Mangrove and Macro Algae (throwing out ideas)

143MPCo · Nov 24, 2015

FWIW, the stuff has a bit of an unpleasant odor, if you refrigerate it make sure the bag is knotted and the lid closed tightly.

nawilson89 · Nov 24, 2015

143MPCo said:
Store unopened containers in a cool place. Refrigerate after opening. Best if used within six months of sticker date.

Refrigerate? I don't have that kind of room. Good thing it's winter here has finally come. Cool weather has hit us.

143MPCo · Nov 24, 2015

it's bagged inside of the bucket, so will take less room if you need to store it after it's opened.

nawilson89 · Nov 24, 2015

143MPCo said:
it's bagged inside of the bucket, so will take less room if you need to store it after it's opened.

Ah! Alright thanks. That helps. I'll purchase some after the holiday to start the mangroves in my 2.5g

nawilson89 · Nov 24, 2015

I actually wish i could put some in my 20g, would be too much work though.

143MPCo · Nov 24, 2015

it's very dense, but should be cover with some sand also to keep it from clouding the water.

nawilson89 · Nov 24, 2015

143MPCo said:
it's very dense, but should be cover with some sand also to keep it from clouding the water.

Yeah. I would have to remove all my macros, seagrass, rocks, sand. Then put down the mud, then the sand. and replace everything....

Too much work.

143MPCo · Nov 24, 2015

i used 4 buckets and 1" of sand over top, but it still made a bit of a mess once the pumps got turned back on.

dnyceli · Nov 24, 2015

nawilson89 said:
Ah. I get it.

I'm using these. DM12-e
http://www.reefradiance.com/refugium-leds.html

Just picked one of these bulbs up from Amazon along with the goose neck. I had 3 mangrove shoots and some dragon's breath and Codium under a little LED light that came with my CAD Lights refugium. Light was on them for like a month with no signs of growth. Put this set up in and within 3 days started seeing one of the larger mangrove shoots open up

nawilson89 · Nov 24, 2015

dnyceli said:
Just picked one of these bulbs up from Amazon along with the goose neck. I had 3 mangrove shoots and some dragon's breath and Codium under a little LED light that came with my CAD Lights refugium. Light was on them for like a month with no signs of growth. Put this set up in and within 3 days started seeing one of the larger mangrove shoots open up

They are really good lights. I plan on having them on the new build too.

paraletho · Nov 25, 2015

I have refugium mud about 6" and about 4" of reef grade coral sand over it. This was hooked up in tandem to a 100 gallon tub with live rock from there to the pump which pushed 12' up and 40' away to the tank a 125 and then gravity back down to a 90 w/filtersocks then back to the mangroves. I kept seahorses in it they love to hang on to the prop roots. Good luck with your plan.

dnyceli · Nov 25, 2015

How many mangroves do I need for a 100 gallon with a 30 gallon sump with mud, skimmer and bio balls running right now?

paraletho · Dec 5, 2015

dnyceli said:
How many mangroves do I need for a 100 gallon with a 30 gallon sump with mud, skimmer and bio balls running right now?

Two no more than three. Give them some room for root and crown growth

dnyceli · Dec 5, 2015

paraletho said:
Two no more than three. Give them some room for root and crown growth

I have 3 shoots right now and only one of them are opened and growing. I have them stuck in my miracle mud. Should the roots be exposed in the water stream to absorb nutrients in the tank instead of being rooted in the miracle mud?

paraletho · Dec 6, 2015

No they will do fine in the mud. Do you have some kind of a substrate cap on your mud? This allows you to have some flow and the mud stays in place.

dnyceli · Dec 6, 2015

There is no substrate on top of the mud. I thought putting something on top of the mud would defeat the purpose of having the mud to be able to allow it to slowly dissolve into the water column feeding trace elements. The only flow in the tank right now is the water passing over the mud chamber and mangroves flowing back to the return pump

dnyceli · Dec 6, 2015

This mud is nutrient rich and I am getting this foam with cyano film I have to skim off the top every day

nawilson89 · Dec 6, 2015

dnyceli said:
There is no substrate on top of the mud. I thought putting something on top of the mud would defeat the purpose of having the mud to be able to allow it to slowly dissolve into the water column feeding trace elements. The only flow in the tank right now is the water passing over the mud chamber and mangroves flowing back to the return pump

dnyceli said:
This mud is nutrient rich and I am getting this foam with cyano film I have to skim off the top every day

I am going to make an assumption which may or not be correct.

Your mud not being capped is releasing nutrients at such a rate that nutrients are so rich in your tank cyano is growing. Nothing is out competing the cyano. I capped the bit of mud I have in my tank to slowly release nutrients into the sand and then the tank, making the sandbed nutrient rich and then providing nutrients to my macro algaes.

dnyceli · Dec 6, 2015

nawilson89 said:
I am going to make an assumption which may or not be correct.

Your mud not being capped is releasing nutrients at such a rate that nutrients are so rich in your tank cyano is growing. Nothing is out competing the cyano. I capped the bit of mud I have in my tank to slowly release nutrients into the sand and then the tank, making the sandbed nutrient rich and then providing nutrients to my macro algaes.

So you are saying it is ok to cover the mud? If so I will do it tomorrow