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Mangrove Growing

YHSublime

By YHSublime,
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YHSublime Neptune Reefer

YHSublime

I want to grow a pile of mangroves in my sump. Not for removing nitrates, but for the sole purpose aesthetics. I have seen different way's it's done, but I wanted to get some help from wamas members. My sump is divided into 3 sections. The first section houses my skimmer, the second section houses my water heater, and a bunch of live rock. There is a third section, small, that houses my return pump.

 

I want to grow mangroves in substrate. A mix of sand and crushed coral, from what I have researched, this yields the best results, and I have also seen the substrate become home to pods, bristle worms, and even shrimp. There are two options (or maybe more if you can think of any.) One, is to grow in the first or second chamber in my sump, using a deep level of substrate. Two, use a fuge, primarily for growing mangroves.

 

Also, can anybody explain the difference between red and green mangroves?

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trockafella Oracle Reefer

trockafella

Dude, I just finished some good reads over on RC.. Just put mangroves in the search and there are a bunch.

 

Stick with Red mangroves. ANd if your doing this a means of nutrient export, theyre really not the best choice, but they do work. I however like them more for the look than anything else. I am planning a little mangrove project for my nano. 

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Origami Neptune Reefer

Origami

Two folks that I'm aware of that use / have used mangroves are Chip (flowerseller) and John (johnnybv from BRK). There are probably others, but you may want to PM either of them just in case they miss this thread.

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YHSublime Neptune Reefer

YHSublime

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Following along. I don't plan on having a refugium for my 120, but I do like the look of the mansgroves. The benefits of having it is a plus.

 

For me it's aesthetics.

 

Dude, I just finished some good reads over on RC.. Just put mangroves in the search and there are a bunch.

 

Stick with Red mangroves. ANd if your doing this a means of nutrient export, theyre really not the best choice, but they do work. I however like them more for the look than anything else. I am planning a little mangrove project for my nano. 

 

Thanks for the headsup, I will poke around a bit. Like I mentioned, it's just for looks, but I don't think it will hurt having that extra substrate and water to host extra life.

 

Two folks that I'm aware of that use / have used mangroves are Chip (flowerseller) and John (johnnybv from BRK). There are probably others, but you may want to PM either of them just in case they miss this thread.

 

I sent chip a PM last night, and looked over his old build, not a lot of information on it in the build, hopefully I'll hear back from him.

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TheyCallMeMr.703 Grandmaster Reefer

TheyCallMeMr.703

(edited)

I used one for awhile before giving it to a friend, They Grow Very Easily And Fast, Just don't forget to water the leaves with FreshWater... Not from your tank... they like to absorb extra water through their leaves... Random Fact. But Good Luck, Can't wait to see pic's . :)

Edited by TheyCallMeMr.703
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YHSublime Neptune Reefer

YHSublime

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Something to toss about, and I wouldn't be able to do this at the moment, but a custom acrylic HOB across the 6' length of the tank would be awesome. Growing out a line of mangroves the length of the tank behind it, with the water pumping through it, then returning into the tank.

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YHSublime Neptune Reefer

YHSublime

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That sounds neat, how would you get light to them once they reached a certain height (with them on the back)?

 

Hey stranger....

Well, my thought about lighting them above was a pain, as I realized that the light would shine into the tank. Also, the most important part is

 

Something to toss about, and I wouldn't be able to do this at the moment

 

 

tagging along. what are you planning to do when it get too tall?

 

See above.

 

I think the sump is the best option for me. I might hang an ikea lamp down over my sump real nice like and use a par 38. I'm wondering if anybody has any other options than a sump? I don't really have room for another tank, or I would plumb the mangroves in their own tank, like a 20gallon long, and have it drain through the mangroves, and then into the sump.

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Jason Rhoads Grandmaster Reefer

Jason Rhoads

I tossed around the idea of doing a sea grass tank plumbed inline with my DT, and ran into similar space issues. I think that your setup lends itself very well to the mangrove idea. Plus, the little lady seems to have an affinity for trees in the living room, so you know she would be down :)

 

I bet you could grow mangroves using an Ikea lamp and a regular compact fluorescent bulb. Those have always worked for me when growing macro, and FW plants. 

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YHSublime Neptune Reefer

YHSublime

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I tossed around the idea of doing a sea grass tank plumbed inline with my DT, and ran into similar space issues. I think that your setup lends itself very well to the mangrove idea. Plus, the little lady seems to have an affinity for trees in the living room, so you know she would be down :)

 

I bet you could grow mangroves using an Ikea lamp and a regular compact fluorescent bulb. Those have always worked for me when growing macro, and FW plants. 

 

I have a par 38 that is doing wonder for the cheato, it's similar to a grow lamp, so I could just use that. You're right about the miss and the trees. I actually wanted to do this in order to get rid of all the fake ficus bushes around the place, I've always hated them, and would rather do real!

