Sea Purslane as the ultimate reef filter plant?

[MadReefist]

I've been digging into some science papers, and after much consideration it seems to me this would trump Mangroves and give about anything else a run for its money.

Before we go too far, I'm hoping we might be able to get some actual (Red Mangrove) data in here. Numbers (nutrient datas); etc. It seems all I ever find is people giving their opinions/preferences about how Rhizophora mangle tends to play out; or articles not much better speaking in abstract. For one thing I'd like to see the methods used so I might recreate some studies with/vs. this Sesuvium portulacastrum (Sea Purslane).

With Sea Purslane I see all the same advantages such as it being a terrestrial meaning all the vegetative growth is quite literally exportational by its very nature, and that other big one being minimal CO2/pH tweaking with the stomata's being above the water line.

Yet from there where R. mangle falls short Sea Purslane steps up:
-Vigorous type growth (roots/stems/leaves).
-A Mint plant style growth habit (lots of nodes enabling rigorous pruning/propagation).
-Far superior heavy metals / toxins phytoremediation [Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Nickel (Ni) and Zinc (Zn)] being dubbed an "hyperaccumulator of heavy metals".
-'No' acclimation concerns given the broad diversity of suitable growth environments/substrates/etc, while being "salt-includers" whereas red mangroves are "salt-excluders".
*And you can actually eat it!

There seems to be a total lack of an useful (reef) insights I've managed to dig up doing some googl'ing (outside of a handful of infos about its high use potential in the emerging field of saltwater/marine aquaponics. Really surprised this species hasn't been beaten to death/fully employed yet...

[MadReefist]

Some existing Sea Purslane datas:
"During the first three months, plant samples were collected twice monthly for later analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus content. The sea purslane grew rapidly and performed well in the aquaponic system (Figure 3). Harvesting of sea purslane began in January. The plants are currently being sold in 0.25-lb (0.11-kg) bunches for U.S. $3.50 at a local famers market and directly to a local restaurant. "
http://pdf.gaalliance.org/pdf/GAA-Boxman-July15.pdf

"ʻĀkulikuli was the plant of choice for cleaning the stagnant, murky waters in the Ala Wai Canal (Waikīkī) on Oʻahu. Patented platforms of these plants were placed in the canal and the roots helped filter and clear the water of toxins and other unwanted materials."
http://nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant...portulacastrum

1.4KG of biomass per square meter per year (alfalfa hay being 2.0):
http://www.miracosta.edu/home/kmelda...cles/crops.pdf

"The marine aquaponics project uses a closed-loop recirculating system that allows Mote scientists to raise saltwater fish while recycling 100 percent of the water. Dr Kevan Main, manager of the Marine and Freshwater Aquaculture Research Program, launched the project in autumn 2014.
The goal is to bring crops to the community and educate people about the importance of locally produced food. The crops are being sold to restaurants from Sarasota to Tampa, and the edible sea vegetables are plated in local restaurants and sold at the Sarasota Farmers Market. As of July 2015, the program has raised about 350 fish and is producing about 160 quarter-pound bunches of sea purslane a month."
http://fishingsoc.com/articles/view/...uaculture-park

Hmmm.... that seems to be all there is in google.

[Theokie]

I'd be very interested in giving this a try, as I'm just revamping my plumbing to give me more height for my mangrove swamp refugium. I'm doing a plywood and pond liner box and then filling it with sand and mulm from my sump.

I'd be very interested in doing a co culture with a couple mangroves, as the revamp is so I can let them grow taller into trees rather then "bonsai" height I am having to keep them pruned to under my stand.

The only difficulty I am having is tracking down seeds or cuttings, as it appears its very much a tropical plant, though nothing seems to be offered for sale online, and being zone 9, I'm not going to find it up here in Canada

[MadReefist]

Here goes my AquaClear 300 converted into a hang on refugium, with Sea Purslane:
xIMG_0097.jpg
Theres a far more stem/roots buried than there is above plant matter. New setup as of a few days ago...

[laga77]

After a couple of searches I found nothing offered online. I would be willing to give this a try if I could find some.

[MadReefist]

Try 'sea purslane live plants' or 'sea purslane price'.

