Anyone else growing mangroves? Wondering how they are doing. I’ve got a few stalks (?) of them that seem to be doing pretty good, and a few other ones that are doing so-so.
Check with Gary @ Get Tanked he grows them as a primary filtration method
I thought a couple people from here got them when we did the GB from ReefCleaners? I need to call Gary and chat with him, seems like a pretty knowledgeable guy.
according to your GB spread sheet, 4 of yous guys got some. and somebody might have shared some. i tried them once. but you need pretty strong light above them to make em grow. Like mabe a couple mini halogen spot lights.
Mine seem to be growing with the basic 22w PC fuge light, right over them though
I’ve never found a great way to mount them. Currently I have one that is wedged into an aquaclear filter next to the sponge that is doing ok. Bellamy wasn’t having great luck either before he left and I bought what he had left that looked like it had a chance.
I have mine wedged into egg crate so their tops stick out of the water, which sucked cause they kept falling through and down, but once they got some roots going they were pretty much stuck where they are.
Seems to me the biggest thing is keeping their heads out of the water, although if keep too much out their stalks start to look like crap (dried out). The ones that are just barely sticking out of the water though don’t seem to be doing well, and I’ve got two that just he bottom bulb section is under and they seem to be doing pretty good, big leaves.
I’m wondering if I can snip the leaves or when can I snip them? I’d like to keep them pruned so the don’t drop leaves back into tank.
some growing info from Julian:
and from Calfo:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/ac/feature/index.php
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mangrovetrees.htm
pet ed:
http://www.reeftime.com/reef-articles/advanced-reef-topics/mangroves-reef-aquarium/59.htm
or float em:
http://www.mangrovemania.com/mangrove_aquarium.html
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/apr2002/feature.htm
uhhhh, that should be enough for now. something in these has got to work.
Yea I should have done the float 'em method, in the 75s fuge.
Good reads too Ken, thanks
I love ithe internet. If i look hard enough i can find anything out there. Unless i’m just too far…Out there…
Next time you guys want to try some mangroves let me know. If you pay for shipping (doesnt have to be overnight) I can get you as many as you want. One of the things on the plus side of living down here. I can literally walk down the beach and pick up a couple hundred nice healthy ones. I can also get black mangrove seeds if anyone is interested.
Check with the local laws because I believe you can grab seeds on land but not the plants;or something to that effect.
Bellamy, I might be interested in some of the seeds, I like a little diversity. I’ll do some reading on the black mangroves. Any information on how they differ from what we got?
Since no one has pointed it out it should be mentioned that mangroves are less than ideal for nutrient export. As a matter of fact they are pretty much useless compared to some of the macros we use in a fuges. This is what i have read from mutiple writers as well as my own experience. That doesnt make them not cool, it only means that unless you plant a LOT of them and give them a LOT of light your going to need a secondary source for nutrient uptake.
I know you didnt specify why you are growing them, i just figured i would point it out to those reading the thread and thinking about using them in place of a macro algae. Personally, i think they are very cool and i LOVE the shallow, braceless, “lagoon” style tanks that have mangroves growing right out of the tank. Not as popular stateside, but very cool all the same. To your original question, i had mine in my fuge in about 4-5" of sand with with the top couple of inches of the tree abover water with decent growth.
Here is a pic of Julian Sprung’s personal tank at his home. You can see the mangroves in the fuge in the background.
i have 8 mangroves i got from reefcleaners right now they r banded to my heater cord. the tips kinda turned black, but they all are growing roots. i have them 1/2 submerged in the fuge. light is provided by 2x18watt NO t5s, with one 6500k and one colormax plant bulb. the colormax seems to grow alot of nusiance algea, and does OK for macro. the mangroves are doing ok i suppose.
I agree with L-D a lot. the mangroves will only take up nitrates to the extent they grow. Since their leaves are above the water line, I figure they need full PAR sunlight to work and grow at peak efficiency. check out Julians plants and they seem to have much larger leaves than i have seen on most reefers mangroves pictures. vigourous growth. He might have better lighting. macro algae grows beneath the filtering waves and is adapted to less PAR depending on their “Happy” depth. which determines happy PAR and Spectrum, too, thanks to the filtering quality of salt water. Mangroves are slower growing woody plants. Macro algae, Although lighter in structure, can grow very fast and be harvested indiscrimanately. mangroves need a gardeners pruning touch, to shape and keep them growing well.
But like L-D says, they look way cool, provided you have a special tank, sand bed or rock pile and light for them. they can be just like a decorative house plant next to your reef tank, working hard to keep the Reef tank clean. I think a MH pendant over a small tank of groves in the corner by the tank would be very nice. and like other house plants, the groves clean the house air a bit too. reducing CO2 and other stuff.
If you plan on putting a MH pendant over woody trees do so with extreme caution and keep an eye on growth.
If your not cautious mangroves hot mangroves under MH may = >::: (aka fire)
WAYYYYY over it!
Trying to find info on the ideal light bulb to use for mangroves. Advice?
Ian do you still have yours?