Mangroves

[albatross666]

Hi

 

I am about to buy 21 mangrove seedlings from ebay for $1 each. How many would I need in a refuge for 55 gallon tank?

 

I have read that its better to buy seedlings vs plants with 3-4 leaves since the leaves will be shed anyway from the shipping stress. Is there anyone who has experience with mangroves?

 

I currently have red-grape algae as well as cheato in the refuge.

 

Does it really cause the skimmer to stop producing gunk?

 

Thanks for pointers.

['Ric]

Go to this thread and scroll down to the post with the graphs. One of the examples was a 55 gallon tank with 8 plants.

 

http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?act=...f=4&t=14820

 

I am about to start me second attempt at red managroves. I got 20 seedlings off eBay and am in the process of acclimateing them to saltwater. Some have died already, so get double what you need. My first batch of three all eventually died, but I made some mistakes along the way. Lessons learned:

 

Seedlings must be acclimated from freshwater to saltwater. Mangroves can grow in either fresh or saltwater, but can't switch between them too fast. Most growers grow them in fresh, so when you get them, you will have to acclimate them to more and more salt in the water over time. How much time, I don't know, but a week is too short.

 

Also, make sure you keep the knuckle at the top of the pod above water at all times, and don't get saltwater on the leaves.

 

When leaves drop, don't let them rot in the water or they will pollute it.

 

Get seedlings with at least some leaves starting to grow, even though the leaves may drop from shipping. Many pods never pop. You don't want to get a bunch of duds.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

'Ric

[flowerseller]

Realistically,

8 mangroves in a 55g saltwater tank would be perfect if you had 1 guppy in there.

The reality is you would need more than 1ppg to even begin to realize the "benifits".

 

Get them because you love the plant, not because you've heard they help the water.

 

I love mine and these are about 5 years old.

Pest to consider range from spider mites to mealy bug with the main offender white scale.

All treatible and relatively easy to keep pest free.

 

Don't let anything disaude you from getting them and acclimate slowly to salt water as most are sprouted in fresh water.

[Buucca]

Bought the same item 9mos.ago. Only 3 arrived alive and eventually sprouted roots, the rest were dark brown skeletons . For the price I figured I got my monies worth though I did e-mail the seller and never got a response back, so don't expect much. I brought several more from DrFosterSmith and they did very well although more expensive. Don't see any reduction on Skimmate from any tanks w/mangroves, but don't forget to spray them regularly w/fresh water to wash off the salt sweat. Good luck

 

Bill

[albatross666]

Realistically,

8 mangroves in a 55g saltwater tank would be perfect if you had 1 guppy in there.

The reality is you would need more than 1ppg to even begin to realize the "benifits".

 

Get them because you love the plant, not because you've heard they help the water.

 

I love mine and these are about 5 years old.

Pest to consider range from spider mites to mealy bug with the main offender white scale.

All treatible and relatively easy to keep pest free.

 

Don't let anything disaude you from getting them and acclimate slowly to salt water as most are sprouted in fresh water.

 

 

PPG? Plants per gallon?

 

What about seedlings vs small 4-5 inch plants? Which is better? They grow slowly, that why i am thinking about the plants, but they have a lesser chance of getting used to the saltwater environment.