[laga77]

Ordered a couple, Thanks. An interesting tidbit from the Mass Spectrum site. It stated that it does such a good job of absorbing heavy metals, it can strip Mg and Fe from the tank water. The Mg in both of my tanks stays pretty stable. I will have to keep an eye on it to see if this is true.

[Theokie]

Originally Posted by laga77

Ordered a couple, Thanks. An interesting tidbit from the Mass Spectrum site. It stated that it does such a good job of absorbing heavy metals, it can strip Mg and Fe from the tank water. The Mg in both of my tanks stays pretty stable. I will have to keep an eye on it to see if this is true.

That site even ships to Canada, I don't know how I couldn't find them, but probably as I was searching for the latin name... Just have to see how well the cuttings will arrive

[MadReefist]

I wouldn't worry about that. There are few plants outside of cacti as sturdy as this. It can sit unphased for days in full sun after being washed loose of the dune. As it can go fully submerged for days with little leaf damage one might argue its sturdier than cacti, although some of those can sit for a year (shaded) with no roots and still manage to flower (possibly even fruit).

When I found a bunch it was washed loose and laying fully exposed (air/sun). It was after a 3 week storm. I thought it was some neato seaweed that dislodged from the seafloor and washed up at first. With the thick stems/roots it seemed a clear score enough to set up a little 20 gallon with all those roots buried. Didnt take me long, but a couple image searches to figure out it wasnt a true aquatic; what it actually was. But it stayed planted as one in there for almost a week. Most of the leaves their waxy layer was failing them by then but a bunch of leaves survived (stems/roots were fine). Meanwhile outside there was still a big pile left (for about 2 weeks). It'd be in a bucket of water for a day or two, then back to sitting open air on the patio floor, back and forth until I got around to dealing with it. Didnt seem any worse off than when I found it by the time I was able to deal with it.

[laga77]

What would be the best way to set up the plant in the fuge? I am guessing the roots need to be in sand or gravel and the leaves have to be in the air?

[MadReefist]

The leaves especially, and I tried to keep as much of the green stems are best kept above water. As much as I stuft in there it was challenging not burying the tops of the tangled up mess without also making a big mess. Not getting sand/shell bits into the pump side there was the big concern so I stuft it full of wadding.

Interesting though is that there are proper roots, meanwhile there are subterranean stems along with above ground stems. The underground sections will be yellow and look not much unlike roots. But along these strips they only appear to root out from their nodes. Yet proper 'meristem' type roots are there too which some had thick supple (and stubby) sections as thick as the underground stems (one looked like it might snap like a carrot), while one piece was over 2' long thin as phone wire and gave me the impression of being of a more woody root type (I suspect these would penetrate deep into the ground) [this long bit may have come off a stem node thinking back on it, but I didnt think to examine it enough I now realize]. From the bits I had to work with it seemed the underground stems were much thicker in nature (2x or more); it didn't seem they would convert into 'proper' roots yet it seems possible they could perform as roots, yet I didn't get the impression they would convert into 'proper' roots; instead the only 'hairy' roots I observed came from these underground stem nodes.

Here's another citation:
"The plants are in small pots filled with coconut fiber where they are rest in polystyrene rafts which float on the surface of four long raceways. The roots have constant contact with the water which allow for the absorption of the nutrients they need to grow.

Two species of saltwater vegetables are present in the aquaponic system. One is sea purslane (Sesuvium portulacastrum) which grows throughout the world and has historically been used in traditional medicine as a treatment for fever, kidney disorders, and scurvy (Magwa et al. 2006). The other species is saltwort (Salicornia sp.), which has become popular in fine European dining and is considered to be high in vitamin C and β-carotene (Ventura et al. 2011). It takes about 3 months for the sea purslane to reach harvest size and takes about 5 to 6 months before the saltwort is ready for harvest."
http://usf-reclaim.org/2014/12/growi...-and-saltwort/

Working with it I expected the stems could in water aquaponic style and be fine. With many plants stems can root in just soil, some in just water, some in both, many with or without rooting hormones (if they dont need it you shouldn't bother them with it usually). Some plant stems will rot 100% of the time in straight water; others might survive with air bubbles or with stems above the water line and mist spraying them.
So far I get the impression this hardy sucker its stems should be fine in water. It's what I've wagered much of the bits I got on anyways.

