I added Succulents to my Reef tank!

[Roggio]

So I decided to add some plants to one of the rock structures coming out of the water.

I was at the farmers market today and decided to give succulents a try. I spray the mangroves periodically with RODI water so this addition does not add to my maintenance and adds some more color and dimension to my reef tank. Originally I was going to super glue the plants to the rocks because of all the fiddler crabs but they ended up going into place easily.

Check out my build thread to stay updated!

 

[BenitaSolo]

I'm intrigued! Do you find it hard to keep the rock looking good, especially at the water line. Seems like a good place for some nasty buildup

 

[Roggio]

@BenitaSolo A few people have asked me that. I have no build up whatsoever. I try and keep a few fiddler crabs every two months but they honestly barely last a day. My eels come completely out of the water and hunt them down.

The tank I had prior to this had a large portion coming out of the water too and never had any build up. You can see a pic in my old system in my build thread.

 

[Renelope]

Airplants. I wonder how they will do with the salt water splash... you can take them out and soak in warm freshwater weekly to keep them plump, and they might flower.

 

[Roggio]

Airplants. I wonder how they will do with the salt water splash... you can take them out and soak in warm freshwater weekly to keep them plump, and they might flower.

I think they'll do well. Worst case, they were inexpensive. There shouldnt be much splash. I'm assuming they're related to palms and bromeliads based on how they look. In my experience they favor a little salt.

 

[Renelope]

I think they'll do well. Worst case, they were inexpensive. There shouldnt be much splash. I'm assuming they're related to palms and bromeliads based on how they look. In my experience they favor a little salt.

I'm in dry Colorado and never had much luck with them, they would dry and and die no matter what I tried, I should think the added humidity sitting over the tank should do them well. They are gorgeous when they flower. They are tillandsia I believe, a relative of the bromeliad...
I'd love to add some mangrove to my refugium, or maybe the DT, although I have a tall tank and I'm not sure how that would work... good luck and very cool idea!

 

[BlakeW]

Did this end up working?

 

[Roggio]

@BlakeW Yes! Despite the hurricane coming through; tearing my roof off, tons of rain getting in, and the power being out for over a week, they are still doing well. I wouldn't say they're growing but they're surviving just fine. Right now they haven't had a light on them in a few weeks due to mine coming off the ceiling. I will post pictures soon. I have been swamped with repairs.

 

[mort]

Really cool idea. Sorry for your troubles and all the best for the repair.

 

[kris2001]

Wow!

 

[Roggio]

It's okay, its been a long process and a ton of work but things will end up upgraded and nicer than before. Feel free to follow my build. I should be posting pictures of the stand I built soon. It's wainscoting built on magnets. The whole thing is seamless and turned out great