Mangroves

[carnophage]

does anyone use mangroves in their sump or fuge? i have some and i stuck them into the inside part of my overflow box. the thing is that they seem to be getting wrinkled. like they are losing water or something. i have heard that mangroves are not true saltwater plants. if anyone can lend me some advice it would be great. Thanks!!

 

[Aquarist007]

they are shoreline plants--prefer mud substrate and also need the same amt of light that you would run in a chaeto fuge.
I would set up a separate fuge to run these--have it as the first line filtration before the skimmer.
I am in the process of setting this up so would love to read more answers on this myself

 

[sjonathan]

what type of light are they under, 40watts will do great for mangroves? did you acclimate them before you put them in? if the mangroves are dying it would start turning black or dark brown.

 

[seapug]

They are true trees that need blazing grow lights or full sun exposure to do well and really need to be rooted in a deep sand/mud substrate. They are a cool concept and look great when cared for, but don't expect much in the way of nutrient export until they get big and have extensive root systems. Then there's the pest factor-- they are subject to mealy bugs, aphids, thrips and all common houseplant ailments.

 

[sjonathan]

heres a link to start you off...
http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dy...&zu=http://www.athiel.com/lib10/mangrove9.htm

 

[sruiz]

I put 5 in my 55 gallon display, at the time I had no sump. What i did is place them between the rocks closer to the top so that the leaves stick out of the water. Mabye about 8-9 inches under my hang on metal halides. Wow they grew big and are still going. they were really small when i got them with no leaves, but now they are growing their second set of leaves. The roots are also a lot bigger and thinker. They look healthy to me. I never had them deep in the sand or mud substrate. I just recenlty put them in my sump under my new tank. I have the same light you always see when people asK "light for sumP" and everyone post "MELEVES POST". Once again rock holding them up. And the light is 6 inches higher. They have only been like this for 2 weeks and still seem to be healthy.But I am actually thinking about getting the "light of america". I have a friend that put the mangroves through a piece of stirafoam, so only the roots are in the water and they sit in his sump under a really cheap light. He says they are growing big. And last time I seen them they were pretty big???

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11166841#post11166841 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjonathan
heres a link to start you off...
http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dy...&zu=http://www.athiel.com/lib10/mangrove9.htm

thanks for the link--very useful. I am thinking of setting up a separate fuge with mangroves and mud as the first filtration for the main tank, before it enters the sump.
Do you think that will work?

 

[Aquarist007]

sorry I should have posted a pic. I was thinking of putting sump on a lower shelf and setting up another fuge with the mangroves where the sump is situated: