Mangrove filter

[bigblue141]

I'm toying with the idea of adding a 30 gallon tank or so plumbed to my sump planted with a couple of Mangrove trees. The tank will be close to gound level and will be out in the open.

I'm wanting feed back as to how well, if at all Mangroves work, and if I need to also run a DSB in the Mangrove tank as well. I'm aware that they are trees and get really big. They are all over in the FL Keys. I have read tons of stuff on the internet about them, but I just wanted to hear from someone that has actually used them with or without sucess in their system.

I have attached a VERY rough drawing of what I'm trying to write about. I was also wondering what size of return pump I should put in the Mangrove tank. I was also toying with the idea of Ting off my return line and have it gravity drain back into the sump.

I was also wondering how quickly the Mangrove trees grow. I've also read that they can release stuff into your water that SPS and LPS do not like. Is this true? and if it is, can you just use carbon to take care of it?

Thanks for the help.

Ryan

 

[returnofsid]

Mangroves do reduce nitrates, but because they're such slow growers, they don't reduce much nitrates. Chaeto would be much more effective.

 

[TotalVapor]

+1 Chaeto over mangroves

 

[reef18ster]

Chaeto is better but I use both because I like making my fuge look like a tropical rain forest.

 

[Myteemouse]

I have a very tall stand and was also thinking about adding a half dozen mangroves to the sump along with the chato thats in there..
BUT my problem is my chato doesn;t grow at all but doesn't shrink up either..
And my nitrats are less then 5 all the time.. so i think mangroves wouldn;t grow either.

 

[tat2z_21]

What is you were to have a seperate tank that recieves a trickle from the display tank and plumbed back to the refugium. I have seen a set up like this on here before and it looked really nice. All of the plumbing was hidden and nice. I believe that he had a shallow acrylic tank painted black with a input drilled and an output drilled at different heights as to alloe more water volume . Wish I could find the picture of it. I know that it was on here though.

 

[tat2z_21]

And if you do the mangrove tank a little higher there would be no need to use another pump. Just gravity feed it back to the refugium. He had his on the side of the tank and it just looked like a house plant. Very nice.

 

[tamarindthai]

no mangrove,,,,i already did try them out once,,screwed up my water chemistry big time,,JME