Mangroves?

[mpyers]

So I've been thinking about getting a few mangroves for my fuge. I haven't really done much research.

All I know is that they are plants, and plants are what go in my fuge.

So...
1. Do they pull very much phos and nitrate out of my water? Say compared to chaeto?

2. Are they high maintenance? And by "high" I mean do I have to do anything more than light to keep them alive, because I'm not looking for added costs.

3. Do they smell? Idk for some reason I think they are going to smell bad.

4. How tall do they grow? I only have a few feet of room. It's an under tank sump.

5. How much air circulation do they need. Because being an under tank sump, they probably won't get very much.

6. Should I buy them?


Thanks

 

[Walla2GSP]

So I've been thinking about getting a few mangroves for my fuge. I haven't really done much research.

All I know is that they are plants, and plants are what go in my fuge.

So...
1. Do they pull very much phos and nitrate out of my water? Say compared to chaeto?

2. Are they high maintenance? And by "high" I mean do I have to do anything more than light to keep them alive, because I'm not looking for added costs.

3. Do they smell? Idk for some reason I think they are going to smell bad.

4. How tall do they grow? I only have a few feet of room. It's an under tank sump.

5. How much air circulation do they need. Because being an under tank sump, they probably won't get very much.

6. Should I buy them?


Thanks

1) They do as good a job as anything of pulling Phos and nitrates out of the water column, although they grow a little slower than Chaeto. THey have the added benefit of dealing with some meds and nasty that get into your aquarium that other macros won't.

2)They will need to be groomed and trimmed as they grow to fit with the tank. And need a regular photo period not 24 hr lighting

3)They smell like Mangrove trees

4)https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...mio.com/photos/large/7360922.jpg&action=click

5) They need at least some regular air exchange.

6) If you are asking this question you probably have not done the research necessary to house a mangrove aquarium long term, so my vote is no.

 

[Mad_Reefer]

I like them in a space all their own. Especially if you can put them in natural like, like a window. I don't like them in most fuge systems, as an addition. But when done right, they take up a lot. You would have to weigh the to know for sure, but it seemed like a lot when I had 10 in a bucket.

 

[tinfoilsoldier]

Mangroves live in brackish water, they will survive in saltwater but when they take water in from the tank, they also take in more salt than they can handle, so they push the excess salt out of pores on their leaves.

In nature, rain will wash the excess salt off their leaves. In your sump, there probably is not any rain, so most people spray them with some freshwater every few days.

 

[mpyers]

I've also always liked the idea of a display fuge. And the window idea is interesting. What about temperature. Can they handle 68F in my house? Or would they need a heat lamp?

 

[75mixedreef]

The image link was for black mangroves where red mangroves are more popular in the hobby. The main difference is that black mangroves have their roots half out of the water where red mangroves like their roots mostly to fully in the water.

2 big things with mangroves are to spray them down with RO to rinse off the salt or they will stop growing and eventually die, and secondly you have to prune the leaves when they start to turn yellow. The leaves hold the nitrates and when they fall into the water they can release those nitrates quickly so it is best to trim them before they fall.

Mangroves grow slowly so they are not great for nutrient export, but they are not likely to do anything to release nutrients quickly either. I would recommend some other macro to go with them to pull nutrients faster. Personally, I plan on having mangroves, an ATS, and red graciliaria for my nutrient export. The red graciliaria will probably not remove any nutrients because I plan on feeding it back to my fish, it is also going to be there to breed pods. Make sure you plan on having plenty of diversity to cover different situations in your system.

 

[Ron Reefman]

1. Do they pull very much phos and nitrate out of my water? Say compared to chaeto?
Not even close. Mangroves grow fairly fast for a bush or tree, but they don't hold a candle to chaeto IMHO. And I have mangroves in 2 of my tanks and live where mangroves grow wild.

2. Are they high maintenance? And by "high" I mean do I have to do anything more than light to keep them alive, because I'm not looking for added costs.
No extra cost to grow, they do need occasional looking after to clean up (leaf drop) and cleaning the leaves (salt respiration) and grooming (trimming and keeping roots in check).

3. Do they smell? Idk for some reason I think they are going to smell bad.
I don't notice any smell at all and my wife is very sensitive to things that smell bad in the house.

4. How tall do they grow? I only have a few feet of room. It's an under tank sump.
They can grow to 20 feet tall or more. They are a big bush or a small tree.

5. How much air circulation do they need. Because being an under tank sump, they probably won't get very much.
I don't think air flow is much of an issue.

6. Should I buy them?
Only if you can get them cheap. I wouldn't even have one if I had to pay for it. But the propagules often litter the beach when we go for beach walks and I'll bring a few home. I let them grow for awhile and when they get too big, I pull them and start a new one.

Thanks

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[mpyers]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll wait on them. Im gong to upgrade someday. When I do I'm going to do a display fuge. I'll wait until then.