Mangrove Growth Rate

[lbacha]

I’m considering growing some mangroves and I was wondering how fast they grow. They will get a lot of direct sunlight as I will be putting them near a window. I may plumb it into my tank just so I don’t have to worry about dealing with evaporation and filtration.

I’m trying to decide if I buy a larger one from a nursery in FL or if they grow quick enough that they will look decent in a short time

 

[James M]

There’s no specific growth rate. Everyone’s tank is different

 

[lbacha]

Thanks, anyone have any before and after shots of their growth rate and what they are doing

 

[Scotty Buttons]

I don't have a ton of experience but I had a couple small ones that only had 2 leaves each after a couple months they started taking off but their lives were cut short when my son pulled them out of the sump and I didn't notice until it was too late. As stated above I believe it really depends on your set up. I think alot of natural light and misting them every day or two really helps. Based on the threads ive followed it does seem that the bigger ones grow quicker.
Good luck.

 

[lbacha]

I don't have a ton of experience but I had a couple small ones that only had 2 leaves each after a couple months they started taking off but their lives were cut short when my son pulled them out of the sump and I didn't notice until it was too late. As stated above I believe it really depends on your set up. I think alot of natural light and misting them every day or two really helps. Based on the threads ive followed it does seem that the bigger ones grow quicker.
Good luck.

Thanks, I think I’m going to start with a couple 18-24” plants with leaves and roots started and see how they do.

 

[Jberg]

This is about 9 months of growth. There are 3 of them. One of them had no leaves to start with and the other two had 2 leaves.

 

[Coralreefer1]

As mentioned above, everyone’s tank is different. I have 5 Red Mangroves in 3 nano cube tanks. They were added to my tanks at the same time. One of them is 2 feet tall with a lot of leaves, another one in the same tank is 6 inches shorter and has just a few leaves. Two of them in a different tank are smaller yet with less leaves. The last one in my third tank is growing roots but no leaves.
I am using Miracle mud which is a great medium along with Fiji Pink Oolitic Aragonite.
They like moderate light, nitrates and you must spray the leaves religiously to remove salt that accumulates on them for best results.

 

[lbacha]

As mentioned above, everyone’s tank is different. I have 5 Red Mangroves in 3 nano cube tanks. They were added to my tanks at the same time. One of them is 2 feet tall with a lot of leaves, another one in the same tank is 6 inches shorter and has just a few leaves. Two of them in a different tank are smaller yet with less leaves. The last one in my third tank is growing roots but no leaves.
I am using Miracle mud which is a great medium along with Fiji Pink Oolitic Aragonite.
They like moderate light, nitrates and you must spray the leaves religiously to remove salt that accumulates on them for best results.

Thanks that is pretty decent growth

This is about 9 months of growth. There are 3 of them. One of them had no leaves to start with and the other two had 2 leaves.

Good to know, I know it will be different but some plants are slow growers vs others. It looks like with the right conditions mangroves are decent growers

 

[Coralreefer1]

There are three different species of Mangroves suited for a reef tank found her in Florida, the Red, Black and White Mangrove. I’m sure they all don’t grow at the same rate...but again there are a lot of variables that effect the growth of each species.

 

[VSVP bet]

I have mangroves that have grown fine from pods in my reef tank. However, my research has shown they grow fastest in brackish water in soil conditions.

 

[lbacha]

There are three different species of Mangroves suited for a reef tank found her in Florida, the Red, Black and White Mangrove. I’m sure they all don’t grow at the same rate...but again there are a lot of variables that effect the growth of each species.

I’m going with red mangroves as I like the smooth red trunk better than the scaly trunk of the black mangrove. I haven’t seen what a white mangrove looks like so I may look into that.

 

[lbacha]

I have mangroves that have grown fine from pods in my reef tank. However, my research has shown they grow fastest in brackish water in soil conditions.

Yeah I’m sure it is all based on nutrients, if you have low nutrient system it will grow slow but with high nutrients it will do better. I’ve also seen people growing them in their display under their reef lighting which isn’t ideal for plants so I’m sure that had an effect as well

 

[mithracula]

I have some red ones that I started last summer. I kept them outside in small 2.5 gallon buckets filled with a disgusting mix of crushed coral and sand, potting soil and leaf litter, toped with pea gravel so mosquitos couldn't breed in the stagnate water grossness. They grew so much outside, but winter here is too cold. I lost 2 of my 5 bringing them inside (after a nice bleach dip for the roots to kill any hitchhikers). Now they live in my freshwater aquarium while they grow out some more. I don't have an ATO on that aquarium and the lowered water level killed the 2 trees. The light I have for that aquarium is a better spectrum for them, but I also added a cheep amazon grow light. They're growing well now, but it's still slow - about a pair new leaves every month. They are starting to branch again, so maybe I'll add some ferts to speed things up... maybe in 5 years I'll have some nice trees for a lagoon aquarium.

I would love to get a black or white mangrove, but I couldn't find any for sale online.