How did you setup your mangroves?

[btacker]

I am looking to get some mangroves on the Sam - Zen Reef order.

Does anyone have some pictures of how they have them setup?

[scuba_steveo]

come and look!!! I have a mangrove field!

[CD]

Bryan- We have some mangroves (only two plants) growing in our modest 'fuge right now. I have a sand bed mixed with "'fuge mud", & some LR/rubble in the bottom and of course the chaeto. I just pushed the roots into the sand/mud mixture, hung a light (you will probably want a fixture on a chain so that you can raise the light slightly as the plant(s) grow) and that's all there was to it. I also make sure and spray the salt creep off the leaves and stalk with freshwater about once or twice a week. They seem to grow pretty easily. You are more than welcome to stop by and take a look...we live much closer than Steve ;) Plus, I can give you some of the 'fuge mud.

Wendy

[ratboy]

I had 4 red mangroves stuck in 2" of sand in the fuge from my old 90 reef. They grew from propagules to 2 1/2" tall trees in about 2 years. By the time I broke down my 90 they had reached the bottom of my main tank and had grown about 6" sideways under the tank. They dont move well and even though I transfered the entire fuge sand bed to a plastic pot they have all lost their leaves and after another month or so will probably die. Ive never had kuck moving mangroves once they anchor and put out leaves. I gave some to a friend that put them in some rocks near the top of his tank. After 1.5 years they are about 18" out of the water and have several leaf sets. They have grown tap roots through several pieces of LR binding them together. It looks cool when he opens his canopy and you see little trees in there....

-Erik

[CD]

transfered the entire fuge sand bed to a plastic pot they have all lost their leaves and after another month or so will probably die. Ive never had luck moving mangroves


Erik - question...when you say you moved the mangroves into a plastic pot, do you mean out of the water too? Like a potted house plant? Reason I ask, is that I want to get with Dan in the near future about making me a larger 'fuge, and of course I would want to transfer everything over to the new 'fuge & add more sand. My mangroves are currently looking really healthy and putting out lots of new leaves, so needless to say, I wouldn't want to kill them by moving them. The sand bed in the 'fuge is only about a couple of inches, but I can see that the mangroves have dug their roots in already.

Has anybody else had problems moving their mangroves to larger 'fuges?

Wendy

[C.Mydas]

I've got mine in a bare bottom fuge/sump with a plant light on it. (see the 'my new additions thread on general reefkeeping for a picture). They've only been in their for a couple of days but seem to be doing very well. I'm planning on filling the sump wih them (I'm a plant dork as well as a salt water dork and this lets me combine the two...I'm in heaven).

[CD]

I'm a plant dork as well as a salt water dork and this lets me combine the two...I'm in heaven).


Heheh...me too! I have a wee forest going on in my house. It's especially bad in the winter because all the plants I keep outside during the summer have to come in the house during the colder months. Thankfully, we get a lot of light in our house... :D
I saw your "new additions", and it looks *very* nice! I was wondering when I saw the pics if you had obtained the mangroves with all that growth on them, or if you had gotten them as pods. Where did you get them from?

Wendy

[DeAngelove]

Hi Bryan -
I have two stuck right into my 10G nano. I know my nitrates/phosphates have dropped tremendously since adding them a couple months ago! :)
Ditto on what Wendy said... very important to get the salt creep off the top of the mangrove tubers, at least once/twice a week w/ a fresh water mist.

HTH! :)

[C.Mydas]

I was wondering when I saw the pics if you had obtained the mangroves with all that growth on them, or if you had gotten them as pods. Where did you get them from?


I got them at FinAddict as they are. I'm planning on adding more in the future too. Sarah and Felpe did tell me though that to get growth like that you can prune them like regular plants to get them to branch off...I'm excited to see what I can do with them in the future.

[ratboy]

Wendy
No, when I said I put them in a plastic pot I still kept the sand totally submerged in my garage system. Ive had mangroves in seeral tanks and everytime I have disturbed the roots they died and didnt come back (a dead mangrove will snap easily when bent and will STINK!!!!). If you get a custom fuge made for mangroves Ive always wanted to do a nice colored acrylic cube filled with sand. Place it under the window near my tank and plumb it to my sump. You could let it get real big (mine got disfigured under my sump as they hit the glass) and you could rig a way to simulate tides and get the support roots that look so cool when you see them in nature.

[Snausages01]

I had 10 when I orderd mine and the only ones I lost were my fault; I dropped things on them causing them to break. They used to be in the fuge and they sitll are. However, I plan to make the fuge into a frag tank and may try to put the mangroves in the main tank to cover up my overflow. I either think it would look really cool or just really out of place (no in between). If and when I put them in the tank I'll snap a picture and see what you guys thinks. Attached are of the mangroves when I first got them and the third is what they looked like a few weeks ago.

[CD]

that to get growth like that you can prune them like regular plants


COOL! Mine are not that big yet, but they are growing straight up, and not bushy. From where the leaves started appearing, I've got about four inches or so of actual leaf growth. Do you think it's too early to prune? Should I wait a little longer?



everytime I have disturbed the roots they died and didnt come back (a dead mangrove will snap easily when bent and will STINK!!!!).


Heheh...I'll make sure I never bend one in the house then. I suppose that would make sense though, as they are filtering junk out of our tank water. That's sad that they are so hard to transplant, though. Well, once I get a larger 'fuge, I guess I'll just have to get some more from Sam ;)

Wendy

[C.Mydas]

Do you think it's too early to prune? Should I wait a little longer?


I would try it on one and see what happens...let me know :grin:

[CD]

let me know


Thanks! I'll give it a try Saturday...going to be doing a bunch of tank maintenance anyway. I appreciate the info - not knowing much about mangroves, I was afraid to try it. Heh...shoot the only time I've ever even seen a load of mangroves au natural was in Belize. Talk about a mosquito haven (around the mangroves, not Belize in general)!!! Ah - what I wouldn't give to live out in the Caribbean or on a Pacific island...<sigh> Sam is soooo lucky living in Hawaii ;)

Wendy

[Ram_Puppy]

maybe we should plan a MAAST trip out there to visit him in a year or two (to give everyone who wants to go time to plan.) i think we are all a tad envious. we could go see the Wai'Ki'Ki aquarium, scuba dive with sam *tugs on Sams shirs, points to critter.. mimes picking up and sticking in bag.*