# Mangrove Forest! Brackish Riparium



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

So does anybody have any ideas for cool brackish fish that would work in a 30 or 40 breeder?


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

Hi Devin, glad to see this thread going.
Small schooling fish will be great if you can find them.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey Abdelkrim your new project inspired this idea. 

Hey I plan to get your pending 2nd box shipped out tomorrow.

I might use sailfin mollies. A small group of those might fit in a 40.


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> Hey Abdelkrim your new project inspired this idea.
> 
> Hey I plan to get your pending 2nd box shipped out tomorrow.
> 
> I might use sailfin mollies. A small group of those might fit in a 40.


Thanks, once I am done planting I'll post a video of my set up. the leather fern start taking off already, and the mangrove is adapting well to the water. so far I am at 1.004 SG.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I haven't been into a saltwater tank in a long time. What are you using to measure specific gravity?


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> I haven't been into a saltwater tank in a long time. What are you using to measure specific gravity?


I am using a simple hydrometer by InstantOcean, it reads from 1.000 to 1.032 avoid buying hydrometers that starts reading above the brackish end, or you can get a more accurate tool, the refractometer.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Alright well now I think it might end up being orange chromides (_Etroplus maculatus_) and/or celebes rainbows (_Telmatherina ladigesi_). 

I ran into something kind of cool while asking around. I read that threespot damselfish (_Pomacentrus tripunctatus_) can live happily in brackish water. Wouldn't that be cool to have a damselfish in a planted tank?!


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## problemman (Aug 19, 2005)

it would be cool but i think what would be cooler woulf be the celebes, bumble bee gobies and maybe celebes halfbeaks.

now you got me thinking about a brackish tank...


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> I ran into something kind of cool while asking around. I read that threespot damselfish (_Pomacentrus tripunctatus_) can live happily in brackish water. Wouldn't that be cool to have a damselfish in a planted tank?!


 Never heard of that, it sounds cool though, just like having molly in reef tank.
I came across this site that shows some small fish species that can live in brackish water: http://www.seriouslyfish.com/kb.php?t=ps&s=brackish


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey thanks for linking that Abdelkrim that is a great list.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here is a fun observation for my little black mangrove trees that I have, still growing in fresh water.

Black mangrove trees do not develop stilt roots the way that red mangroves (_Rhizophora mangle_) do, but they do grow these _pneumatophores._










Pneumatophores probably help the mangrove trees to improve oxygen uptake in strongly anoxic substrates. Cypress knees might have a similar function.

It takes a while for the pneumatophores to develop. I only began to see them a few months ago on my plants, but I have been growing them in riparium planters for a couple of years. You can see that the tree has a pretty substantial little trunk about 5/16" thick. At first I thought that they were just wayward roots, but they kept growing and it was clear that they were the pneumatophores.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This shot shows the foliage on that 2-year old black mangrove plant.










Nothing too remarkable about the leaves on this plant... Like most kinds of mangroves, black mangrove has leathery leaves.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I am starting to move stuff around to make room for this setup, so this won't be a "pre-journal" for much longer.

I have some fun fish ideas in mind!...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Last night I moved some more things around to make room in the 40 breeder. I can start getting the mangroves into there soon. I am not going to add salt right away because I want to spend some time conditioning some livebearers in the first, but I can work on growing up the mangroves some more anyway in the meantime. 

I would like to try to get more mangrove species too. It would be great to get some red mangrove started.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

A plant order arrived yesterday with the _Cryptocoryne ciliata_.

It will be interesting to try this plant and see if it will really grow in brackish water.


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## Hobbes1911 (Mar 2, 2009)

what about "freshwater" flounder?
Or lima nigrofasciatus?
And depending on the set up im sure you could also try a moray eel.... but I think I agree that a school of fish would look cool. And the eel was only a semi serious suggestion.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's funny you mention _Limia_ because I was just reading about those. That is an interesting idea for this setup or I might also consider some for my 50 that I am redoing.


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## Hobbes1911 (Mar 2, 2009)

yea they would be rather cool ... and a shoal would definitely work.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Have you ever kept them?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey there are some _L. vitatta_ on AquaBid.com right now. I might have to jump...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I sent that AquaBid.com seller a message. I hope that I can get those _L. vittata_.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I was just reminded about an underwater plant that is a true brackish water denizen. I want to note it here quick before I forget...


_Ruppia maritima_, widgeon grass

I have looked around but haven't seen any kind of commercial availability for this plant. It sure would be cool to find it somewhere and try it out.

Here are Google results...

Google: _Ruppia maritima_


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Finally I cleared some space and got the tank set up. This is a 30 breeder.










I have these really great manzanita stumps that I am going to use in here. I have not yet had them in an aquarium and I stuck them in there to start leaching the organics out and get them to sink.

