- Location
- Flushing, New York
Just curious, how many of you are using mangrove shoots as a way of controlling phosphate and nitrates in addition to a refusium with chaeto. Or does the chaeto does the same thing as the mangrove?
Mangrove?
- Thread starter DrDave
- Start date
- Location
- Huntington
Mangroves require maintenance of their own on a totally different level than a regular refugium. You also need a bunch of them, as far as I know they aren't as effective as you might think unless you get a lot and get them growing fast. Unless you have the space just stick with a regular fuge.
I agree with lfsmarineguy.You probably need a lot.I have two in my sump.Two mangroves probably help to an extent.They are a interesting to visitors I have every now and then.They find it interesting that I have trees growing in my sump under my tank.
OctaviousMonk
Sucka Free Reefin' !!!
- Location
- Westwood, NJ
I have some because they look cool growing out of my fuge, but I agree you need way more than you think to do anything productive as far as nutrient export. The growth rate is way to slow, they grow roughly 1 leaf for every they drop and the new growth is where the nutrients go to. Plus should a leaf drop into your fuge you just put all that right back into your tank as it breaks down. Cheato on the other hand grows like crazy and that is why it is a great nutrient export device.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mangrovetrees.htm
"It is surprising to hear aquarists debate the efficacy of mangroves in the marine aquarium as vehicles for nutrient export when you can weigh their functional abilities clearly against their growth, which is dreadfully slow. In fact, their naturally sluggish growth is recognized by numerous governments on native coastlines where legislation controls or forbids pruning. At large, even occasional storm damage can be devastating. En masse, in wild habitats, they are outstanding vehicles for nutrient export- fixing nutrients in their enormous and collective biomass. In the aquarium however, you do not have a forest of 20 or 30 feet tall mangroves... you don't even have one that big! The scrappy little seedlings that you do have, instead, demonstrate leaf growth concurrent with leaf drop at times. The proof is in the pudding, as they say: they are weak nutrient export mechanisms in the aquarium because they do not produce stable or harvestable mass quickly. If you are looking for a vegetable filter, there is a long list of algae (and even plants like some sea grasses) that can provide greater harvestable mass for nutrient export. Mangroves are simply marvelous to look at and a pleasure to include for minor aesthetic and biotic advantages in the home reef ecosystem."
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mangrovetrees.htm
"It is surprising to hear aquarists debate the efficacy of mangroves in the marine aquarium as vehicles for nutrient export when you can weigh their functional abilities clearly against their growth, which is dreadfully slow. In fact, their naturally sluggish growth is recognized by numerous governments on native coastlines where legislation controls or forbids pruning. At large, even occasional storm damage can be devastating. En masse, in wild habitats, they are outstanding vehicles for nutrient export- fixing nutrients in their enormous and collective biomass. In the aquarium however, you do not have a forest of 20 or 30 feet tall mangroves... you don't even have one that big! The scrappy little seedlings that you do have, instead, demonstrate leaf growth concurrent with leaf drop at times. The proof is in the pudding, as they say: they are weak nutrient export mechanisms in the aquarium because they do not produce stable or harvestable mass quickly. If you are looking for a vegetable filter, there is a long list of algae (and even plants like some sea grasses) that can provide greater harvestable mass for nutrient export. Mangroves are simply marvelous to look at and a pleasure to include for minor aesthetic and biotic advantages in the home reef ecosystem."
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- Location
- Brooklyn / CNY
I picked up 10 Mangrove seeds while I was at Key West last summer. Their growth is extremely slow. I kept them in my sump/refugium because I like the look of them and no so such much for nutrient export.
Here are couple of pictures after 6 months of growth w/ 24hr lighting:
Here are couple of pictures after 6 months of growth w/ 24hr lighting:
I have 15-20 mangroves in my sump. They said for best results put 1 mangrove for every 15 gallons of water. They won't do much if the are still small. I heard if you want faster growth just add iron. Mangroves are illegal to pick in Florida but in Hawaii they grow like weeds so thats where you should get your mangroves from.
- Location
- Brooklyn / CNY
Now that you mentioned Iron supplement. I wonder if I don’t add additional Iron supplement to the tank then there might be a chance of quicker depletion of Iron in the system with the high number of Mangroves. Which might lead to iron deficiency anemia in my fishes. Wow I am getting way out of my head.
- Location
- Flushing, New York
Replies
Thanks for all the information.
Thanks for all the information.
- Location
- Cliffside Park, NJ
I keep them in my refugium on my 180 FOWLR and have been Nitrate free for almost a year; b4 them I always had a Nitrate problem.
- Location
- poughquag, ny
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1305565
i should be getting mine on monday.i got 20 of them should be sufficient for 50g total water volume
i should be getting mine on monday.i got 20 of them should be sufficient for 50g total water volume
mangroves
Dr. Dave:
I just ordered 18 red mangrove plants, currently I use chaeto. I have used mangroves in the past. I am putting 18 in a 21 gal refugium connected to a 30 gal oceanic cube. Only fish a mated pair of true percs. low bioload it will work. To anwser your question they basically do the same function. A leaf turns brown on the mangrove pluck & discard.need to thin chaeto.
Dr. Dave:
I just ordered 18 red mangrove plants, currently I use chaeto. I have used mangroves in the past. I am putting 18 in a 21 gal refugium connected to a 30 gal oceanic cube. Only fish a mated pair of true percs. low bioload it will work. To anwser your question they basically do the same function. A leaf turns brown on the mangrove pluck & discard.need to thin chaeto.
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