 

I also have a lamp I could hang above the sump, that would look great! So I think the sump is the best place, it's just figuring out which chamber in the sump would be best, and the best way to execute it (I say substrate, deep, mix of sand and crushed coral.)

 

This is what I currently have now:

 

DSC_0292_zps6f1392be.jpg

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brad908 Grandmaster Reefer

brad908

Keep them where they are and get a cheap acrylic box made to hold a substrate.

 

If I remember correctly you can't put a substrate in the middle because the return section is open on the bottom.

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YHSublime Neptune Reefer

YHSublime

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Keep them where they are and get a cheap acrylic box made to hold a substrate.

 

If I remember correctly you can't put a substrate in the middle because the return section is open on the bottom.

Correct, and brilliant idea!

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zygote2k Neptune Reefer

zygote2k

I used one for awhile before giving it to a friend, They Grow Very Easily And Fast, Just don't forget to water the leaves with FreshWater... Not from your tank... they like to absorb extra water through their leaves... Random Fact. But Good Luck, Can't wait to see pic's . :)

They are definitely NOT fast growers and easy isn't a term that I'd use to describe them.

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trockafella Oracle Reefer

trockafella

(edited)
They are definitely NOT fast growers and easy isn't a term that I'd use to describe them.[/quote

+1... And you need good lighting for them. No clamp on spiral bulbs. They do.much better off to the side of a hailed system or another strong lighting. Keep in mind where they live. Very bright sun.

Edited by trockafella
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monkiboy Oracle Reefer

monkiboy

just for more brainstorming and because it was the first thing i thought of when i read your original post. something like nineball's on RC mangrove station (

) further along he has a better look at it too. sort of like what you were saying, trays of mangroves that could be put above your tank with water running through them. a wall of mangroves cascading down into the tank...man...
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Marc Weaver Master Reefer

Marc Weaver

I have 5 or 6 still alive.  They will most likely lose most of their leaves and will not start growing for several months.  Mine did not grow to speak of for 4 months.  I don't have them rooting into a substrate and they grow under 2 75w spotlights placed around 2 feet above them.  They are very slow growers, maybe a new leaf every 2-3 weeks.  I will post a pic in the next few days.  They are growing in my cyano/aptasia infested "crud" tank plumbed off the main and the roots are covered with cyano.

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sachabballi reef Oracle Reefer

sachabballi reef

just for more brainstorming and because it was the first thing i thought of when i read your original post. something like nineball's on RC mangrove station (

) further along he has a better look at it too. sort of like what you were saying, trays of mangroves that could be put above your tank with water running through them. a wall of mangroves cascading down into the tank...man...

holy overfeed much? LOL

good thing they have that skimmer

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londonloco Grandmaster Reefer

londonloco

holy overfeed much? LOL

good thing they have that skimmer

I spent a few nights going thru this blog:

 

http://hyne.phanfare.com/9999/

 

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1811725     

 

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2096730

 

His tank, AND house, is unbelievable.  Somewhere in the above links is a good pic of his mangrove wall. 

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YHSublime Neptune Reefer

YHSublime

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They are definitely NOT fast growers and easy isn't a term that I'd use to describe them.

 

They are definitely NOT fast growers and easy isn't a term that I'd use to describe them.[/quote

+1... And you need good lighting for them. No clamp on spiral bulbs. They do.much better off to the side of a hailed system or another strong lighting. Keep in mind where they live. Very bright sun.

 

Agreed. Like I mentioned above, I'd use my par 38.

 

just for more brainstorming and because it was the first thing i thought of when i read your original post. something like nineball's on RC mangrove station (

) further along he has a better look at it too. sort of like what you were saying, trays of mangroves that could be put above your tank with water running through them. a wall of mangroves cascading down into the tank...man...

 

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw it. I'll essentially recreate that in my sump in an acrylic container like Brad suggested. I think for my current space, time in my life, and how much work I'm planning on putting into the system, that's the best option. Although running back along the tank like I was talking about before the water drained into the sump would be such a cool little project, even plumbing the drains through a mangrove station into the sump.

 

I have 5 or 6 still alive.  They will most likely lose most of their leaves and will not start growing for several months.  Mine did not grow to speak of for 4 months.  I don't have them rooting into a substrate and they grow under 2 75w spotlights placed around 2 feet above them.  They are very slow growers, maybe a new leaf every 2-3 weeks.  I will post a pic in the next few days.  They are growing in my cyano/aptasia infested "crud" tank plumbed off the main and the roots are covered with cyano.

 

I'd like to see some pictures. I don't want it to become a pit of burden, but I think having a small 3-4" by the width of my sump acrylic box, and maybe 5" high, would hold a nice DSB for planting?

 

I spent a few nights going thru this blog:

 

http://hyne.phanfare.com/9999/

 

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1811725     

 

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2096730

 

His tank, AND house, is unbelievable.  Somewhere in the above links is a good pic of his mangrove wall. 

 

I just went through the middle one, well, started, and holy ****, whatever this guy did or is going to do is 1000x off my level!

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