Mangrove Info

[jerryc]

Will it still has not put out no leaves but i tried pulling up on it and seams to have
put out roots.

[PhatBrdr427]

Well then looks like you got yourself a thriving mangrove. the leaves should sprout out soon just like any plant.

[davejnz]

Dakar,from what i've read,they're slow growers.Because of that,they aren't as efficient as macroalgae in nutrient uptake.
When season comes around,I'll see if i cant get you a few pods.If i recall,its usually around early spring.Right now,we're getting alot of Sargassum washing up on the beach.I netted some up and found some tiny seahorses clinging to it.

[dakar]

When season comes around,I'll see if i cant get you a few pods. If i recall, its usually around early spring.

That'd be great! I just scanned ebay and there are guys selling them for like $2 a pod... pods that they collect from the shore... that's rediculous...

Right now,we're getting alot of Sargassum washing up on the beach.I netted some up and found some tiny seahorses clinging to it.

WOW! Did you return them or going to try to keep them captive?

[PhatBrdr427]

Man... your lucky... I would love to live in Florida.

[davejnz]

FL does have its adavantages for us reefers.NSW is here to collect as well as macro,inverts,etc..
I ended up letting the little pony go.A few yrs back,i kept one in one of my tanks.It lived for about a yr and when i tried to move it to a diferent tank,it died.One of these
yrs,I'm gonna setup a tank just for some of these native ponies.

[PhatBrdr427]

i mean honestly, how many can say they go to the beach and act as that being their lfs?!

[Reef_Angel]

I just got to read this entire thread, and I want it all!! I can't believe you found wild seahorses! That is just to cute. I don't know how you let the little guy go. It must be awesome to live near that kind of water and also find all the other plants and things you mentioned. Dave...next time you pull out some plants there, you have to have your camera around so you can take pics of the ponies! What kind of plant were they hanging on to? I wouldn't mind having some of that plant since the liked it so well! I love the mangroves too. Dave was just saying we should try to get a bunch and grow them around our spa. Boy, tjat would be awesome for us!

[davejnz]

Indeed that would,a bunch of mangroves growing around the spa.
As far as the type of macro the horses were on,it was Sargassum.It is a free-floating macro that washes up on the shore here seasonally.I like to collect it and use it in the garden to make a "compost tea" by allowing it to soak in freshwater for a week or two.Then i spray the plants foliage with it at night.
I am planning a fishing trip next week to Mosquito lagoon so i'll get some pics for you.It is a landlocked body of water that consists of saltwater flats(12-18" deep).This biotope is idea for turtlegrass and all other sorts of macroalgae/sealife.If you look on the map,it is adjacent to and just to the north of Cape Canaveral.The government has banned the fisherman from getting to close to the Cape for security reasons(space shuttle)
They recently just passed a law that bans motor boats from certain sections of the "lagoon" because the boats propellers leave scars in the shallow flats and alot of the seagrass has been destroyed.Mangrove shorelines,seagrass flats,and various other biotopes all work together to keep the reefs here in FL healthy.
However,the FL reefs future isn't looking very good

[dakar]

I've been curious about these plants as well for quite a while so I just ordered 15 Mangrove pods (Rhizophora sp.). Going to plant a couple in each refuge for now, maybe one in our daughter's 10g nano, the rest will get wet potted for the bay window to go around the spa. We'll see how they do. Something tells me I'll likely have to rig up some more lighting aroung the spa plants, the recessed lighting may get done in that room a head of schedule now....

Should make for a good experiment.