mangroves

[playa0069u]

ok well I have a bunch of mangroves groing in my room and I was going to put some in my sump, but I was reading about them changing magnesium into sodium ions rather quickly. I don't currently dose anything, and would like to keep it that way, the test kits are to expensive lol. Has anyone had a problem with magnesium levels with there mangroves? also i now have a 30 gallon tank with a 29 gallon sump, and am doing 8 gallon water changes weekly with IO salt. Can I push it to every other week? I only do it because of the trace elements. The cheato keeps the nitrates at bay I am sure.

 

[robthorn]

well magnesium is an element that is used by alot of things in your system. I assume you have corals that are alive so you can count them in with using magnesium. stony corals use alot of magnesium. isn't magnesium you test in an aquarium salt anyway? so if it changed from say a magnesium metal or whatever it is into sodium slash a salt , wouldn't this be beneficial. I may be way off here but beware of what you read. you need magnesium salts in your aquarium and they need to be at certain levels in order for your corals to be healthy and I believe your alkalinity and ph to be stable.

 

[playa0069u]

ya I was just wondering how much magnesium the mangroves actually will remove. I only have softies.

 

[robthorn]

thats a good question but not one I would worry about. you can easily add magnesium cheaply via epsom salts or magnesium chloride pellets. a 1 : 10 mixture of the 2 is your best bet. your not likely to get away without adding anything but you may get lucky. then again you are doing pretty decent water changes and may get by.

 

[playa0069u]

crap that means I have to buy test kits... I'll wait to put them in until I can lol.

 

[BankerJohn]

I have mangroves that reside in my Refugium. My display is a 55gallon with a small HOB fuge. I would not worry about the mangroves affecting the chemistry of the tank nor would I worry about needing extra tests because you have mangroves in the tank.

BTW, I don't test the parameters of my tank, other than Salinity at water changes. Others have seen my tank and it looks ghetto, but it works for me. At one of the ANCHOR meetings, I asked others to bring test kits to test my tank. After 1 year of doing nothing but doing water changes and top off (both with RO water), the parameters were well within tolerances.

I have SPS, LPS and Softies in the tank with a light bio load from 5 fish.

Good luck and keep the mangroves. If nothing else, they make good trade at club meetings for things like Xenia and shrooms or the occasional Cap frag.

Banker John

 

[robthorn]

hey john whats up. your tank was far from ghetto. it was immature I would say. you didn't have any big animals yet and maybe you do now. testing is needed when you first start a tank so you know the cycle is over. then to insure cleanliness. normally just nitrate .then after you have mature corals and they are growing rapidly you will find things getting out of wack. you fill that tank with colonies of acros under good growing conditions and 25% water changes a week won't keep up using instant ocean. my alkalinity,magnesium and calcium need constant attention. I tried with tropic marin pro reef about 15% a week and couldn't keep up with the calcium magnesium or alkalinity. that was before the coralline really took off. now with a reactor there is no problem.
play you can add a small amount everytime you do a water change say a teaspoon or so. I think magnesium in IO is a little on the low side anyway. so all you will be doing is bringing your 8 gallons up to where you would want it anyway.
john at ichthy is a good source of knowledge as to the relationship between mg,ca and alk.

 

[ichthyman]

You'll know magnesium is not sufficient when your red mangrove turns yellow and shrivels up from dehydration.

 

[playa0069u]

I have had the mangroves in small candle holder thingys for months now , only topping off with fresh water occasionally lol And they are doing amazing. idk lol

 

[playa0069u]

I have had the mangroves in small candle holder thingys for months now , only topping off with fresh water occasionally lol And they are doing amazing. idk lol

 

[playa0069u]

I have had the mangroves in small candle holder thingys for months now , only topping off with fresh water occasionally lol And they are doing amazing. idk lol

 

[playa0069u]

woops sorry about that lol