Red Mangroves in refugium?

[itz216]

Wondering, anybody have any experience adding Red Mangroves to their refugium - for their nitrate and phosphate consuming abilities?

...just purchased (20) Propagules. Wondering how fast they grow? Roots in live sand or rubble? Lighting requirements? Noticeable impact on nitrates and phosphates? Growth rate?

For anybody looking for them ...
http://item.express.ebay.com/ws/eBa...QssPageNameZKP_Merch_CLOSED_ITEM_SIMILAR_LINK

 

[trajik ink]

thx for the link! i'm def. going to buy some. i heard they're really good to have in your refuge.....and that you'll notice nitrates and phosphates drops fairly quick....i'm on the same boat as you, trying to see what there all about.

 

[Miller]

I have one in my fuge.....might not be enough to notice a difference (I just picked one up to have one). Mine is growing, but not all that fast, with the rate it is growing I would not think that the plant is sucking up all that much in the means of nitrate and phosphates (though my tank never has any NO3, so maybe they grow faster in tanks with nitrate problems).

Cheato is much more efficient IMO at exporting nitrate.

 

[JohnK]

IMO/IME they are very cool, interesting additions, but not likely to do much for nutrient removal.

Also they tend to suck up Mg so you will want to keep an eye on that and probably supplement occasionally. Don't forget to spray or wipe the leaves down frequently to remove salt accumulation.

IIRC a member named "Roy-roy" brought a bunch of them in and sprouted them several yrs ago. Might want to ask him about his experience if you see him pop up on the board or at a meeting.

 

[Nonmouse]

I got some a few months back- they grow -very- slowly. The ones I have in my FW tanks are growing about 3x faster than the ones in SW, so you may want to grow them out for awhile in freshwater. (They've probably been started in freshwater, anyway- the ones I got were shipped in newpaper soaked in FW.) I've moved a few of them back and forth between salt and fresh with no adverse effects. They'll root in anything at all- or nothing. You can just hang them with the roots in water and they'll do just fine. I haven't really noticed much of an effect on nitrate levels, but they are still very small.

 

[Jacksparrow]

Aloha, how much sun do they need to survive? Mahalo Eric

 

[DLCanuck]

Here some picture of my mangrove in the refugium. the tall one been in that tank for more then six years. i spray a mist of fresh ro/di water.

 

[DLCanuck]

next pic

 

[afboundguy]

That's a sweet set-up...

 

[Jocko]

Ok I have to ask: what is the deal with those step things overflowing into the fuge?

 

[DLCanuck]

That's a sweet set-up...

Thank you You should see the rest

Ok I have to ask: what is the deal with those step things overflowing into the fuge?

It my friend Keith he designed, great ideal for small frag tank or refugium. If you don’t have room under your tank for frag or refugium tank this is a good ideal to put on top.

 

[afboundguy]

Thank you You should see the rest

You should post some pics in the pic forum...

 

[itz216]

DLCAnuck - Do you think the mangroves are having any effect on nitrate/phosphate levels?

How long is your lighting period for them?

Great set up! Thanks for sharing.

David

 

[NateHanson]

I had a half dozen mangroves, and I came to the same conclusion as others here. They're nice to look at, but they don't do much because they grow REALLY slowly. Canuck's is quite impressive, but I'm not suprised it took 6 years to get there.

 

[marco67]

I think it was Calfo in prop 1 that wrote that it would take something like 20/ gallon to have a significant effect on phos and trates and at the same time deplete Mg quite quickly. Where that statistic came from I don't know but take it FWIW.
Can't really argue the coolness though.