I have been reading about planting mangrove trees in sumps to filter out nitrates and phosphates. I am interested in this subject, has anyone out there done this? and how well does it work?
I couldn't get mangrooves to grow in my system. I'm not sure what the deal is: could have been the hot lights baking them. I'd only try a mangroove if I had a big, separate refugium to grow a tree from. These plants get pretty big if you manage to keep them alive
Mangroves grow in the hot, tropical sun. Perhaps it was light that was the problem moreso than the heat. I mean, have you spent much time in a mangrove? It's pretty hot.
I have been reading about planting mangrove trees in sumps to filter out nitrates and phosphates. I am interested in this subject, has anyone out there done this? and how well does it work?
I looked into that in depth a few years ago, and they aren't all that efficient at nutrient export according to the experts. Here's a really good article on nutrient export mangrove vs. macro algae from Advanced Aquarist's Magazine. That's a great place to look for information, put together by the folks that run this board