Now I need to go get some aragaonite sand for the bottom of the tank.

This is going to be a simple setup with some nice fish and plants.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I've been waiting to see something like this develop for a while. Keep us updated!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey Chris I haven't heard from you in forever. Do you have any new aquarium projects in the works?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Hey Devin. School has been really busy, finals are coming up in two weeks, and I go to China a week after that. Two days after I get back I start summer class :roll_eyes:, but I'll only be taking one class, so I'll have considerably more time on my hands. Nothing right now though; I'm hoping to clean out this weekend all of the overgrown emersed stauro (which is flowering) from my 3 ft. iwagumi that I never really got running fully. Probably will just have some coffeefolia in there with some fish this go around, same scape.

But yeah, school along with all of the organizations I'm in takes a lot of time, so I haven't been around here much lately. I'm really fascinated that you've gotten you mangroves to grow the pneumatophores. Pretty inspiring to see that in mangroves that are grown indoors.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

It sounds like you have plenty on your plate. I am sure you will have more awesome scapes for us when you have the time and space for that again, but that is great to go out and do those other things. You should do as much of that kind of thing while you are young and don't have all kinds of obligations all over the place. What are you doing in China?

Yeah I was surprised to see those pneumatophores developing on the *black mangroves* too. It took a couple of years for the plants to grow to size and start developing the pneumatophores. I really want to get some *red mangrove* going as riparium plants and encourage their stilt roots to form. I understand that *white mangrove* will also develop pneumatophores. I have just one of those that's 18 months or so old and ~14" tall, but I don't see any pneumatophores yet.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

...picked up a 40 lb. bag of aragonite sand tonight.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Those manzanita stumps are slowly taking on water, but still floating. The water is pretty well stained with tannins. I think I will switch out the water, add the sand and then shoot some pictures.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I got a new series of shots and I am backing up a bit. Here is the tank with water 'n nuttin' else. I'll have more soon.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey here is some more headway.










I love the look of that white aragonite sand.


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## AquaStudent (Jan 4, 2011)

This tank is going to look amazing! I'm really excited to see how it turns out

subbed 

I agree with you that the white sand looks fantastic.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

AquaStudent said:


> This tank is going to look amazing! I'm really excited to see how it turns out
> 
> subbed
> 
> I agree with you that the white sand looks fantastic.


I will do my best. I think that I have some pretty nice plants to put in there.

I am working on more new photos right now.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

OK here it is with the manzanita stumps that I plan to use.










The two biggest stumps are still absorbing water, so I had to use a couple of rocks to hold them down in the meantime. I will rearrange them some more to find a good scape. I have had these pieces of driftwood around for a while and I wondered when I would ever be able to use them.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Hey, that looks great. I've always loved the look of a freshly set-up saltwater/ brackish aquarium.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I love that clean white sand. I hope that I can keep it tidy.


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> So does anybody have any ideas for cool brackish fish that would work in a 30 or 40 breeder?


 a group of 5-6 red chromides would be awesome!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I think it would be cool to use just a couple of chromide cichlids maybe in combination with a larger group of something else. Do you know where to get chromides?


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> I think it would be cool to use just a couple of chromide cichlids maybe in combination with a larger group of something else. Do you know where to get chromides?


 the store i work at has them. were in PA tho. we do ship fish all the time. email [email protected] to get a price!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey thanks for that tip! I have heard of your store before.


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> Hey thanks for that tip! I have heard of your store before.


 really wow cool all the way in wisconsin


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

As it is, the driftwood looks quite like the ribcage of some fossil beastie.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I can't wait to start getting some fish.

I am inclined to use the orange chromide cichlids (_Etroplus maculatus_). Hopefully I will see some fun behavior from them and they are nice and brightly-colored. I am going to email that store in PA about them.

I wonder about sailfin mollies (_Poecilia latipinna_) too. Does anybody know where to get some nice sailfin mollies?


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Aquabid has some nice ones! Full marine mollies some how look different that fresh water ones...they are larger.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yeah that would be good to look there. I might also be abel to trade with some of the livebearer people that I know from the ALA.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I am writing a series of blog articles with more detail about this setup for the AquaBotanic.com blog. Follow this link to read the frist entry...

*Mangrove Riparium Journal - Article #1 of 4*


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Don't forget to check out that article that I link above. It took me all day to write it.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I hope to work on this project some more tomorrow or maybe even tonight in the middle of the night.


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> I hope to work on this project some more tomorrow or maybe even tonight in the middle of the night.


 what are these?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Those are mangrove leather fern, an excellent riparium plant.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I want to get some updated pictures of this tank, but now the water is all stained by the manzanita stumps and I feel compelled to drain it all and replace with fresh. Ugh. I need a longer hose so that I can siphon right to the basement floor drain.


