on mangroves.
i bought 5 of them, no leaves. put them into the tank [not the sump] with the supposed growing tips exposed and the pointy brown root producing areas in the water about 6" deep. no signs of any leaf/root after 3 weeks. do the root areas need to be in substrate? what am i doing wrong? thanks
Third time was a charm for me, but I don’t think it was just luck, but some advice I got from Two Little Fishies.
The first two times I tried mangroves, I got them into the tank as fast as possible. I misted them daily, had good lighting. Didn’t have much luck.
Then I was told it was a good idea to get them to root before placing them into the aquarium. Place them into a cup with just a little bit of water in the bottom and place it in a window for light. Temp doesn’t have to be perfect, doesn’t need flow, just window light and a little fresh water. Took a long while, maybe a month to see roots, but it did eventually and very well. Then moved it to the tank and it has been great.
Frequent misting is very important. They excrete salt on their leaves and rely on rain water to wash it away. (I’ve always wanted to use a mister, or a trickle of fresh water over some mangrove trees as part of my top off) I use a clip on light from HD with a CF bulb. The roots do NOT need to be in a substrate to do well.
There are decent articles written by both Anthony Calfo(over on ReefKeeping) and Julian Sprung(I believe hidden on TLF’s website somewhere) which may also give you more insight.
Questions just shoot me an e-mail. Good luck!
thanks jon. misting was never mentioned. dmn!
Add it to the daily chore list. You can get away with missing a couple days if you go away for a weekend or whatever. Try to pick up the dead leaves after they fall off.
Also be careful not to attach them too tightly. There is a special tape you can use to attach them like they use to steak saplings. You may already have some for your garden. It is green and rubbery, not sure it should touch the salt water.
How deep of a sand bed do you need in a refugium for mangroves ?
you need to know what species you have and research that species needs as some do need or at least do a lot better in substrate and some do require misting or cleaning of leaves to remove secretions where others do not create secretions and require pruning of yellowing leaves before they drop.
[quote=“Hudzon, post:6, topic:4491”]
you need to know what species you have and research that species needs as some do need or at least do a lot better in substrate and some do require misting or cleaning of leaves to remove secretions where others do not create secretions and require pruning of yellowing leaves before they drop.[/quote]
good to know , i was not aware that each species had different requirements
great info. thanks.
I’ll chime in here, since I have them growing in the back yard down here. If you bought propogules and not seeds, you most likely have the Red Mangrove, Rizophora mangle. See Jon’s advice above for care/maintnance.
Always nice to see you drop by Bellamy ;D
Very true different species require different environments. I have never seen anything, but Rizophora mangle offered by a wholesaler or any LFS. I did once see one obscure website offering two different species, but that was a couple years ago. Typically the large reputable dealers online or otherwise stick with Reds.
My Rizophora mangle has never been in an aquarium with substrate. Would likely be doing a bit better if it could reach the substrate, but has grown with out it. It hasn’t been doing great recently because I had the light off of it for a while. The light kept falling and was a safety hazard so I left it off for a couple weeks. It’s bouncing back though.
i can see roots! but no leaves, nor anything different up top at all. will begin misting a little. just glad to see it’s alive, and glad to see bellamy is still alive and kickin in florida
Good project Paul. Heres some good ideas and examples of growing them for fuge.
Show Us Your Mangroves!
One guy on page 4 shows how he set his deep sand bed up with a plenum for them. I use a plenun under one of my prolfera fuges. works good.
That was a good thread Ken
Interesting info here
[QUOTE=aquaman7;18115077]^I think they would be very effective in a FOWLR. Provided they recieve ample lighting and there aren’t any fish species that will bother the roots too much.
aquamanpc24… Please let us know how well the white mangroves do in a more aquatic environment. In nature white mangroves are more terrestrial plants, while they are occasionally semi-aquatic, in general, they are the furthest of the 3 common mangrove plants from the water… usually above the high-tide line. I’m sure they could tolerate the more aquatic conditions of a marine aquaria, but I’m curious as to how well they grow in comparison to the red and black mangroves. Can you tell us more about your method for germinating and growing the white mangrove seeds! 
I’ve studing mangroves quite a bit. Although, I only have 20 or so red mangroves and 10 or so black mangroves that I keep now. I’d love to set up a marine mangrove biotope some day in a terrarium/aquarium tank mimicing the placement of the 3 interworking mangrove species. Here is some information I can provide about mangroves off the top of my head…
Red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) are closest to the water… often in the water. Black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) are the next furthest inland. White mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa) generally are the furthest inland.
I think some of the keys to growing mangroves in captivity are…
Strong light in the 6,500k-10,000k range. Warm air and water temperature 70-90 degrees. Stable salinity (though they are very tolerant of changing salinity). Minimal disturbance of the root systems (while they are still becoming established). A system with ample nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous). Washing the leaves of mangroves with fresh water (black and white mangroves very frequently).
Red mangroves significantly limit the ammount of salt entering the plant by producing suberin, a waxy substance which allows the roots to be nearly impermeable to salts.
Black and White mangroves secrete salts absorbed by the roots via ‘salt glands’ at the base of each leaf. These secreted salt crystals are then rinsed off the plant by rain.
I’m sure I could write more, but I’ll leave it at that for now. Glad to know there are other folks enthusiastic about mangroves. I’m into botany and marine aquaria so mangroves are a way for me to bridge the two passions. :)[/QUOTE]
Paul, here’s some info for ya on your green thumb venture on the mangroves.
http://info.frim.gov.my/cfdocs/tsonami2/Magnificent%20Mangroves%20in%20Aquarium.pdf