Mangrove Plants
Red Mango Plant
Mangrove plants have an amazing ability to remove nitrates, phosphates, and organics. Their ability to remove organics is so dramatic, some people find their protein skimmers are hardly working with mangroves present.
As people are looking for more natural look to their saltwater aquarium, mangrove plants become more attractive.
Mangroves have natural abilities to live in saltwater. Their root system pores are so tiny, they act as natural reverse osmosis and deionization systems. Mangroves can filter up to 90% of the salt before entering the roots. In addition, mangrove plants have some of the most effective salt secreting glands on their leaves.
They use the nitrates, phosphates, and organics as nutrients and they need them to grow.
If buying mangrove plants from the Internet, be sure to check whether it’s legal to own them. Florida considers them protected species while Hawaii considers them weeds. Other places will have their own laws.
If you decide to introduce mangroves to your saltwater aquarium, you can get them in one of four stages:
- Seeds with no roots
- Seeds with the start of a root system but no leaves
- Seedlings with some roots and leaves
- Seedlings with fully developed roots and leaves
Red Mango Plant
Mangroves are one of the few species of plants that actually germinate while on the parent plant (although they can germinate while detached). By the time a seed naturally detaches from its parent, it may be up to 3 feet long and have a developed root and leaf system.
The earlier in the life stage you get mangroves, the more time it’ll take to mature and see results. But it’ll also be less expensive.
Probably your best source of mangrove plants will either be local nurseries or fish shops.
Mangrove Care
Mangroves can grow like weeds, if you use VHO bulbs (Very High Output). Some people report trimming leaves and roots weekly with VHO. If you buy Mangrove seeds, you may want to use VHO bulbs to initially grow them but cut back when they’re mature.
Mangroves depend on water currents to expose them to nutrients. Your aquarium should have some way to produce currents to ‘feed’ the mangroves.
Be sure your aquarium produces enough nitrates and organics to provide enough nutrients. If not, you may have to overfeed your tank to produce enough nitrates for them to survive.
Mail Order Mangrove Plants
The mangrove plants will come in a box and has probably been traveling for a few days. It hasn’t had carbon dioxide (plant equivalent to oxygen) or been exposed to light for all that time.
One of the worst things you can do is immediately plunk it down into your aquarium. You have to take time to acclimate it properly. Sometimes the mangrove is so shocked, it can go into a dormant stage.
Remove the mangrove from the packaging, gently rinse the entire plant with fresh water, preferably room temperature.
Mangrove Placement
The funny thing is that you don’t have to put mangroves into the aquarium. Some people actually keep them in the sump or filtration system. As long as they’re put someplace where the water flows, they’ll do their job. But some pepole do like putting them directly into their aquarium.
If you bought mangrove seeds, you float them in tiny bits of syrofoam, making sure the seed is in contact with the water. Roots will start to develop first to anchor them and then the leaves.
If your seedlings already have roots and leaves, position your mangrove plant so that the roots are below the water and the leaves are above the lights. Mangroves can and do grow with ambient light but for the first few days or weeks, it’s best to keep them from too much light.
2 mangrove plants per 30 gallon should be a good balance.
Red Mangrove
Red mangroves are one of two common species used for saltwater tanks. They are quite hardy and can survive in dormancy in the water up to a year. However, once activated, they’ll quickly grow roots.
One thing that’ll astonish you is the rate the roots grow. In the wild, mangroves need to anchor themselves quickly to survive.
They tend to be longer of body than the white mangrove and they’re a better choice for deep tanks.
White Mangrove
White Mangrove Seed
Their roots grow faster than red mangroves and they tend to be shorter. They’ll also develop more hair roots than the red mangrove. They’re a better choice for shallower tanks.