Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > Invert and Plant Forums > Marine Plants & Macroalgae
Blogs FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 10/12/2015, 08:54 AM   #1
Wonton Soup
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 194
Halophytes

From Biology-Online.org:

Halophyte:
Plants growing naturally in very salty soil. Plants that have a high tolerance to salt, and therefore can successfully occupy an ecosystem with such chemical properties.

Spartina Alternifolora - Cordgrass


Salicornia Europaea - Samphire - Glasswort


Rizophora Mangle - Red Mangrove


There are countless more!

I recently ordered some Salicornia seeds and have devised a way to germinate, plant, and grow them. It is an edible plant and so that's probably what I'll end up doing with them. I'm eager to see how well they grow off of the typical chemistry of a reef tank.

It's always puzzled me as to why it's so easy to acquire a myriad of marine macro algae species but we rarely get to see any halophyte species beside mangrove trees. Mangroves are the least practical of them all since they are in fact a tree.

I'm wondering if there is any interest, besides my own, from other hobbyists or if anyone has additional information about halophytes that they'd like to share.

I'll include some pictures of my methods once I get the seeds.



Last edited by Wonton Soup; 10/12/2015 at 09:42 AM.
Wonton Soup is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/12/2015, 09:03 AM   #2
Wonton Soup
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 194
*Fixed



Last edited by Wonton Soup; 10/12/2015 at 09:43 AM.
Wonton Soup is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/12/2015, 06:00 PM   #3
saltwater sam
Registered Member
 
saltwater sam's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota
Posts: 553
I did a very limited experiment with a collected Salicornia that was unsuccessful last year, but starting from seed would probably help prevent acclimation stress. I have been interested in experimenting with Spartina grass but never looked into sourcing any seed.
Do you have a source for Spartina?


__________________
It's not too much to brag about if your fish can eat someone else's fish, but if your fish can eat somebody's dog, now thats an accomplishment!

Current Tank Info: 40 gallon SW mangrove/macro planted tank
saltwater sam is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/12/2015, 08:49 PM   #4
Wonton Soup
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 194
Thanks for the response! It's funny you should ask about the Spartina. I haven't nailed down the details yet but hopefully soon I will have a source for some such seeds.

I'm not entirely sure I'd have enough space to adequately grow them though. I know Salicornia gets big as well but the grasses can be very tall. I almost need a rubbermaid tub full of salty mud and sand.


Wonton Soup is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/12/2015, 09:04 PM   #5
saltwater sam
Registered Member
 
saltwater sam's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota
Posts: 553
It's just grass man, if it grows too long mow it down! Just like mangroves, if they grow too big prune them and bend them. Seriously though, I know exactly where I'd put it in my tank. I have a lot of vertical space in the corner of my tank


__________________
It's not too much to brag about if your fish can eat someone else's fish, but if your fish can eat somebody's dog, now thats an accomplishment!

Current Tank Info: 40 gallon SW mangrove/macro planted tank
saltwater sam is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 12/09/2018, 01:44 PM   #6
philbo32
Registered Member
 
philbo32's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 306
I know this is an old thread but here is my tasty samphire plant growing in my reef tank from seeds:






__________________
Occupation: Marine and freshwater biologist/Aquatic researcher
Interests: Aquatic microbial biology, reef keeping and snorkelling

Current Tank Info: 700L reef system, Deltec Skimmer, GHL CPU, GHL mitras, full weather simulator, 2x tunze wavemakers
philbo32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 12/09/2018, 10:19 PM   #7
Michael Hoaster
Registered Seaweedist
 
Michael Hoaster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 5,807
Cool! So, the roots hang down into the water of your reef tank? Beautiful plant. Nice job!


__________________
As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey

Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018
Michael Hoaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 12/13/2018, 03:46 PM   #8
philbo32
Registered Member
 
philbo32's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 306
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster View Post
Cool! So, the roots hang down into the water of your reef tank? Beautiful plant. Nice job!
Thank you.

I have used a pond planter with a fine nylon mesh inside and coral sand inside this mesh. I have epoxyed coral gravel to the outside of the planter to try to camoflage it. Nitrogen was added to the sand using amino acid (glutamic acid capsules). The planter is slightly out of the water. I have two tunze wave makers which work in sync, this causes water to pulse through the planter, this keeps the sand that is out the water wetted. I sprinkled samphire seeds on top and after about two weeks a number of seeds started to germinate.

I gave it a bit of a trim a few days ago because it was starting to block out the light to sponges and corals below. I didn't trim the front of the planter, these branches have now fallen into the water and have started producing roots (directly into the water). It now seems to be just spreading across the top of the tank. I will leave it, as long as it doesn't block out light getting to organisms below...


__________________
Occupation: Marine and freshwater biologist/Aquatic researcher
Interests: Aquatic microbial biology, reef keeping and snorkelling

Current Tank Info: 700L reef system, Deltec Skimmer, GHL CPU, GHL mitras, full weather simulator, 2x tunze wavemakers
philbo32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 12/18/2018, 10:09 PM   #9
Wonton Soup
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 194
Yes! That is awesome! Thanks for sharing with us.

The patch I grew never got that big. I still have some seeds though and you've inspired me to try again.

What lighting do you have it growing under and what size system is it growing in? Have you noticed any changes in chemistry?


Wonton Soup is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:47 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.