch bulkheads and tubing. Everything was put together using ASI reef safe aquarium sealant and knock on wood I havent had a leak to date.
Any questions on the actual build I haven't covered hit me up I'll try to explain.

I'll be back with the fun stuff on the mushroom garden!
 
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Ok so on to the fun stuff now.
Ended up rinsing and soaking 2x16lb bags of carib sea course live sand and plating the bottoms of 2 tables. 1 bag/ table worked out awesome.
Broke up about 15lbs of crushed .5-3" coral and began to aqua scape by littering the bottom of the tables with the crushed coral to give it more definition.
As well as began removing shrooms from plugs and gluing them to some of the bigger pieces of rock to keep them in place. For when the mexican turbos come through like 6 foot whirling dervishes and try to rearrange things on me I'm one step ahead! I've found some of my biggest shrooms pulled out of the racks and dragged across the tables and flipped over in crevices. So I'm securing everything.
Also using some of the really big pieces of rock to build little caves for shade.
I'm finding some of my shrooms cant get enough light but some of the not so much.
My wife thinks it's funny I'm getting all crafty gluing and building rock caves and stuff but there is a little method to my madness I guess.
Plus it's fun and she has been helping alot!
Still a long way to go and tons of work but it had to be done these shrooms are starting to settle in and move around on the racks and I've already tore a cpl and had to cut a cpl out of the racks.
This surprisingly also allowed me to use more of the 12 sq. ft. of table space I'm working in. And get some of the more light sensitive shrooms into the corners.
I can still move them around.
Plan is to take the babies and put them in frag racks as they drop them.

Anyhow check it out.
Stark contrast to go from this mess-
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To this! It just makes me feel better lol.
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Forgot to mention after I removed plugs and most of original footholds shrooms came on. I gave everything a solid bayer dip, scrub and revive soak. I'll be honest I have been a little impatient at times not doing full due diligence in the excitement of getting new pieces.
However I didnt see much but a cpl baby bristle worms and unfortunately a cpl bergia nudi adults.
Anyhow I split my Jawbreakers up and they own there own cove/caves now.
Heres Poletti cove lol it's still a little mad from the abuse but will get over it.
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Baby regular Jawbreakers cave.
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Just a random that came up that I couldnt remove from this post lol
Still fire and one of my favorite unnamed bounces I came up on.
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Lot of work going down here. Been a long last cpl months or so with my nitrate nuke.
Tearing the tables down and rebuilding them.
Time to stay posting some fire!
Frank's getting huge around 2.5-3" now.
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Og is also doing well with all the changes here lately.
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Fried out Jawbreakers starting to show some life. Some of these guys where almost 50 cent piece to quarter size before the Nitrate Nuke.
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Some randoms of how the tables are progressing. Everything else is still pretty mad from the dip and all the changes lately. But starting to come around.
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Glad you got everything under control!! Everything looks to be recovering well.
Thanks Trigger it's been a heck of a journey!
I'm almost done disrupting the system.
Going to set them and forget them for awhile and see what happens. Alot have recovered but still not back to 100%. Im sure I haven't helped much with all the recent changes either.
 
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I know these are crappy blue light pictures and I apologize for it in advance. I turned my whites down until CUC arrives.
But my Jabreakers though! Starting to get that orange glow back and showing some red streaking :)
They are still a far cry from size and color but I'll take it! I literally writ these off as toasted. Hoping I can get just a cpl to fully recover :)
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Took the week off from work to work on my build lol.
Super hard to get any kind of decent pictures with all the surface movement now. I'm going to have to get them during feeding time from here on out I guess.
Wife is wanting to build a DT. Until we figure out which way to go with it she has taken over a table lol.
We found a baby copperband and it is becoming a nice addition and tank mate for the 2 nemos and blenny. All it does is work all day already picking at the rock. I'd strongly suggest adding a copperband if your looking for a worker. We have no pests on the tables. And want to keep it that way. The blenny is just a cool little fish. Follows us from table to table during feed time and goes right back to his little shell and chills. Super peaceful but holds his own.
Still have some shrooms I have to move to the garden as well. Lots of work this week haha.
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Clean up crew came today. As you can see needed it badly. Some are already going to work. Took some before pictures as I will be going after that gift card after they do the job.
Got the snail only pack for 105 gallon from reefcleaners.
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Some quick pix from the garden today.
Things are finally starting to settle in after all the changes.
Poletti is about the size of 50cent piece now. Still a little mad but getting some nice colors @Reef Pro :) Hope she hunkers in and starts dropping some babies soon!
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Hoping they all start settling in and making babies lol
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Reverse Maui starting to walk :)
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Ok so it's on with these turbos. Somehow able to totally remove my recently glued Jawbreakers from the crushed coral!
Luckily I found this morning and big thanks to @Saltyreef for the burying in sand method.
First pic is from this morning nearly fully submerged in sand after I found them.
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Here they are few hours later.
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Also seriously looking into using something on the nuisance algae. The turbos love it but I'm at the point I just cant look at it anymore!
It's not growing on any of my gulf live rock. Or under my lower powered blackbox tables.
But it's all over the new crushed coral tables! Kind of expected it but it has to go.
Only worry is I have a ton of inverts and filter feeder and coraline algae. Just not sure if chemicals are safe!
 
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Ok @TriggerFinger.
Heres a cpl pix of what I'm dealing with here. Its growing hairy. Blows off hairy. Doesnt go away when lights out. Not bubbly. I've had cyanobacteria back in the day nothing like cyanobacteria. Turbos love it just cant keep up. Lost all my cerith and nerith snails from my recent order. Mailman put them in our box instead of just ringing the doorbell! Needless to say it was like escargot before we got the notification luckily everything else made it!
Nitrates still sitting at 15-20
Phosphates .03
Temps and salinity stable for months.
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Can you scrape some out & take a pic of it on a white paper towel in natural light? The blue messes with the colors. Mine had an orange/red tone with lights on but was actually brown when I took it away from the tank lights.
 
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Can you scrape some out & take a pic of it on a white paper towel in natural light? The blue messes with the colors. Mine had an orange/red tone with lights on but was actually brown when I took it away from the tank lights.
Tried to get some good ones with and without flash under regular white light.
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