Red Mangrove (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

I've been thinking of adding red mangroves to my sump, but before I do I'd like some feedback.

1. How hard are they to keep?
2. Do they require alot of care?
3. What kind of lighting is best?
4. Would 65w PC 50/50 be enough?
5. Do they release toxins if they begin to die?
6. Should I just stick with macro algae?

 

[Niko5]

They are neat.. honestly i dont think they do alot of good as far as cleaning.. epecialy if its just 1 but they are neat...

i had one under 30watt pc 50/50 and it grew pretty good (very slow any way you light them)
They dont release toxins .. mine died when i swiched to standard florecent for a month (stupid choice) and i never did anything with mine... only thing i herd if a leaf falls off you souldent let it get in the water cause it will release nitrates or somthing like that...

 

[tvu]

Check out about.com saltwater..
From what I've read they are awesome for removal of nitrates and should be easy to keep. I actually though about getting one but I don't have a sump just a hang-on refuge. The leaves should be above water and not too close to the light as to get burned by them. When the leaves fall you'll need to remove them or they'll decompose and release back nitrates.

 

[Guest]

I heard that the leaves released toxins back in the water, I guess the some goes for the pod itself if it's left in the water decomposing.

I found Mangrove pods on EBay, 12 pods for $7.95 + $10 shipping.

I was wondering If alot of reefers have used them or still using them and what their oppinions were on them. I have the lots of room for them in my sump.

I wasn't sure about the lighting though and if it worth messing with.

 

[Guest]

In my experience, they grew much bigger AND much faster in fresh water. One thing Ive noticed is that once theyve grown, DO NOT move them as the shock kills them.

 

[Guest]

That kinda sucks. So how does one keep them small and in check. How long did you have yours?

 

[Guest]

I had mine from pod to tree. Small tree at that. Maybe over course of 6-8 months.

 

[Guest]

Did you notice any benefits or did it make any diference at all? What kind of lighting did you keep yours under?Is that a fuge you have then in or a FW tank?

 

[cparka23]

they're rather slow at taking up nitrates/phosphates, but look nicer than a sump full of aquatic weeds. see the link for a good read.

From advanced aquarist
To say it clearly: if we have the problem of exporting phosphates and/or nitrates from our tank, due to over-feeding, insufficient foam fractionation, etc, we will certainly not be able to solve it by planting mangroves. Having mangroves in the tank just helps to make the man-made biotope a little more natural, in function and appearance.

 

[Guest]

I do have to admit the look much nicer than macro algae. I don't have a prob. with nitrate or phoshate. I'm leaning toward a phoshate reactor just for peace of mind. Although 12 pods for roughly $18 isn't a bad deal, maybe a good learning experience if anything.

 

[Guest]

Theyre in an empty FW tank that had only one cichlid. Planted in sand blast gravel without a filter cept a sm powerhead for movement. Lighting is one single power glo fluorescent.