mangroves

[stdreb27]

I want to put some mangroves in a refuge can you just plant those in the sand or do you need to put them in something special?

 

[sign guy]

sump mud would be best but before you do remember they are trees they will get big....very big. My brother had some in a 25 tall and they outgrew it in a mater of months

 

[cmaxwell39]

sign guy,
what would you recommend as plants for a fuge?

 

[lion_crazz]

I agree. A friend of mine had a 2.5 foot mangrove for over 5 years that he just got rid of it. He sold it online, and the guy had to drive up to pick it up because it was attached so well to the 20 gallon tank.
I would look towards getting chaeto, caulerpa, halimedia, shave brushes, things of that nature. All of that stuff will grow very well, and but are managable.

 

[stdreb27]

A tree going out of my sump would me sooo cool.
What is sump mud?

 

[bojik]

Originally Posted by stdreb27
A tree going out of my sump would me sooo cool.
What is sump mud?
What I have heard people do is have a large on the floor refuge for them and have them grow in the house that way with a plant light over them. Instead of having them under the stand in the sump area.

 

[copernicus45]

Yea u can but a 55g rubbermaid tub and use that with Miracle Mud and grow mangroves, mangroves are great trees to grow in a refugium, they aid in the natural filtration, and are the only trees capable of living in saltwater. You can go to your local Hydropnic store and buy an underwater pot(Black plastic basket type pot), submerge the pot in the miracle mud and have the mangroves grow in that. you could also have them places in a floating Styrofoam block so the roots can get into the mud and grow into the sealant.

 

[copernicus45]

o yea forgot to mention, you have to spray thier leaves, the leaves cant have salt creep on them or they die.

 

[sign guy]

Originally Posted by cmaxwell39
sign guy,
what would you recommend as plants for a fuge?
I am a big fan of chato

 

[bellanavis]

Does anyone have a picture of their mangrove, it sounds cool.

 

[stdreb27]

yeah my sump is basically on the floor. I live in such a small town I don't even think there is a head shop. How much flow is to much turnover is appropriate for mangroves?

 

[cmaxwell39]

Originally Posted by sign guy
I am a big fan of chato

sign guy,
I have seen some pictures of fuges growing chaeto without a sand or sump mud base. Is that possible? Is chaeto free floating? If chaeto doesn't need sand what would the benefit be of putting sand in the fuge?

 

[stdreb27]

it is free floating.

 

[npage]

FYI, I've read that mangroves absorb a lot of magnesium.
No personal experience, just some thing I read somewhere.

 

[bellanavis]

Thanks for the picture, they are cool looking.

 

[sign guy]

Originally Posted by cmaxwell39
sign guy,
I have seen some pictures of fuges growing chaeto without a sand or sump mud base. Is that possible? Is chaeto free floating? If chaeto doesn't need sand what would the benefit be of putting sand in the fuge?
yes it is free floating and sand is not a must but it dose allow you to have copods and other good bactiria in the deep sand bed. IMO and in my own fuge I have a dsb

 

[stdreb27]

Can't you prune them down?

 

[bojik]

You can prune them be mindful not to go overboard.

 

[al mc]

IMHO...Go with Chaeto. It is easy to grow, easy to 'trim', has tremendous surface area, and a great place for 'pods' to hide/reproduce. It does not have the 'wow' effect of Mangrove but does the job of removing nitrates
efficiently. Couple it with a deep sand bed and you have an exceelnt 'fuge'.

 

[sign guy]

Originally Posted by Al Mc
IMHO...Go with Chaeto. It is easy to grow, easy to 'trim', has tremendous surface area, and a great place for 'pods' to hide/reproduce. It does not have the 'wow' effect of Mangrove but does the job of removing nitrates
efficiently. Couple it with a deep sand bed and you have an exceelnt 'fuge'.