[MadReefist]

Some botanical description datas:
"Foliage: Evergreen, alternate, simple succulent leaves are up to about 2" long and more or less cylindrical or flat tened oblong to narrowly oblanceolate, tapering to point; bases tend to clasp the stems; foliage is generally reminiscent of a robust coarse textured moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora); in cool weather or when plants are under stress, the foliage takes on a reddish cast, but is otherwise a strong dark green color.

Stem / Bark: Stems — stems are snaky, long, rope-like, and mostly prostrate or pendent,
although some genotypes are erect for brief periods of time prior to being weighted down to the ground as they grow; stems are thickened and succulent, nearly round in cross-section and light green, green, or reddish on new stems, these typically mature to a dark green as stems age; Buds — the tiny, foliose buds do not develop bud scales; buds are usually a similar color as the stems; Bark — not applicable.

Habit: Sea Purslane is an extremely rapidly growing coastal groundcover or trailing vine with sparsely set internodes that will overlap to create a dense evergreen or on the northern margins of its’ range a dieback herbaceous perennial groundcover; stems often root at the nodes; the overall texture is medium-coarse to coarse.

Cultural Requirements: Culture is easy if plants are given a sunny to mostly sunny location and
reasonable water availability; although very heat and wind tolerant, S. portulacastrum is only moderately drought tolerant; plants will grow on a wide range of soils; plants can be vigorous to a fault and are responsive to increased fertility.

Pathological Problems: Few pest or pathogen problems appear to affect Sea Purslane.

Limitations & Liabilities: Under favorable reproductive conditions, this species can be weedy and anywhere that the vegetative tissues can overwinter there is a potential for this species to spr
ead rapidly.

Other Comments: My interest in this species vacillates widely over time; the texture and rapid growth rate are enticing, the flowers tantalizingly attractive but sparse, and then again
the potential for weediness is scary;

Native Habitat: Nearly pantropical, including some subtropical regions such as the Texas Gulf Coast, S. portulacastrum is widely distributed ; it is unclear as to this species' original native distribution due to extensive naturalization in various tropical and subtropical coastal locations around the globe."
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/s...ulacastrum.pdf


Floating plant cultivation platform and method for growing terrestrial plants in saline water of various salinities for multiple purposes
US 20050044788 A1
The cultivation of terrestrial plants in brackish water or seawater is carried out with this invention. A light-weight, floating growth medium package (FGMP) or, alternatively, a sheet of suitable material is used to support the growth of terrestrial plants floating on water bodies of various salinity, including 100% seawater in marine environments. The FGMP units can be linked together and confined in a floating, rigid or flexible framework to form a floating seawater cultivation platform (FSCP). Using the method, plants were able to grow and thrive on the FSCP floating on 100% seawater in a sustainable manner. Halophytic akulikuli (Sesuvium portulacastrum L.) can regenerate its shoot and root in seawater. Thus, the discovery will enable us to practice marine agriculture, or agriculture on the sea. The FSCP can be used for wide range of purposes, from environmental protection to landscaping to crop production.
http://www.google.com/patents/US20050044788

I wish I had time right now to read that one^

[5thChorseman]

Very interesting! I would like to know how effective is it compare to an algae scrubber. I will get some and see how this plant works as a nutrient export. One possible advantage over an algae scrubber is that you can export the nutrients by trimming or pruning when ever it is convenient as compare to some time before the die off of the underlying algae layer.

[Happyschneider]

It would be great to see if they really will suck out the magnesium from the tank.

[MadReefist]

Would that really be an ideal outcome?

[Happyschneider]

No, that is why I would like to see it might have been lost in translation

[MadReefist]

Well 'all' terrestrial plants use magnesium (along with manganese). It tends to be the most important nutrient after NPK. The issue would be whether it uses more or less than proper sea plants or say mangroves. In the study that mentioned it might have had it listed with some other metals, perhaps in the context of it being a runoff 'pollutant'.

