Jus ordered 20 mangroves

Still dealing with this? What's your lighting cycle like? I personally would add another phosban reactor as the flow going through for carbon should be much higher than your phosban.
 
Week 1

Week 1

I bought 21 red mangroves off Ebay aand they arrived last week (from Hawaii). They have been in the tank for 8 days. The price was right at lesss than a buck each with shipping. I have been watching the nitrate/phosphate and will document the effect it has, if any. They are just starting to grow new leaves but the roots are not doing anything noticible. I will let you know how they go.

I have a single Sylvania Daylight 6500K 23W/100W replacement bulb. I am working on getting a second bulb mounted as the mangroves are seperated by a foot and the light is not evenly distributed. I found Walmart has a 2 pack of these bulbs for $8.00

Joe
 
I think I got the same package from Hawaii.

I just tested all my levels and they seem fine. I had GWA test also...

My lighting cicle will be reduced to 4 hours per day. 2 afternoon and 2 evening for feedings.

I think the cheap ebay bulbs might be to blame for everything.

BK
 
Re: Jus ordered 20 mangroves

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10597006#post10597006 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Schplitter
I'm wondering what this will do to the hair algae??

Did anyone try this before?

BK

nothing-- did this 2 years ago


after reading cheato, xenia, and sponges pull more out
 
I have 2 250W SE 14K MH's from China. They look good but I'm not sure if they are good...

Chad: I still have your ballast...

All my levels are fine. I think the 12 house of lighting may be a issue with the 14K's. I ran my last tank 14hr on but they were 20K's...

BK
 
Do you have cheato? If so, it could be masking your problems. If your lighting cycle is that low, flow is good, feeding is low, tests are good, than I'd look for phosphates and maybe even contact spooda420 or look at his thread
 
Only a sump full. I think I will need to change that light to get some growth out of it. It's just there. Doing nothing.

Anyone have a model# or exact descrition of a bulb which works for your cheato?
 
I read...

I read...

...where the 5500K Sylvania worked well so I assumed that the 6500K would work better. The cheato ball in my fuge is far outgrowing the calerpa. I am about ready to get rid of that an keep all cheato.

The 2 pack of 6500K at walmart: ~$8.00
GE Energy Smart Daylight #85397
1600 Lumens
26 watts = to 100W incandescent
8000 hour life (5 years)

The single at Home Depot: ~ $7.00
Sylvania Daylight 6500K #X11454
1600 Lumens
23 Watts = 100 watt incandescent
8000 hours (7 years)

Strange how they rate years. last I checked one year was about 8700 hours.

Hope that helps

Joe
 
From what I have read thus far, using Mangroves for nutrient reduction is a waste of time. Good biological filter via high quality, porous liverock, sandbed, and refugia go a long way, as does very slow, methodical stocking of the tank from the getgo, not to mention:D innoculation with detritivore kits and little or no fish for the first few months. A system needs time to mature, when you see algae outbreaks like yours, it is because things are moving faster than the system can handle it and you are out of equilibrium or homeostasis...however you want to call it;)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10598710#post10598710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nanook
From what I have read thus far, using Mangroves for nutrient reduction is a waste of time. Good biological filter via high quality, porous liverock, sandbed, and refugia go a long way, as does very slow, methodical stocking of the tank from the getgo, not to mention:D innoculation with detritivore kits and little or no fish for the first few months. A system needs time to mature, when you see algae outbreaks like yours, it is because things are moving faster than the system can handle it and you are out of equilibrium or homeostasis...however you want to call it;)

that is perfect, to the point and what I believe as well. Just to bad we always seem to jump the gun. Feels like an up hill battle.
Thats what makes this hobby so challenging.
 
This is the part in Anthony's article that convinced me not to grow mangroves, aside from other's lack of success with them:


For all my love for keeping these plants, however, I must admit that they truly are not comparatively efficient nutrient export mechanisms. It's a very simple matter. Growth overall is slow, and leaf drop is often concurrent with new leaf growth. The net gain of mass from these plants is, in fact, dismally slow, and leaf drop alone (as a vehicle for nutrient export) cannot compare to a vigorous Chaetomorpha or Gracilaria based vegetable filter.
 
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Get an LOA (Lights of America) fixture from HD. It is a 65w PC bulb and my chaeto growth doubled when the good doctor turned me on to the fixture. Thanks Roy...

Bulb costs about $25 to replace, but for just chaeto growth you shouldn't need that very often.

I harvested just about 4 weeks ago and I need to cut it again.
 
I have been known to add too much too fast to a tank. I think a lot of us do this. The weird thing is that all the levels test fine but is still get that algae. The phosphates are really really low, N+N almost not detectable and 0 Amonia. I tested with my test kits and I had the water tested also.

zt444a: Remember when I got that cheato from you about one month ago? It's still the same size. Loots of good stuff in it but no growth. I think I will go buy that fixture.

I have the spiral bulbs over the cheato now and they seem to do nothing for growth. Might also be a lack of nutrients but with as many fish as I do have in the tank I really doubt it.

If the mangroves don't do a thing in my tank they will look awesome in the pond and then in the winter time I will stick them on my wifes brand new dining room table lol.
 
Phosphates are often "locked up" by algae so when tested for they are undetectable. Doesn't mean they don't exist or are low, just that chemical tests are not always perfect for what we try to find.
 
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