Anyone out there use mangroves?

[robbyville]

Hi all,

Does anyone out there use magroves for nutrient export and Nitrate control? What are the pros and cons?

I have found that I cannot keep caulerpa as it is supposed to be kept in low flow applications. Bescause my sump/fuge is built into the back of my tank the flow through the fuge chambers is quite fast. I was hoping that if it should work out I could place mangroves there since I have two chambers available measuring about 2.5 inches wide by 6 inches long. I could suspend the mangroves via pieces of styrofoam above the water with holes cut out to hold the mangroves. The foam could then be wedged into the chambers for stability.

Does this make sense? right now I only have about 5 inches of sand and some rock rubble in the chambers. When I removed the bio-balls that used to occupy the space I was really looking forward to setting up a fuge of some type!

Best,

Rob

[Delphinus]

I have mangroves but it's more of a novelty than anything else.

I'm sure they pull down NO3 but they grow so slowly that they can't really be relied on as a means for nutrient export. You'd need .... well ... a lot. Easily a mangrove or two per gallon or more. There's actually some rule-of-thumb but I have no idea what it really is.

There are other macro algaes that can be used as an alternative to the prone-to-sporulation caulerpas and halimedas. If you can get ahold of some Chaetomorpha linum "spaghetti algae" that stuff works well but needs bright light to grow quick enough to be effective.. There's also another kind of algae that works well but I forget what it's called now. Something like "shaving brush" or something like that. Hmmm, sorry I can't remember what it is now. I suppose, though that any kind of algae is going to be problematic in a high-flow area though. I'd maybe look into a lower-flow kind of refugium or hang-on-back type arrangement or something like that.

[robbyville]

Thanks!

Yes, we are sort of looking at upgrading to a new tank with a remote sump and fuge. The uniquarium is a great concept for first timers and people who do not want to worry about plumbing, flooding, etc. Especially when moving a lot and dealing with nervous landlords!

I will look into the Spaghetti algae, there is lots of lighting there, the fuge gets the same amount of light as the main tank.

Thanks again!

Rob