What does Mangrove do ?

[burnerj]

Hi guys, Recently i've seen LFS selling mangroves and fellow reefers keeping small stalks of mangrove in their SUMP, may i know what's the use of it and will it's root grows into the silicon and dig thru it.

Many thanks for clearing my doubts.

Regards,

Jason

[Salty_Creature]

For my understanding, Plants use Nitrate and PO4 as food. That means to lower down those two parameter in your water loh. But i'm still prefer to use macro algae than mangrove. B'coz mangrove have a slower growth rate compare to algae. Some more, algae can feed to vegetarian fishes..

[burnerj]

oh... i've receive numerous replies on the mangroves, that's for clearing my doubts... hmm... planting it seems to be interesting.

[wpcheng]

Hi burnerj

Do u mind sharing your replies about mangrove and which LFS sell mangrove. Thanks.

[Copperband]

A point to take note of is that mangrove will suck in alot of magnesium from your seawater.... and the growth rate is too slow to see any affect.... it will take alot of mangrove saplings to make a difference... and with alot of mangroves... your mag values will go down rapidly....

[wpcheng]

OK, Thanks for sharing the info.

[Achilles Tang]

Mangroves need ample light to grow and they grow too slowly to be of much use.

I highly recommend chaetomorpha.... easy to grow, easy to harvest.

[burnerj]

hmm... well dosing of mag is really expensive... well... considering...

[Ah-lim]

Is it a fab to add mangrove?

Given that macro algae does the same thing...

:P

[jOwy]

hi..im new here

just wondering...how do u take care of ur chaeto? isit a must to give strong lights? 24hr?

[mansiz]

Chaetos doesn't require very strong light. I'm using FL T8 in my sump and they are growing well. But I have a friend who was using MH for his chaeto in the main tank, and they grow like crazy. I think its a matter of fast and slow growing. But his chaetos is lighter compared to mine, I don't understand why, cas is'nt it a greater lighting will give a darker green plants?

Btw which LFS is selling mangroves? I've been searching for them for quite long. They selling just the stalk or already with the leaves?

[bgrking]

Hi all,

Does the chaeto require 24hr lightings? can a PL lighting for 8 hours sufficient enough to grow chaeto?

Thanks

Regards,

bgrking

[wpcheng]

Hi Achilles

Thanks for the suggestion. Is there any side effects about growing chaetomorpha since mangrove growing will consume much magnesium ? Which LFs sell chaetomorpha ?

[burnerj]

Apologise for the late reply, here's something that a fellow reefer shared with me..

The main advantage of mangrove over cheato is that their leaves are above water and as long as the leaves do not fall back into the water, you can be assured that nutrient are being exported out from your closed reef system. Cheato tends to die off a little and somehow a little nutrients will still release back into the water. Cheato and mangroves are both good though. Mangrove is another alternative to filtration that nature had employing. Contradict to popular belief, mangrove will remain a small plant provided you cut off the leaves from time to time just like how planter trim bonsai. Just leave 4 - 6 leaves per plant will be sufficient. As their leaves are out of water, they do not need to be lighted in reverse timing as they will not cause the pH of the tank to fluctuate during the day/night cycle unlike fully submerge plants. As my mangroves are cultured, you can be assured of their cleaniness, quality and adaptable to full strength seawater in your reef environment.

Red mangrove light requirement

If the aquarium is placed under a window, the natural daylight can be use to grow the red mangroves. Red mangroves have no special light requirement. They strive in almost any type of lights regardless of whether they are fluorescent or incandescent. Mangroves grow fastest with 6500K light source as it is more yellowish. Personally, I am using a 20W 10K PL light for my mangrove tank as it doubles as a corals quarantine tank. However, do not place them to near to MH light as the heat emitted will burn them out.

Planting red mangrove in reef tank

Mangrove roots will develop and cleanse the water regardless if there are any substrates. They grow in just about any condition. They are several methods most reefers employed;

[1] Plant them in the sump with deep sand bed (DSB). The size of the substrates does not matter. However, if you have a choice, the finer the substrate the better. Else they grow in just about any substrates.

[2] If your sump is very high or you do not want to put sand in your sump, you can float the mangroves using Styrofoam. Cut a strip of Styrofoam, poke some holes onto it and push the mangrove plants through the holes and in such a way that half the mangroves in the water and the other half above water. Their roots will automatically grow downwards and you have the pleasure of seeing their roots develop and their aerial structure and ability.

