Mangroves & Corals/Lighting Advice

[LauraH]

I'm toying with the idea of doing a mangrove/coral tank in a cube tank, maybe a 60gal. What I've read about mangroves indicates that they don't like direct MH too much.

For those keeping mangroves and corals together, how are you lighting them. Do you provide a separate, higher light source for the mangroves with a lower source of light for the corals?

I've even thought about using a hang on refugium to grow the mangroves in.

Any help from mangrove keepers would be appreciated!

 

[tb]

My mangroves love MH. I switched from fluoros as they grew and they are now under a 100w MH. They are growing quite tall now, almost right to the hood. Unfortunately, I can't raise the light any higher - one tree is about 5' tall. I also worry that upping the wattage will just make them grow faster...

...and this is the problem you'll have when trying a coral/mangrove combo. My trees shade out much of the tank below and the distance to light source is too far to keep any coral. To have a successful combo, you'd need a lower light for the corals. You need to make sure you don't cook the mangrove stalks with the lower light.

If you do a refugium, I'd skip the HOB and have the refugium on the ground.

My tank was intended to be a combo, but turned into this saltwater-bonsai mangrove tank. It has a deep sand bed and live rock... and was intended to have fish (just... never got around to it). Mangroves are great, but like any plant if you care for them appropriately, they will grow - A LOT. Mine share a wall with a potted palm tree that also threatens to outgrow the nine foot ceilings...