mangrove root tank project, need some advice :-)

[Welles]

I want to build a 250 gallon tank to represent the landscape of mangrove root underwater like this:

my idear is mixed some soft coral, algae(Halimedaceae) and sponges with this kind of "forest of mangrove root" , and some fish such as Green Chromis , banggai cardinal.

Now the biggest challenge is how to build the "forest of mangrove root", it is impossible to use live mangrove, could I use driftwood ? is here any similar project for referrence?

Thanks

 

[rob1991]

wow that would be an awsome project!! ! ! sorry i have no help, but i think real mangroves could be used.....

 

[chrisqueenz]

You could actually purchase mangroves from that famous "auction site"

I think it will be pretty cool, I would love to follow a build like this

 

[Jflip2002]

Pretty cool idea. My only concern would be the fact that mangroves obviously get very very large. They'll also need something for their roots to plant themselves in, once they get to be large enough where they need support. Id imagine this would be where a 36"+ tall tank would be necessary for the appropriate substrate. Not sure if that would be mud, then sand on top, or fine sand with more coarse on top. Either way, it seems like itd be interesting.

 

[Welles]

Thanks for your reply, here is my idear:

The tank is 28 inch high and 80 inch width.

The artificial mangrove root is the main part to present he underwater landscape, and I could also plant some real mangrove on the artificial mangrove root to add some realistic. I could give about 20 inch space over the water surface for live mangrove.

The real mangrove root is so huge to scale of our aquarium, so I think I should reduce the size of artificial mangrove root to get the feeling of huge forest of root, just like the theoretics behind bonsai of Japan and China.

Now I am still concern if I could use real root of wood(driftwood or bogwood?) . I know the wood will release some acid into water so will lower the PH, but I do not know if it is a seriously problem? -- could I fix this problem with limewater and higher KH? I could not find any certainly answer for it, there many cases that using driftwood or bogwood in brackish aquarium system, but it seems no one have use woods in "real" saltwater aquarium system.

 

[mcliffy2]

Can't really help on implementation, but have you seen how the reef and mangroves intersect at Raja Ampat? There are actually soft corals that grow on mangrove roots. That would be very cool to try and replicate...

 

[iansilv]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=490+1477&pcatid=1477

What about this idea- setup the tank with rock s and what not, and start these growing- maybe 20 of them- suspended in the aquarium, so their roots have to grow all the way down tothe rock and sand?

 

[Welles]

to mcliffy2: I have not been to Raja Ampat but I am thirst for it this idear is from a film called "Deep Blue II - Equator Reefs of Riches". I think the soft corals such as Nephthea and Carnation Tree coral is good choice to grow on mangrove roots.

to iansilv: My friends and I have try many method to grow live mangrove in aquarium, yes the root of live mangrove is grow faster then the leaves, but I think it is still too slow to build up the whole landscape(we have some mangroves growth in an aquarium for over three years, it has flowers this year but the root is still too tiny), so my opinion is mixed artificial mangrove root and the real roots.

 

[Mr James]

by iansilv

What about this idea- setup the tank with rock s and what not, and start these growing- maybe 20 of them- suspended in the aquarium, so their roots have to grow all the way down to the rock and sand?

That is what I am doing, but maybe on a smaller scale. See Here. So I plan to do this, but make it a dedicated tank. BTW, my mangrove roots have "attached" to my live rock in my tank and WILL NOT let go!! So they all get to go over to the new tank.