Mangroves

[GenericReefer]

Not really an algae, but the closest forum I could find..

I use an LED light on my tank, pretty standard. It's a few inches above the water, and some sunlight sometimes comes over the tank. Could I grow mangroves under these conditions?

 

[ewelch]

I would say yes , Mangroves don’t take a lot of light to survive . But to really grow they will take just about all you can give them .

Main issue I see is obsiouly as it grows it will out grow the light if it’s only a few inches off the water

 

[GenericReefer]

I would say yes , Mangroves don’t take a lot of light to survive . But to really grow they will take just about all you can give them .

Main issue I see is obsiouly as it grows it will out grow the light if it’s only a few inches off the water

That is one great looking tree! I think I can manage with the amount of light, but I have a couple more questions, if you'd be willing to answer.

A. What species of mangroves block salt intake at their root systems, and not leaves?

B. If that specific species is difficult or unavailable to get, how long can a regular red mangrove go in between each misting/cleaning?

I really don't have that much time to clean each plant every day, so would it still be worth it to get mangroves?

 

[ewelch]

That is one great looking tree! I think I can manage with the amount of light, but I have a couple more questions, if you'd be willing to answer.

A. What species of mangroves block salt intake at their root systems, and not leaves?

B. If that specific species is difficult or unavailable to get, how long can a regular red mangrove go in between each misting/cleaning?

I really don't have that much time to clean each plant every day, so would it still be worth it to get mangroves?

I had always thought and been told that red Mangroves (the most available in the hobby) process salt through their leaves .
After some more research and listening to some of Julian Sprungs talks , this is simply not the case . From what I have found Red Mangroves block most salt at the root . While misting the leaves from time to time is still important I don’t believe it is a critical as I once thought .

Red Mangroves are very easy to obtain , depending on what state you live in and local laws . I had a misting system on my Mangrove tank that misted daily . Although I don’t believe this is as critical as once thought ,I still use it as I travel a lot for work.

I love Mangroves and have built a species specific tank for the Mangrove I’ve been growing out . I would say if you like them then why not give it a shot ? Misting a couple a times a week should be suffeciten in my experience . No need to individually clean each leave lol

If you are looking for nutrient export there are much better and easier ways to achieve this . If you want them for astetics, I say they are hard to beat !