Hey All,
Has anyone had successfull use of mangroves for nutritent export ? I am currently using macros and dediced to used Mangroves as well. I am thinking of ordering at least 25 pcs. My sump is 60 gallons and the tank is 120.
I had 15 mangroves (4 to 6 leaf) in the sump of my 135. If was a fish-only tank with a 6" naso and 3 4" butterflyfish. Before adding the mangroves my nitrate was steady at 20 ppm. After a few weeks it dropped and held steady at 10 ppm. I believe a reef with less biological load would be reduced much more. The only problem I can see with mangroves is that they use a lot of Mg in their biological process of desalinifying the saltwater (I read an article saying this), so your Mg level may be harder to keep stable. I don't know how much Mg they use. I didn't test for it then. They also have a habit of dropping old leaves when a new pair grows. If the leaves aren't taken out, the nutrients go back into the water. Good luck.
