Cheap mangroves available on eBay

As far as I know, in the U.S. it is completely legal to collect the seed propagules(whether they can be picked off the tree or must have already fallen, I'm not sure). However, if you start pulling up rooted plants from the substrate, then you get the smackdown.
 
kevin,
The thing is, I was on a cruise so I didn't have much time to look around :( I was probably within a 1/4th mile from them, so I'm disappointed!! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go on another cruise :D.
-Will
ps- My grandparents are actually down in Bartow right now (they'll be heading to South Bay and then Naples before heading home). Do you know of anything they might be able to bring back for me? Possibly some seeds? I'll give them a call and see if maybe they can stop by Cape Canaveral on the way home and grab some seed pods for me...
 
I got some mangrooves from that dude like a year back... doing great! :) Nicely packaged too. I thought it'd be a mess due to the price, but I have to say I am really satisfied.
 
Well, I ordered mine yesteday. I'm guessing the guy will send tomorrow, so I should get them in about a week.
-Will
 
I just thought I'd let everyone know that I got my mangroves today. They came very well packed and they look great! All of them are rooted and 8 out of 10 ten have leaves. Very nice quality mangroves, and especially for the price. I can't wait to see how they turn out in a few weeks!
-Will
 
And a picture:
13246100_0316.jpg

-Will
 
Kevin,

I grew up fishing the barge canal out of a canoe. I lived right there in Villa De Palmas on Merritt Island. Now I live in Kissimmee and work in Palm Bay.
Anyway, I never thought about looking there. Where exactly do you go? Closer to the Sea Ray factory or maybe from the Kelly Park area?
Also, have you tried any of the macros that grow wild right there at Kelly Park?

Tom
 
nice, they look healthy.

the daily temps are still hovering around 0 so I'm a little apprehensive about ordering them, don't wanna freeze em solid :(

how did you secure the plants, BTW?
 
They're actually in a power filter (don't know if you can tell from picture), so I wedged them in between the filter cartridges. I think that'll be kind of beneficial because they'll be getting constant flow, and their roots will be able to absorb nutrients trapped in the filter media.
-Will
 
True enough that nutrients will be there, but mine seem to like the roots "undisturbed". Meaning of the 20 mangroves I have, the ones that are in stagnant settings are growing much better then the ones in high flow sumps. I believe your power filter would be similar to my high flow sumps if not worse.

Either way, it is anecdotal.
 
Thanks for the advice. :) I've got 10 of them, so I'll just experiment to see which ones do better in which places. Is it ok to have them completely submerged, or does the top part have to be sticking out? That's one reason I have them in the filter; they're about 5" shorter than the water surface.
-Will
 
IMHE....Submerge'em and watch them turn black. I have floated them in styrofoam with the last 1" of pod submerged with great success. If you want them to form prop roots then you will need to let them hit substrate and slowly raise them out of the water. Keep in mind this will take many months in salt water.

If you have 10, put some in your full salt water system, some in your "water change" left overs diluted by fresh(brackish) and some in full on fresh water. By summer you will see a significant difference as the salinity decreases.

Get the full plant growing first, pods grow so darn slow in full strength salt water they are a novelty not an export mechanism. Although they sure add some conversation :) IMHO of course.

Either way enjoy and make sure you spray the leaves down every few days to wash off the salt accumulation.
 
I just read the J. Sprung manual (link earlier in this thread). I think I want to put some in the overflow box try some in the substrate in the corner of the tank, some in a glass on the window sill, & some in the pond. I read that they have to be acclimated, it could be a while before they are ready to put in the tank. Didn't someone say earlier this guy keeps his stock in FW?
 
I contacted the guy from ebay and he said he collects them from a saline environment and then keeps them in FW until he ships them out. Not the best thing to do IMO if most people plunk them back into full-strength SW when they get them...but it sounds like most people don't have problems with this.

As far as keeping them in the powerfilter, the best success I have heard with groves is providing an environment where they encounter the least amount of disturbance possible. I really don't think they will appreciate the fast flow past their roots--in theory it makes sense, but the nature of the plant is a completely different matter.

Keep us all updated.
 
I'll keep those in the power filter, but I'll also put some other ones in different places around the tank. I'm even thinking I'm gonna try growing one in soil and one outside. It's gonna be a big, fun experiment! :D
-Will
 
Fourhand - I got mine yesterday. I was actually impressed at the foliage & roots on them. Can't wait to see them grow out!
Did you have to acclimate them to (salt water) your tank? Or did you just dump them in?
 
Srfrmon, I was impressed with them too. I was expecting little twigs, but what a surprise! :D I just put mine straight into the tank with no acclimation; they're doing just fine.
-Will
 
Some of them I just dumped in the tank & with the rest I thought I'd better acclimate them in case I screwed up & should have acclimated. The only problem with acclimating right now is that it's been pouring rain in So. Cal. so the rest are just sitting in the koi pond - later when it stops I'll put a few in brackish water & bring up the salinity slowly. I'll post a pic when I get more in the tank - there's only 2 in there right now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Reverse trickle/undergravel
2
Replies
20
Views
917
wvned
wvned
B
10 gal Sump for 54 gal Corner tank?
Replies
3
Views
194
BarneyPSU
B
F
Best kept secret in Reefing, I almost don’t want to share . . .
Replies
2
Views
506
Reefing102
Reefing102
NancyT3
Thankful for Dr Reefs QT Fish, Hooked on invertebrates....
Replies
2
Views
190
griss
griss
C
Biota Group Captive Bred Mandarin Dragonet - 4 Month Update
Replies
5
Views
498
OTTOMATIC
O
Back
Top