Mangroves: Would you like a tree in your tank?

[Gregg @ ADP]

I have a classroom reef system that I’m running with no ‘filtration’. Just a lagoon tank featuring 4 mangroves, manatee grass, turtle grass, and Halimeda.

There is a lot of natural light/direct sunlight, so they are doing pretty well and growing about as fast as I would expect mangroves to grow.

 

[Sniffingkrylon]

I enjoy bonsai so I know I will eventually have a mangrove, even if it’s a tank just for the mangrove and some fish since I like my tanks on the smaller side. I think it would be really cool. Here’s my favorite tree I own.

 

[fish farmer]

I enjoy bonsai so I know I will eventually have a mangrove, even if it’s a tank just for the mangrove and some fish since I like my tanks on the smaller side. I think it would be really cool. Here’s my favorite tree I own.

Nice. How old is that tree?

 

[Sniffingkrylon]

Nice. How old is that tree?

Thanks, I imagine the tree is maybe 4-5 years old, I’ve had it since 2019 though. It was an ugly thing but I liked the base so I cut it back to a stump, no leaves, no branches and have been growing it since.

 

[Troylee]

Aren’t Sps money trees that grow in our tanks?

 

[damsels are not mean]

When I have the space to accomodate a tree in the tank sure. The propagule with a few leaves sticking out the back that you see in a lot of tanks doesn't do justice to these massive things! And I'd have no idea what to do once it grows out in that situation.

 

[Petcrazyson]

I know what that question is and I know what the posts are about……but that sentence: “Would you like keep a tree in your reef tank” is just too funny, at least to me. I was thinking of like keeping and growing a red wood or a cypress in the ocean XD

 

[clownfishlord18]

I want to make a 100 gallon frag/lagoon but I am a kid and can not afford that tank my idea is to make a volcano shape and have mangrove coming out the water.

Any one got a tank for free

 

[smoothdawg65]

I want to make a 100 gallon frag/lagoon but I am a kid and can not afford that tank my idea is to make a volcano shape and have mangrove coming out the water.

sounds like a really cool idea I've been wanting to do something similar but I am also a kid.

 

[PR_nano]

https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/screenshot_20170106-151051-jpg.454604/

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Any one got a tank for free

Let's get him a tank!

 

[H@rry]

I've tried Mangrove propagules in the past and found out that you can't just plop them down in saltwater. They slowly die. The Red Mangrove propagules that you see listed on the net are greenhouse grown in fresh water. You need to acclimate them to saltwater. Seems that they build up a layer on the roots to filter out some of the salt and the rest is collected on the lower leaves that will slowly die off (sacrificial leaves).

The way I did it is punch a lot of holes in a plastic cup and plant the Mangrove in the cup with sand. I used a shallow plastic tote that I put outside and put the Mangroves in fresh water. Every day I would add a cup of tank water to the tote to slowly acclimate them. When I knew it was just right the mosquito larvae disappeared from the water. That worked, they grew but I had no room for them in any of my tanks so I sold them at a frag show.

 

[thermoJoe]

These red mangroves, started from propagules, have been growing in this tank for more than 11 years now. The roots occupy all of the substrate, which is silica sand from an older version of the tank before it got converted to a reef tank around the same time. The whole thing really needs to be taken down and restared, but I have yet to get around to that. I would likely remove the mangroves from the tank, but try to put them into something else...maybe.

 

[saltyhog]

Mangroves aren't part of a reef environment (though they are very important for many juvie fish). I want a reef tank, no mangroves for me.

 

[Tub Life]

These red mangroves, started from propagules, have been growing in this tank for more than 11 years now. The roots occupy all of the substrate, which is silica sand from an older version of the tank before it got converted to a reef tank around the same time. The whole thing really needs to be taken down and restared, but I have yet to get around to that. I would likely remove the mangroves from the tank, but try to put them into something else...maybe.

This is awesome! Great to see the before pic too.
Your tank and mangroves look great!
11 years eh? I have a few I've been growing in my sump for over a year now. Looking forward to when they will actually look like little trees like yours.
Glad to see them doing well after so long in the same tank, only caveat I had read about growing them was the potential for the roots to bust tank seams. So it looks like that warning is hypothetical, but not real-world experience.

 

[clownfishlord18]

Let's get him a tank!

Lets

 

[KrisReef]

This week we have been talking about amazing, legendary tanks and what is more over-the-top than a tree in the middle of your saltwater aquarium! Have you thought about a mangrove tank or maybe an aquarium with emerging plants? If you have done it, what was your experience? Do you have any tips to share? Are there other emergent, saltwater plants that you have kept? If you're not interested in the least, tell us why not. Whether this is something that you have thought about, have done, find intriguing, or are not interested, please join the conversation and share your thoughts!

Photo by @Acameron2 Amazing really!

Are you interested in putting a tree in your tank?
We encourage you join the discussion below!

Mangrove trees need a lot more space than a tang, imo. That tree will need more light and a bigger tank sometime in the next 20 years. That could lead to a serious upgrade, and that's what I'm waiting to see! GL!

 

[Itsadeepbluesea]

I don't have one in my saltwater tank, as I didn't want to have to keep cleaning salt off the leaves, but do have one in my freshwater tank and then one in a tank with just soil in it.

 

[DHill6]

I enjoy bonsai so I know I will eventually have a mangrove, even if it’s a tank just for the mangrove and some fish since I like my tanks on the smaller side. I think it would be really cool. Here’s my favorite tree I own.

I I wouldn’t want a mangrove, can’t bonsai it easily. Very nice!, I also bonsai, here’s my favorite 45+ yrs tri color Japanese azalea

 

[Fish_Fry]

I haven't seen many examples that look good or natural IMO. I recognize a reef tank might not mirror nature but most tanks have a congruencey about them. Whereas a tank with a couple of sticks with a small handful of leaves, (looking like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree) coming out of what appears to be a deep reef looks disjointed, at least to me.

Visually I also don't like how they look when illuminated with two different light temperatures.

That said at some point I want to do a FW paladarium. The difference vs a mangrove tank would be that the upper level would be heavily planted, lush and would seemlessly blend into the water portion.