Disclaimer: This page contains advertisements and/or affiliate links. We receive compensation from clicks and/or purchases made through these links. Though we may not have tested the specific product(s) mentioned, we do our best to recommend products that are beneficial to our visitors.
Mangroves for Aquarium Nutrient Control
Last updated on November 17th, 2023
Mangroves for Aquarium Nutrient Control
In this hobby, we often get ingrained in our ways of doing things. A prime example of this is using cheato in our refugiums because that's what everyone else does. Despite cheato being an efficient, low cost solution, it may not be the "best" solution. This article will look at using mangroves for aquarium nutrient control.
When using mangroves for aquarium nutrient control, it is important to know that they work so well, you may not even need your protein skimmer. Mangroves can grow in your sump, refugium, or even your main display tank! The larger they grow, the better they are at removing nutrients. Mangroves can be used to remove Nitrates, Phosphates, and a variety of other organic waste.
Mangroves VS Macroalgae
When discussing nutrient control in reef tanks, usually we talk about cheato algae. Though macro algae are sufficient for the job, there is a better worker available. Mangroves will do the same job, with a better look to them. The bigger piece is that when cheato is eaten, dies, or sucked in to a pump and dies later, the nutrients leech back in to the tank. With mangroves, this only happens if the mangrove dies or if you let the leaves fall in the water and dissolve. These leave are much easier to spot floating on the water, letting you remove them immediately.
Growing Mangroves for Aquariums
Picking a Mangrove Pod
When buying mangroves for reef tanks, it is important to know that results are not instant. You are growing a tree after all. The more roots on the seed or pod, the faster the mangrove will grow and the faster you will see results. Therefore, picking a pod with the most available roots, or even a partially grown mangrove, is ideal.
Growing the Mangrove
It is important to know that mangroves are, in fact, plants. They cannot live entirely under water. When growing mangroves, most of the roots can be underwater, but the plant itself should be above the water level. You can plant the pods in sand or even in miracle mud.
Keeping Mangroves
Lighting for mangroves is similar to a regular refugium. Mangroves like full spectrum light, preferably sunlight. Just be careful to avoid shading of the coral in the tank and keep the mangroves away from excessive heat from lights such as metal halides. Additionally, you may need to rinse salt off the leaves daily. This will prevent the leaves from dying off.
Conclusion
In the reef tank, there are a number of options available for nutrient control. Cheato and other macro algae are most common. I challenge you to step outside of the norm and try mangroves for aquarium nutrient control.
About the Author
John Krenzer
John is a Software Engineer with a passion for saltwater aquariums, as well as the founder and president of Reef Stable. He started in the aquarium hobby as a child with a 20 gallon freshwater aquarium. His interest in aquarium life grew and in 2008, John set up his first saltwater aquarium.
Today, John maintains an over 300 gallon reef tank system, consisting of a 120g reef and a 210g reef. These large tanks are contained within the same system, sharing a sump as a means to reduce total maintenance and increase total water volume.
John writes articles for the blog as a means to learn about more reef aquarium topics. These articles act as a reference for the readers as well as himself. John updates these articles frequently to provide additional information or make corrections as new information becomes available.
If you would like to request an article, tank tour article, or to collaborate, let me know via the Contact Me Page!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can mangroves live in saltwater?
Yes! Though many plants die when provided salt water, mangroves push through this. Mangroves filter out the salt and pull the fresh water and nutrients as the water enters through the roots.
Can you grow mangroves in freshwater?
Yes! Though mangroves are found most often in saltwater areas, mangroves can grow in fresh water as well.
How do you take care of mangroves in aquarium?
Like other saltwater nutrient exports, i.e. macro algae, you do not need to do much of anything to take care of mangroves. The only additional work is to spray the leaves with fresh water to remove any salt from the leaves.
Social Media