Very nice, a bit more manageable than that general Sherman lookalike that you were hiding behind earlier in the thread, lol.
Found a new log on the beach
- Thread starter duanes
- Start date
I recently redid my tank with stuff i collected from the local beach, sand, rocks and wood.
You can get some good stuff for free and set up a nice looking tank on a budget ive discovered.
You can get some good stuff for free and set up a nice looking tank on a budget ive discovered.
During the last month or so, I've collected over a dozen mangrove pods from the beach (in the states they would have run @$10- $20 each at LFSs).
Although they grow painstakingly slow, my plan is to test their ability as a nitrate sponge.
After putting on growth I plan to remove a large chunk of the dieffenbachia, Pothos, and other terrestrials to see if the mangrove pick up the slack.
Mangrove tree pod washed up
Today the terrestrials are quite thick, and block a lot of light (40-50% of the tank), stunting aquatic plants, and viewing ability.
Although they grow painstakingly slow, my plan is to test their ability as a nitrate sponge.
After putting on growth I plan to remove a large chunk of the dieffenbachia, Pothos, and other terrestrials to see if the mangrove pick up the slack.
Mangrove tree pod washed up
Today the terrestrials are quite thick, and block a lot of light (40-50% of the tank), stunting aquatic plants, and viewing ability.
How are you going to prove one way or the other that this plant or that plant is better than another plant? Your water change schedule leaves hardly any nitrate to prove anything, other than that water changes are the most effective method of nitrate removal.
You'd have to set up two pretty much identical tanks. You'd treat one tank as you do now, plenty of plants and plenty of water changes, and the other tank with plenty of plants and very few, if any water changes, and record your nitrate creep in both set ups.
Would that not be a more realistic approach?
Nitrate as it stands now with all the terrestrials, is undetectable.
If after removing the terrestrials, nitrate rises, I'd consider that a ballpark suggestion that the mangrove is not as good at removing it, as the other plants.
If test readings remains at an undetectable level after the terrestrials are removed, that suggests it may be a competent nitrate sponge.
Not quite a provable or acceptable method scientifically , but for my purposes adequate.
If after removing the terrestrials, nitrate rises, I'd consider that a ballpark suggestion that the mangrove is not as good at removing it, as the other plants.
If test readings remains at an undetectable level after the terrestrials are removed, that suggests it may be a competent nitrate sponge.
Not quite a provable or acceptable method scientifically , but for my purposes adequate.
Mangroves don't remove much in the way of nitrate. I had a small grove in my salt water refugium, I saw no difference in the nitrate levels. They are slow to grow but look cool eventually. Largest one I had was about 2'. Macros especially cheato did way more nitrate absorption. I had a couple in my fw pond that didn't make a difference that I could tell either, unfortunately I was doing some redecorating and damaged both of them which lead to them dying.
