I must be lucky, a few of the more reputable reef stores around here have an abundance of them. I know that does not do you any good, but maybe you can check stores that specialize in saltwater setups. It is to my understanding that they use them for some sort of filtration.
Mangroves?
- Thread starter evolution
- Start date
stellablu said:
It is illegal, they're so slow growing and sensitive even any cold-swings that came in it would wipe out acres of them. They're heavily protected, as they're a very important aspect to the ecosystem. One of the reasons you can't take the seed pods is because if you were allowed to there would be no point for the commerical companies that supply the aquarium trade to grow them in green houses. Then they would collect them off the shorelines and such.
They're very hard to care for, especially if you don't live in a tropical region. Once they're sprouted they can't be switched from different salinities without a long acclimation process or they will die. They also need constant misting so the salt does not clog the pores on the leaves.
I have grown the same mangroves in my tank for the last 4-5 yrs, brackish tank with salinity of 1.005 or so (range 1.003-1.007).
Most online and aquarium stores charge 5-10$ per pod/pland, which is outrageous. I got mine off ebay from a guy in hawaii who sells 12 seeds/pods for 16$ shipped. Just checked and he has sveral auctions ongoing.
There are several sites online describing germination using floating styrofoam with a hole cut in it to suspend the pod 1/2 way out ot the water. Slow process but neat. You just need enough head-room between your lights and the plant to prevent burning of the leaves. As they grow, snip off the leading meristem/growth point to "bonsaii-ify" them. You can also use rubber bands to pull down the stalk towards the trunk. I have several that have 5-6 "u-shaped" humps in the "trunks".
I have read that they do a good job of removing nitrates etc from the water, but I have my doubts. I grow them strictly for asthetic value. Someone told me once on this site (cdawson?) that they remove the magnesium from the water, so some dosing with epsom salt may promote healthier plants. I haven't done this but have noticed growth spurts after large water changes, so they do seem to remove some necessary nutrient from the water.
Most online and aquarium stores charge 5-10$ per pod/pland, which is outrageous. I got mine off ebay from a guy in hawaii who sells 12 seeds/pods for 16$ shipped. Just checked and he has sveral auctions ongoing.
There are several sites online describing germination using floating styrofoam with a hole cut in it to suspend the pod 1/2 way out ot the water. Slow process but neat. You just need enough head-room between your lights and the plant to prevent burning of the leaves. As they grow, snip off the leading meristem/growth point to "bonsaii-ify" them. You can also use rubber bands to pull down the stalk towards the trunk. I have several that have 5-6 "u-shaped" humps in the "trunks".
I have read that they do a good job of removing nitrates etc from the water, but I have my doubts. I grow them strictly for asthetic value. Someone told me once on this site (cdawson?) that they remove the magnesium from the water, so some dosing with epsom salt may promote healthier plants. I haven't done this but have noticed growth spurts after large water changes, so they do seem to remove some necessary nutrient from the water.
brackishdude said:
Yes it was me who said that, when I bought my pods I did a LOT of research on them. One of the better articles is on wetwebmedia.com, there was also a good one on richard's mudskipper page (do a search). There are quite a few articles written on Mangroves out there if you really look hard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove
There is a guy in northern that grows aquatic plants and he has at least 3 type of mangrove. Let me ask the LFS for his info.
then I will post it later.
There is a guy in northern that grows aquatic plants and he has at least 3 type of mangrove. Let me ask the LFS for his info.
then I will post it later.
Novalee said:
It IS illegal to remove them from the wild period. Commerically grown seedlings are ok to purchase though. There are parks people that are employed specifically for conservation of mangrove forests. It's a $3000 fine just for removing seedlings from the wild. Wherever you've seen otherwise is false.
