It's Mangrove Season!

[joshporksandwich]

If you buy them online most companies grow them at low salinity. Just add salt water every few days till you bring it up to whatever your tank salinity is. If you get from the beach and they have roots you can put straight in the tank.

 

[mayanreefer71]

 

[mayanreefer71]

I haven't ever noticed a really noticeable drop in anything with them in the refugium, aside from more work to just keep them healthy! Guess they might look nice in a truly natural aquaria with the roots everywhere...idk

 

[mayanreefer71]

Lol....I just picked mine up from the shoreline![emoji305][emoji305]
Thank you South Florida[emoji274]

 

[patrockp]

pic taken in 2006

My mangroves today

so I have 2 survivors

 

[Ryanbrs]

Very cool! Just got a delivery of Mangroves from @joshporksandwic from Miami!

can't wait to see how it goes for you. cool thread : )

 

[dorky]

If you buy them online most companies grow them at low salinity. Just add salt water every few days till you bring it up to whatever your tank salinity is. If you get from the beach and they have roots you can put straight in the tank.

Which beach did you go to? May need to plan a trip n pick some up for myself

 

[7hogwarts]

I had collected some pods in the Keys and around Sarasota. I placed them in a fresh water dip first for several hours. Then into my sump thru some egg crate to support them. I tried several different types of lights. Par 38. first gen AI blue /white. even a small incandescent all to no avail. After about a year or so I had no leaves and a few roots. I finally bought off Ebay a Chinese Hydroponic LED. (I think I paid around $65 for a 200 watt) Anyway, within 3 weeks of the greater red spectrum the mangroves began to sprout leaves. I then began to spray /rinse the salt exudates from the leaves. I still do this today. I believe the high salt concentration will burn the leaves. In nature rain rinses the leaves. I run this light at the times when my display lights are off. I figure it helps with the pH.

Problems I have had with doing this method; 1) I should have used something maybe bigger than egg crate. The mangroves are stuck in it. And it isn't easy to cut the egg crate away in my setup. Maybe cut some larger squares? 2) due to the limitations of the sump area my lights are about 16" from the surface of the water. The mangroves have grown to the light and have stayed short. Maybe this is a good thing.

While I like the look of Mangroves, I have read that not all Mangroves species are equal in regards to use in an aquarium setting. And that Mangroves in general do very little for removing nutrients.

As a side note; with the hydroponic lights my Chaeto grows like crazy. I throw out about a pound every few weeks.

 

[Acameron2]

pic taken in 2006

My mangroves today

so I have 2 survivors

This is awesome!!

 

[Acameron2]

I originally got my mangroves in key west Florida two years ago on a trip.

 

[patrockp]

This is awesome!!

Thanks Acameron2,
I picked up my pods on the eastern side of the grand bohemian islands, within 1/2 mile from one of the smaller sets that the "pirates of the Caribbean" was filmed at (the ghost ship is still there, abandoned. The dingy is no longer there, but I know ware it is now ;Smuggrin ) . They literally wash up on the shore by the ton in certain spots.

I started them floating in Styrofoam in the 55 that they are still in today. At the time the 55 was on its original stand + a 3 inch "plinth" putting the top of the tank at 48 inches off the floor. Lighting was 2 (4 X over driven) T-12's hanging on adjustable chains, over time slowly raising them up to match growth.

last years winter project was to lower the tank by 2 feet as the lighting fixture was screwed to the ceiling and the leaves were touching the bulbs and getting burnt. I did a lighting upgraded as well. Not as simple of a task as it sounds!

The 55 is essentially a second sump for the display tank, with a sump of its own and all plumed together. The return pump is on the other side of the room by the DT sump. Aside from the siphon maintaining pumps, gravity and head pressure is the only driving force moving the water from the DT to the 55 > 55 sump > DSB > DT sump, finally return pump, so lots of plumbing planning with not much room for error.

That 2 foot drop was completed in April and I am quite happy with the results. Aside from an occasional gurgle, it runs dead frigging silent and took me 2 months to acclimate my brain to the lack of noise (home from work "crap what's wrong with my tank! oh yea that's right" a 10 CC shot of Adrenalin each day for like a week...).

They were looking kinda rough before the drop but as can be seen, recovered quite well.

Tempting fate, good lord help me if {NOPE NOT GOING THERE}

Kind regards, Patrick

 

[PSLReefer]

I'm on day 2 of my current cycle, I've never used mangroves before but being in so fla I have few pods that are rooted. Will they live through my tank cycle if I put them in my fuge?