Shallow Mangrove Cube

[mainn]

I've got the itch to do another tank and have always wanted to try a shallow mangrove lagoon style tank. I recently picked up the perfect dimension tank for this build and I am really to get started with it. The pics below are my inspiration for the build.

Equipment List:
30 Gallon Deep Blue Rimless (24"x 24"x 12")
Custom Stand
Eshopps rs-75 Sump
Kessil a360
Auto Aqua ATO
Hydor koralia powerheads
Syncra silent 3.0 return pump
Aquamaxx fc80 skimmer

I can't get water in this setup till I move in a month or so, but I will probably pick up my mangroves pretty soon and get them growing. I really want to use this tank as more as a fish only setup with some of the fish/ inverts I wouldn't risk in my reef. I might transfer some Zoas and some of the other softies out of my main tank but more of a way to clear out some space than anything.

I am wondering what kind of suggestions people have for stocking this tank as well as the rest of my equipment because since I have a bit of time I haven't nailed down all of my decisions.

 

[Reefer Deez]

I’ve always been fascinated with those style tanks good luck I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

 

[mainn]

I bought my mangroves today, I've got some old sand and a 5 gallon bucket they can live in till the system is running.

 

[mainn]

I've made a lot of progress on this build recently! The move went well and got everything over to the new house just fine. I have plumbed the sump, and set up the aquascape. I'm going to fill it tomorrow and add the mangroves. From what I read the trees won't have a problem being in the tank during the cycle.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

Seagrass would make an interesting addition to a Mangrove Tank, Large Rocky islands with many Gobies and Blennies would replicate the Mangrove Forest of South Florida very well! Following along.

 

[mainn]

 

[Kamden Uelton]

What type of Sand are you using? Oolite or a large grain type?

 

[mainn]

Seagrass would make an interesting addition to a Mangrove Tank, Large Rocky islands with many Gobies and Blennies would replicate the Mangrove Forest of South Florida very well! Following along.

I wonder where I could get some. I'm from Florida originally but I am currently in Colorado. I have thought about some other macro algaes though.

 

[mainn]

What type of Sand are you using? Oolite or a large grain type?

Fiji pink. It's inbetween those two.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

Florida Pets has some, The better looking types such as Paddle Grass, Stargrass, & Johnson grass are more commonly found near June/July
Heres the Website http://floridapets.com/ They also carry some cool snails and "burrowing" bristle stars.

 

[mainn]

I am also thinking hard about my stoc list for this project. I want to leave the top open for the trees to grow but I am worried about fish jumping... I will take suggestions on fish that aren't prone to jumping. Itherwise my other idea was doing a mesh rim on the same idea as these cat fences http://www.purrfectfence.com
Something that curls over the rim.

 

[Coronus]

Updates

 

[Zeal]

I've got the itch to do another tank and have always wanted to try a shallow mangrove lagoon style tank. I recently picked up the perfect dimension tank for this build and I am really to get started with it. The pics below are my inspiration for the build.

Equipment List:
30 Gallon Deep Blue Rimless (24"x 24"x 12")
Custom Stand
Eshopps rs-75 Sump
Kessil a360
Auto Aqua ATO
Hydor koralia powerheads
Syncra silent 3.0 return pump
Aquamaxx fc80 skimmer

I can't get water in this setup till I move in a month or so, but I will probably pick up my mangroves pretty soon and get them growing. I really want to use this tank as more as a fish only setup with some of the fish/ inverts I wouldn't risk in my reef. I might transfer some Zoas and some of the other softies out of my main tank but more of a way to clear out some space than anything.

I am wondering what kind of suggestions people have for stocking this tank as well as the rest of my equipment because since I have a bit of time I haven't nailed down all of my decisions.

First picture... what kind of tank is that....... I NEED to buy that

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I've got the itch to do another tank and have always wanted to try a shallow mangrove lagoon style tank. I recently picked up the perfect dimension tank for this build and I am really to get started with it. The pics below are my inspiration for the build.

Equipment List:
30 Gallon Deep Blue Rimless (24"x 24"x 12")
Custom Stand
Eshopps rs-75 Sump
Kessil a360
Auto Aqua ATO
Hydor koralia powerheads
Syncra silent 3.0 return pump
Aquamaxx fc80 skimmer

I can't get water in this setup till I move in a month or so, but I will probably pick up my mangroves pretty soon and get them growing. I really want to use this tank as more as a fish only setup with some of the fish/ inverts I wouldn't risk in my reef. I might transfer some Zoas and some of the other softies out of my main tank but more of a way to clear out some space than anything.

I am wondering what kind of suggestions people have for stocking this tank as well as the rest of my equipment because since I have a bit of time I haven't nailed down all of my decisions.

I have a refugium outside, tried red mangroves out there no go. But when I had some inside, with some light from window , what a difference . You'll have no issues growing them. Enjoy

 

[Genomecop]

I am also thinking hard about my stoc list for this project. I want to leave the top open for the trees to grow but I am worried about fish jumping... I will take suggestions on fish that aren't prone to jumping. Itherwise my other idea was doing a mesh rim on the same idea as these cat fences http://www.purrfectfence.com
Something that curls over the rim.

Why not just do cutouts for the trees?

 

[mainn]

I have the mangroves in the tank and the tank is still cycling. A few of the mangroves aren't doing that great even though I have been spraying them every day, and I am wondering if that is in part due to the cycle. From what I had read in my research the cycle shouldn't bother them, though there isn't nearly as much literature on mangrove husbandry as there is on coral husbandry. I have way more algae going on in this cycle than I have had in the past, and I wonder if it is in part to existing algae that could have been brought in on mangrove roots. I am thinking on getting some fish this week to start the QT process, I know for sure that I want a pair of cardinals, however beyond that I haven't really decided anything. I might try and do a flame angel because I won't have any corals to worry about. As far as the lid goes I don't want to cut out holes for the individual trees, because as they grow and get more leaves that will be a huge pain to take the lid off to do any maintenance. I am thinking at this point I will do an acrylic or mesh rim and stay away from fish like wrasse.

I will post some more pics when I get home tonight and give the glass a good scrape.

 

[kwhyle]

You can have a two piece cover with half circles in each piece to account for the mangroves. As for stocking, a large group of cardinals would look cool.

 

[mainn]

I've read places that if you put in more cardinals you will end up with 2. Im not sure how big of a group you would need before you start mitigating that agression.

 

[kwhyle]

Eh, you're right. I forgot about that. If the tank was bigger, I would suggest a group of 10. Sorta like freshwater african cichlids, mitigate aggression by overstocking. That's harder for saltwater tanks...

 

[OriginalUserName]

That's a nice inspiration. I loved that tank, he posted on Nano-reef a lot. Sadly the tank crashed and he took it down.