NOTE: Red mangroves are not water plants and they cannot be fully submerged in water. The maximum water level has to be just below the leaves. Bottom line is, their leaves have to be out of water.

Maintaining red mangrove

Mangrove plants don’t need much care other than spraying fresh water onto their leaves a few times weekly as red mangroves exports salt by producing a thin layer of salt crystals on top of their leaves. This needs to be wash away. In nature, the action of rain will wash away the salt. Personally, I spray DI water onto their leaves twice weekly. Be very careful when spraying water on to the mangroves if there are lamps and electrical outlets! That is about all you have to do other than cutting some branches occasionally or when the growth tips of the plant comes too near to the lamp.

Removing nutrients like phosphate and nitrate

Mangroves extract phosphate and nitrate as fertilizer from the water and develop into leaves. As long as you do not allow the leaves to drop back into the water, nutrient had been exported out from your closed reef system. As mangroves are not magic and wonder plants, the optimum way of maintaining a nutrient low reef tank is still not to overload the tank with too many fishes that the system can handle...

How much is enough?

Usually, reefers use 1 plant for every 20 - 40 litres of volume depending on your bioload.

[keithtanbb]

Hi, I have successfully grown "api api', Red , white mangroves in a special made $60/ tank in natural sunlight in my car porch next to my 7 feet aquarium(do a search on my past posts...I have some pics on the infant mangrove tank.I also have a CHAETOMORPHA refugium. I plant them in 4 inch sand bed.with pods.Attrition rate was 70 percent! After a year they grown to 2 feet height.Plan to "bonsai"them I threw some chaeto on the base .even that grew well in natural/indirect sunlight.So nutrient export got to be good.

[Reefzzz]

Hi, I have successfully grown "api api', Red , white mangroves in a special made $60/ tank in natural sunlight in my car porch next to my 7 feet aquarium(do a search on my past posts...I have some pics on the infant mangrove  tank.I also have a CHAETOMORPHA refugium. I plant them in 4 inch sand bed.with pods.Attrition rate was 70 percent! After a year they grown to 2 feet height.Plan to "bonsai"them I threw some chaeto on the base .even that grew well in natural/indirect sunlight.So nutrient export got to be good.

My original plan was to make use of the indirect sunlight for my mangroves refugium. Somehow, the sump end up on the wrong side.. haha.. Currently using only a 20W PL light for their lightings need.

Looking at the pods, shrimp, crabs and micro-organism darting around the mangrove aerial roots gives me the feeling of nature at work...

Cheato are easier to grow but i am still attracted to the growth of mangroves roots, leaves and their formation and this gives me a feeling of standing by the coastline....

[Earth]

Hi

Can we let the mangrove roots dangle in water (hydroponics style) and let them grow without sand for the roots to penetrate?

[KennethK]

Hi

Can we let the mangrove roots dangle in water (hydroponics style) and let them grow without sand for the roots to penetrate?

Yes, that's wat me and fishtalk doing.

[Earth]

Yes, that's wat me and fishtalk doing.

thanks for the reply bro

[kareen]

Hi, I have successfully grown "api api', Red , white mangroves in a special made $60/ tank in natural sunlight in my car porch next to my 7 feet aquarium(do a search on my past posts...I have some pics on the infant mangrove  tank.I also have a CHAETOMORPHA refugium. I plant them in 4 inch sand bed.with pods.Attrition rate was 70 percent! After a year they grown to 2 feet height.Plan to "bonsai"them I threw some chaeto on the base .even that grew well in natural/indirect sunlight.So nutrient export got to be good.

found the link...

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?...topic=44468&hl=

Hi keithtanbb,

May I know how you direct the water from main tank to your mangrove tank etc?

'cos I like the idea of using free sunlight....

[VanDeam]

My mangrove garden thanxs to Bro reefzz

[burnerj]

Nice mangrove garden kenny, Nice way to keep the stems up by using styrofoam

[mousecat11]

Mangroves need ample light to grow and they grow too slowly to be of much use.

I highly recommend chaetomorpha.... easy to grow, easy to harvest.

Hi bros,

Any idea where can we get the chaeto for my sump tank ?

thanx mate

[VanDeam]

if u need chaeto i can give u some . just pm me for contacts

self collect

[Reefzzz]

My mangrove garden thanxs to Bro reefzz

Nice growth, bro.... Hope the mangroves serve ur needs... Have fun