Mangroves in fuge ?

[mpls man]

I bought 6 mangroves from the lfs , right now i have them in flower pots with holes in the bottoms, this is to keep them out of the water, is this the correct way to plant them, one of them seems to always be leaning over?, for a base i have CC, sand mix, and Kent Marine Biosediment, do i need anything else,for lighting i have a Lights of America 75 watt light 24/7 . any help:notsure:

 

[therealtoddius]

When I first started mine I used a piece of eggcrate set across the top of my refugium and put the mangroves through the holes in the eggcrate to support them until their roots are long enough to reach the bottom and to keep them upright and above the water surfface. You can use a piece og filter floss or cotton next to them in the eggcrate holes to keep them in place if you need too. Then when they have reached the bottom of the refugium just clip the eggcrate away aroun their stem to free them. Don't get discouraged or give up on any of them unless your sure it is dead as they are slow growers and take awhile to get established. I have a couple that are over 6 months old and are just now starting to grow leaves. Once they get decent roots down and start getting leaves then they will grow faster.

 

[mpls man]

Mine are well ast and have roots, dont they have to be in the sand all the time to grow, or can they hang in the water with the tops out?

 

[therealtoddius]

The top portion of the mangrove where it changes color should be above the water. From my experience the majority of the roots grow in the sand in a controlled aquarium system since there is no rise and fall of the tides daily.

 

[sultan]

Have have read several posts on rinsing the leaves with fresh water. Do you have any problems with salt build up on the leaves?

 

[mpls man]

I have done lots of reading on them from the threads that other have listed, havent seen anything on rinsing them with freshwater, i will try that though. should i have them in sand for now, or should i have them hanging in the water for the roots to grow to the bottom, the others seem to be doing well and opening, does anyone clean the sand in their fuge also, mine is begining to get a little buildup in the sand?

 

[therealtoddius]

I started mine by keeping the roots just above the sand and letting them grow into the sand so I could see their progress but when i moved aquariums I just planted their roots directly into the sand. They look better when you can see some root above the sand though. Ocasionally if any of mine get any salt creep or salt spray on the leaves or if there is any build up I will rinse the leaves off. It is how they get rid of any excess salt in their system. Here are a couple of pictures when I first started mine. This is only two of them.
my home
www.aquariumking.net

 

[therealtoddius]

2

 

[mpls man]

Buy looking at your pictures you have them above the sand. i have mine in a cup in sand to keep them above water, do they do better out of the sand as far as taking nitrates and nitrites out of the water, or will mine be fine, i have 7 of them. thanks

 

[therealtoddius]

Those were above the sand so I could see root growth but they are presently in the sand and onlt the stem and leaves can be seen. As far as nitrate removal it should make no difference but I have mine mainly for looks as I have not seen any dramatic change in nitrates by using them. Althogh the plants may have to be larger for any noticeable nitrate drop. I also presently have 7 with about 4 growing well.
Do you have any pictures?
When you say they are in a cup do you mean they are growing in a cup or are they in your refuge growing in a cup. You want the roots to be in contact with your water whether they are in the sand or just in the water.

 

[mpls man]

here is a pic of my mangroves in the fuge. i also have calurpa in there. what else do you have in ur's to take out nitrates and trites?

 

[therealtoddius]

Looks good do you also have the same substrate in the bottom of your refuge? If you do you should be able to put the mangroves directly into it. I also have some razor caulerpa in my refuge and am going to add some oggo and one other but I do not recall the name of it right now. I will try to get more pics. I try to keep my website updated when I can.
www.aquariumking.net

 

[mpls man]

Yes i do have the same in the pots, the reason i have them in pots is the water is too deep and they would be under water, dont know if thats good for them? i would like to get other plants in mine as well. Thanks for the info.

 

[therealtoddius]

Keep me updated on how it is going.

 

[bona42na]

Silly question for the mangrove people, when you drive thru the Florida Keys in the mangrove area at night they let off a wicked gaseous smell.Do you get any of that from your mini groves in the fuge ? TIA Peter

 

[therealtoddius]

I have never had ant type of smell come from my mangroves. Anyone else? that is the first I have heard of that but very interesting. I will keep checking it.

 

[mpls man]

I did check out your website, very nice pictures of ur setup, i will keep you updaded on any changes or any improvements, let me know if you come up with any good sug on anything.

 

[gdamador]

I believe the smell that you find in the mangroves and those areas is not the plants but actually the mud which contains many microorganisms and bacteria and they produce that nasty sulfur smell. The nastier the smell the better b/c that means that the mud is healthy. If you have ever stepped in that marine mud you will stir up a whole lot of that smell and will have no doubt where it has come from. I learned that in Corpus Christi with a summer camp outing to the bay waters and shores.