Wanting to start Mangroves

[Bandsaw]

G'day all.

I am thinking of starting some mangroves in my 20g tall refugium. I am looking at the mangrove pods from Two Little Fishes (Rhizophora mangle).

Once the root system gets started, can I plant them direct into my mud substrate (miracle mud)?

What if they already have leaves? Can the leaves be pruned and then let the stem grow up until it leaves the water? Or will I need to let the Mangrove grow down to the substrate?

One side of my fuge is live rock filled to within a couple of inches of the water surface, would it be better to plant here and let the roots wind through the live rock?

As you can tell, I am quite new to the mangrove thing, but would like to get one or two. Preferably before winter so I don't need to worry about winter freezing issues.

Thanks

 

[treedesign]

If they already have leaves, I would not take them off, as that may kill the tree. Your best bet would be to let the roots grow down to the substrate. Attach a piece of styrofoam to the tree to keep the leaves above water, and let the roots grow down.

You probably could plant the trees in the rocks, though they will do much better with a substrate. You would also have an issue if you ever needed to move the trees/rocks, as the root structure could break easily.