Mangroves

[Mattl22]

Hi just wondering if anyone out there is growing mangroves and has it helped reduce phosphates???

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[olivier]

Yes, mangroves does help reduce phosphate and nitrate. i have 180 gallon tank with total 250 gallon of water. I have 10 mangroves and that help to keep my phosphate and nitrate in check. I also run a phosban reactor. about 1 month or so ago, i have phosphate spike so I use one of those pad that cut to size and put it in my sump. it quickly reduce the phosphate over night. if you want to try something that urgently, I would go with the pad method. simple and cheap. a pad cost about 10 bux and by cutting it to my sump size, a single pad can last 1 month or so. I change my the pad every 2 weeks. the pad call phosphate reducer make by Aqua Zone. it has greenish color.

 

[Audi0s]

I heard with mangroves they need to be misted with freshwater every day or two. Also whats their lighting requirements? Id like to try a few in my sump, the fuge light runs from 11 to 11 everyday.

 

[Widdy]

Yes, misting them prevents salt build up. I have about 10-20 running in my frag tank, once the roots attached to rocks, leaves started to sprout pretty quickly. I have them running under 3w LEDs, so the intense lighting helps.

John has an excellent guide here:

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=41

 

[Mattl22]

Bump are they worth the hassel or is a bunch of cheto just as good????


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[Imbarrie]

There is a reefer here that has a tidal mangrove system. It all runs automatically and goes twice a day.
As for the benefits probably not as consistent as totally submerged.

As for the earlier post, how would you know what benefit the mangroves are having when you are chemically removing also?


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[jerl77]

mine are totally submerged.leaves and all i blow the air bubbles off the leaves

 

[loneracer05]

i have 15 in my 55 gallon system and about 40 more growing in a seperate container to go in soon i like the look of them. the benifits are also helpful except when leaves fall into your tank.

 

[Mattl22]

So I'm still asking are the benifits of growing mangroves in a sump more then growing cheto?? Is it worth it??


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[Mattl22]

Bump


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[jrobbins]

So I'm still asking are the benifits of growing mangroves in a sump more then growing cheto?? Is it worth it??


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Stick to the chaeto if you are looking for nutrient export. In my totally unscientific opinion they grow way too slow to use that way. On the other hand they are super cool to grow just for fun.


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[prattreef]

stick to the chaeto if you are looking for nutrient export. In my totally unscientific opinion they grow way too slow to use that way. On the other hand they are super cool to grow just for fun.


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+1

 

[Mattl22]

Thankyou that makes sense I'll stick to the cheto For now!


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[beerfish]

Here's a little primer I wrote on refugiums, there's some info on mangroves there that may help clarify.

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/77857-refugium-primer.html

 

[naples]

Here is a site that sells Mangroves and has some info http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?p...category_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34

 

[naples]

More info

Natural Nitrate & Phosphate Reduction If you want to have a healthy saltwater aquarium that is algae free, you will have to take steps to remove the nitrates and phosphates in your tank. People have come up with a variety of ways to keep nitrates down, from dosing sugar to operating denitrating coils. Our solution is to use macro algae and mangroves. In time, a macro/mangrove planted tank or sump will remove all the nitrates, phosphates, and many of the harmful chemicals from your water.
The ideal refugium/sump utilizes both mangroves and macro algae to achieve the desired results. The reason is because mangroves grow up and out of the aquarium, and require little tank volume to thrive. Below the mangrove theres will remain ample room for macro algae to be grown between the roots of the small trees. This growth helps stabilize the roots of the trees, and give the macro something to cling too. This win-win situation is common in nature.
When it comes to filtering nitrates and phosphates out of an aquarium, no macros are better at achieving results than caulerpa. However, because caulerpa has a tendency to go sexual and release nutrients back into the tank, it should not be kept by the novice aquarist. In order to reduce this risk, make sure to regularly prune the algae so it does not starve, and to keep it well lit. By providing a sump that is lit 24 hours a day, the risk is from this algae is very low. More information on caulerpa can be found in our growing guides , and our general macro algae care guide .
The more popular filtering algae is chaeto. While it will not remove nutrients as effectively as caulerpa, it presents a very low risk of going sexual and harming your tank and still does an excellent job. It also grows well thin the root structure of mangroves, and is easy to harvest. Other important filtering algaes include Ulva and Gracilaria - which can be fed to herbivorous fish, keeping your tank self sustaining - to some degree at least.
By adding macro algae and mangroves to your reef system, (either by placing it directly in the display tank or in the refugium), you are bringing your own reef closer to those found in the wild. In nature, every coral reef that benefits from the filtering properties of macro algae. Some reefs are mixed, and include coral and macro algae living side by side, this is similar to placing macro algae directly in your display reef tank. Other systems have extensive macro algae fields in the "back reef", and have their nutrients washed out to mangrove islands before the water returns. Such reefs are found extensively in the Florida Keys.This is similar to having a system where the refugium/sump is filled with macro algae and mangroves and the display tank is coral dominated.
By carefully utilizing mangroves and macro algae, your tank will be able to outcompete nuisance algae from forming, and your tank's overall health will greatly improve.

 

[greggnyce]

The question is how big must they be to remove all of the Nitrate and Phosphate? Probably alot bigger then most of our tanks can hold. Most of us are also using other forms of phosphate removal, so you can not pin it down to mangroves. They do not grow that fast, unlike cheato and other macro algeas, so unless they are huge it just does not make sense.

I am actually thinking about getting rid of the two mangroves, because they are getting too big, growing into the light fixture, but slowly. I have grown them with a compact flourescent bulb in a home depot $10 fixture.