Need Info on Mangroves

Does anyone have any experience keeping Mangroves? I'd like to put a few in my new refuge and would like to know their requirements and are they hard to keep alive? Thanks!

 

nope, but i hear they r great, one thing that i know is not to prune them, the leaves will get salt on them, fall into the water and the salt is redistributed into the tank and some moisture is put back so that will keep the tank a little better balenced...uh i guess lol...GL! i always wanted a MG tree

 

Wha? The leaves should be pruned IMHO...you don't want rotting leaved\s that have absorbed excess nutrients laying in your tank water!

I believe, as they uptake the water, the salt is excreted through the leaves, yes...but decaying material in a reef tank is never a good thing.

They can use a good bit of magnesium as well, so checking salinity and mag from time to time would be a good idea.

I had 2 that were given to me. One rotted at the base (whew! stinky!) and the other it growing roots. I have no leaves yet. I think the red mangroves can grow partially or fully submersed.

They need daylight lighting...yellower color.

Some folks stick em right in the substrate, while others place them in a rack (usually made of egg crate) inside the sump or aux tank.

 

no, u let the leaves fall in and then collect them...idk i read it up somewhere...

 

Someone sent me one a year or two ago that didn't have leaves. I put it in a plastic pint glass with beach sand and water from San Francisco Bay. Periodically I top off with freshwater or replace with old aquarium water. I must have a dozen leaves now. I guess I am saying I find them easy. It just sits in a window.

LInks to check out:
A Guide to the Ecology and Care of Mangroves

Mangroves In Reef Aquaria

 

I've had mangroves in my sump for about 6 months now. I started with 11 that I bought off of eBay. They started as just a stem with a few roots. I then found out from a friend that you should only have about 2 as they will take too much magnesium out of your system. I gave a some away and sort of weeded out the others. I'm down to the 2 of them now. They have grown quite a bit. You do need to prune them back as they will grow quite large. I have also found that you need to spray their leaves with fresh water a couple of times a day as this is how they release the salt that the roots take up. My water parameters are always great, so I assume they are helping somewhat. The pic shows them when I first got them.

 

Thanks for all the help guys, I think I will purchase 2 of them. I'll let you know how they do.