First time trying Mangroves...what do i need to know?

[tassod]

Hello all,

I've been looking around this area of the forum to get macroalgae plant information but i'm finding it a bit confusing, maybe its just me..

Anyhow, what i am trying to accomplish is to lower nitrates in my tank and I've decided to try using some Red mangroves and Chaeto. I do have a refugium in my sump but right now it only has some sand in it and live rock. I ordered 5 red mangroves and 2 tennis ball size pieces of chaeto to put in my refugium. I have just a basic aquarium LED light over it that has white and blue leds. I should be getting the plants tomorrow. Just looking for some guidance on how to place them in the refugium and care for them to grow.

[Giga]

look at my guide at the top for mangroves-should help

[tassod]

look at my guide at the top for mangroves-should help

I am using an Aquapanel LED light fixture over my sump that is about 6500k, is that light good enough to have these under? If i put them in the sand, is it ok if they are totally submerged?

[JLynn]

The tops of the mangroves should be in the air. You should put them in a tall pot until they are big enough to be rooted in the bottom of the tank and still have their branches and leaves above water. Plus, if you are uncertain about the light being enough, putting the mangroves under water is the worst thing you can do, because light will be lost as it penetrates the water. The mangrove would get less light with its leaves underwater than it would with its leaves above water, and the deeper the water, the less light it will get underwater.

[Subsea]

If you are serious about mangrove and macro growth, get rid of the LED. IMO, you need full spectrum lighting. While LED manufacture advertise full spectrum, I challenge their claim under "truth in advertising". Light Emitting Diodes are mono specific in their spectrum emission. Two different spectrum does not constitute full spectrum. If you go to greenhouse grower suppliers, under LED lights you will see many different colors in their selection. Be sure that these lights are expensive. Different photo adaptabilities do happen, you pay your money and you take your chances.
My recommendation is inexpensive power compact bulbs from Home Depot/Lowes with kelvin color rendition between 5000-6500.
Patrick

[saltwater sam]

I disagree with Subsea. My LEDs are 5000-6000k and I have very healthy trees. They soak it up.

[tassod]

Ok, i will make sure they are not submerged and will try out the LED and see how they react and go from there. Thanks all.

[tassod]

how many hours per day do you all recommend they get light?

[Subsea]

I disagree with Subsea. My LEDs are 5000-6000k and I have very healthy trees. They soak it up.


Do you disagree with everything that I wrote?

I am glad you have had success with your trees. I did say that different photo adaptabilities happen.

I have performed LED manufacture testing for BML. We used different LED light spectrum array with numerous macro algae. I did not do trees.

I can backup what I said, but will drop out the trees. If you are serious about growing macroalgae for nutrient export, get rid of the LED.
Patrick

[Subsea]

12-16 hrs

[saltwater sam]

That's pretty cool Subsea, I'm not questioning your expertise at all and you obviously know what you're talking about. However, with my LEDs I've been growing not only trees but 3 species caulpera, 6 species red algae, and Hypnea algae so my personal experience with LED seems to have yielded different results than your more professional setting, which sometimes happens in science, no?

[Subsea]

I have had success with many macro under LED. However, it was not as consistent as with full spectrum lighting. In many cases, there was a significant period before the macro responded favorable to the light source. The same could be said about corals that have been grown under MH or T5. They don't always photo adapt well to LED

I grow macro commercially. For me, reliable results are most important. As a serious grower, I would not recommend LED as a first choice. Of course it works. Depends on your needs.

I retorted to your statement about not agreeing with Subsea without qualifying what you disagreed with. Do you disagree that a Light Emiting Diode is mono specific in spectrum? What differrent colors are in the fixture with your success? Is it just blue and white?
Patrick

[Subsea]

I looked at your thread and don't know much about that lamp. Are there many different diodes in each lampj? If you have specifics, please share them.
Patrick

[lutz123]

I think the first thing to mention is that mangrove are slow growers, and not great for nutrient export, right? Unless you just like mangroves.

[tassod]

I think the first thing to mention is that mangrove are slow growers, and not great for nutrient export, right? Unless you just like mangroves.

I thought they were great for nutrient export or am I wrong?

[Subsea]

+1 to what lutz said on mangroves for export. They are not great.

Chaeto is used because of its dependability/stability. I don't use chaeto because nothing eats it. I prefer Ulva. It will outgrow chaeto with respect to nutrient export. Everything eats Ulva, including people as it is a main ingrediant in Nori. In general, macro will assimilate nitrate and phosphate in a ration of 30:1.

http://live-plants.com/
Russ Kronwetter is diver owner of Gulf Coast Eco Systems. Yes he sells macro, more importantly his free guide booklet is the most inclusive source of information that I have found on macro.

http://www.reefcleaners.org/macroalgae-care
Between these two links, you have much knowledge.

Cheers,
Patrick

[Subsea]

I thought they were great for nutrient export or am I wrong?


You are somewhat misinformed. John at Reef Cleaners has a good article in which he likes to use a fast growing macro and a slow growing macro to further polish the water. I would put mangroves in the polish the water category.
Patrick

PS. I just reread John Mahoney article. He claims mangroves are the best. I don't agree. I guess it depends on the qualification of best. Ulva and Gracilaria Parvispora are by far the fastest growers of any macro that I have grown. I get a 10 fold increase every month using intensive tumble culture with natural sunlight. If you tried growing it that way in an enclosed system, it would strip our all the minerals in the water, to the point of reducing salinity.

[saltwater sam]

Mangroves are definitely more for looks than function, but once they get larger and start producing a lot more leaves at a time, they start to increase their uptake. There's no doubt that macros are far more effective at nutrient export, though.

[Giga]

If you read my guide I cover all this, and I been growing mangroves for a very long time and have some of the oldest and mature mangroves around(artificially grown). Leds grow mangroves fine just make sure you have actual full spectrum and it needs to be intense but not overwhelming. CFL's are pretty crap as there very dim and poor. What you could do is use the leds and maybe a couple cfl's to supplement the led panel and you should be alright for now.