[shifty51008]

Im wanting to try this in my 50 gal fuge but its bare bottom. What would be a good way to plant these?

[MadReefist]

The citations post above might help.

Then there's the 'floating' trick. Should be doable kind of like floating mangroves. One of the 2 photos I found you can see they have it just hanging out suspended on netting:
0134-01 Photos - Schery Umanzor 3.jpg
Seapurslane1.jpg

You might also add a sort of 'vented' column fixture, say a piece of pipe, filled with 'sand' (or anything perhaps maybe some old bioballs) that gets the allotment up to just above the water line in there.

[shifty51008]

Ty, not sure how i missed that part.

[Theokie]

My sea purslane safely arrived from Florida on Monday. I have positioned it in various spots in my refugiums as they all have different lighting and flow. The bulk is sitting on eggcrate with the root nodes sitting in the water. Though I also tried having some float on a piece of foam above one of my powerhead shrouds.

The tips are a bit crispy on a few from traveling for a week to get here, but I can already see new growth on the green leaves as well as very fine root formation on the portion submerged.

Once my cuttings are more established and I can see if there is a preference as to lighting (I have them under, LED, Metal Hailide, T5 and HPS) I will build a dedicated filter area for mass cultivation to see if it will give the spinning ball of cheato a run for its money on nutrient capture. I'm leaning towards a shallow raceway design with maybe 2-3 inches of water with eggcrate above to hold the emergent growth, with a moderate flow through. I have also considered doing a sand bed where the upper level of the sand is only damp, to more closely mimic the natural growth habits, though this setup would severely restrict flow thru.

After spending most of my youth with large cichlid tanks, being filtered by pothos and spider plant, I'm really looking forward to finding an emergent plant that could potentially uptake nutrients faster then macros.

[laga77]

Got t mine earlier this week. After trimming, I would up with 4 sprigs. Two are in a specimen box filled with gravel hanging in one fuge, and two I placed on top of the floating wad of cheato. All are doing good and show signs of growth all ready.

[shifty51008]

Any updates from people useing this?

[Theokie]

Originally Posted by shifty51008

Any updates from people useing this?

I've only had mine 1.5 weeks, so no chemistry changes, but I can say in my setup in seems to prefer medium and indirect lighting. Though this may change once it gets a good root system established. The plants that I put under higher light, in my mangrove area, grew a bit and then dried up into a crisp, pretty much showing the limited roots couldn't keep up with the moisture demands of the new growth.

Now the ones in medium and even indirect light are putting out new shoots and starting to get fuzzy roots from the nodes on the stalks.

Since I started with "cuttings," in order to get them thru customs, I'm sure it will take a few more weeks to really get a healthy root system and then start growing.

Vegetative filtration can't be rushed, but so far this plant does appear to adapt to our closed ecosystems, I'm thinking in the long run I may duplicate one of the referenced studies and grow mine on Styrofoam rafts above my cryptic zone, on maybe floating in my coast to coast overflow.

[MadReefist]

My hang on conversion refugium setup are doing **** poor so far. They had tons of root-stems initially; the chamber was stuft.

Main problem I'm sure is inadequate lighting, although during my initial-month new-tank startup/configuration-trials run there have been some period the filter wasn't running, etc, that hasn't helped.

My little 3W LED clip on AQUARIUM lamp (white & blue)...while the design of the fixture was like a wet dream for my particular 'mini' system design, in practice for the purslane its more like a bad joke. I did manage to find a 'proper' grow light in Amazon in the same fixture (includes red LED's) but I guess its coming direct from China as it isnt here yet. 2 lamps might be enough, assuming I manage to swap some red LED's into the aquarium lamp.

I suspect a 20W grow LED lamp (I found a bunch of options in these 'proper' looking rectangular housings) is what I should really have, but for my setup (the system design + its location) the clip on is about all I can hope to work with. If I had an under tank sump refugium this would be a snap; I wouldn't have even sought out the clip-on light FAIL to begin with.

Expect Sea Purslane wants lots of light as they exist in about as FULL SUN a location as you could ever hope for on this planet. At the beach dunes edge there is no shade except for clouds. Plus the sand surely reflects light as well.