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## matt12 (Jan 16, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> I want to get some updated pictures of this tank, but now the water is all stained by the manzanita stumps and I feel compelled to drain it all and replace with fresh. Ugh. I need a longer hose so that I can siphon right to the basement floor drain.


 thats why i got a 50' python. cant wait for picks!!!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I might have pictures tonight. I need to find a garden hose all that stuff is packed away.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here is another really great mangrove that I plan to use in the tank, white mangrove (_Laguncularia racemosa_). I currently have it going in my 11-4G riparium setup but it is growing fast and getting too big for that tank. It has these great paddle-shaped rubbery leaves.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's another view of that same white mangrove. I wish I had more of them. I started out with quite a few of the little propagules about a year-and-a-half ago, but I gave them away/sold them all.










This is a really cool plant. When I grow it in the brackish tank it will be important to remember to rinse the salt from the leaves every couple of days. Even growing in the freshwater setup it has salt accumulation on the leaves from the little bit of salt in our tapwater and the ferts that I add. You can see the salt as the little bit of glistening on the leaves.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I keep running into new unusual strange plants that are possible candidates for this setup.

I was just reminded about an especially weird tropical aroid that grows in swampy riverbank forests in South America, _Montrichardia arborescens_. It grows into a weird small tree and forms dense stands in the water. Just look at these image search results...

Google: _Montricharida arborescens_

Sometimes it is hard to find commerical sources for odd tropicals in the US, even though nurseries in Australia and Indonesia and places like that have them, but there is apparently this place in Florida that has this plant...

http://www.tropilab.com/mokomoko.html

I gotta get this plant and try it out in this tank. Supposedly it can grow in brackish water too. It will eventually get way too big, but I should be able to manage it for a while and maybe prune it back. 

Here is a Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Montrichardia_arborescens) image of W. arborescens showing the foliage and spathe...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Finally last night I made some more time to set this tank up for some picture-taking. It took while for those manzanita stumps to sink and to stop staining the water so much.










I have some really great plants in here. The mangrove trees are all nice and big, but the _Bacopa monnieri _and the leather ferns need to grow in some more. I look forward to tracking down some fish. It is getting closer to ready.


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

Great job as usual..
how far is the light from the plants?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks Abdelkrim! The light is just right above them. I need to update the lighting. It is just a single HO T5 lamp + reflector but I think that these plants will need two strips.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's the FTS.


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## x2h (Dec 23, 2008)

every time i look at it, i am amazed that you can grow a big plant from such a small container...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

A lot of people comment that the plants must get to be rootbound in the riparium planters. Those planters really aren't so small. Each one holds more than 1 cup and the plants obviously are not limited by water. The roots also start to get out into the water through the drain holes in the bottom and that helps the plant to uptake more nutrients too.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey like I said there are some really fascinating plants in here. 











A. Hawaian hala tree screwpine, _Pandanus tectorius_
B. black mangrove, _Avicennia germinans_
C. _Bacopa monnieri_
D. white mangrove, _Laguncularia racemosa_
E. leather fern, _Acrostichum danaeifolium_
F. _Cryptocoryne ciliata_

There sure are a lot of cool plants that grow in mangrove swamps that's for sure.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Does anybody have any fish ideas? Now I am not so sure that I want to use brackish water inhere; the plants are all happy growing in freshwater. 

My current favorite idea is sailfin mollies. I could keep those in bracksih ir fresh. What do you think?


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

I say go brackish with bumble bee gobies. I'm sure they'd love the sand and the shade.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I like bumble bee gobies a lot, but I was imagining something larger and very active.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Looks great! You should start going w/ some rimless tanks already Devin! 

I'm not a fan of livebearers so I'd go for something like, scats, always thought they looked cool


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

Archer fish?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> Looks great! You should start going w/ some rimless tanks already Devin!
> 
> I'm not a fan of livebearers so I'd go for something like, scats, always thought they looked cool


Thanks! Most of my riparium setups are in rimless tanks.

Don't scats get really big?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Lil' Swimz$ said:


> Archer fish?


I have heard that archer fish like to jump, and with this open top setup they would also spit water all around the room.


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

Hey how about a Figure 8 puffer?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

There are a lot of possibilities on that page that Shrimpo linked before...

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/kb.php?t=ps&s=brackish&p=6


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

Oh, shoulda read the whole thread. Heh heh. Sorry.


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> There are a lot of possibilities on that page that Shrimpo linked before...
> 
> http://www.seriouslyfish.com/kb.php?t=ps&s=brackish&p=6


Well here is another one: http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Category:Fish_-_Common_names_(Brackish)
keep it brackish.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I think I'm gonna go with the sailfin mollies if I can find some.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

hydrophyte said:


> they would also spit water all around the room.


hahahahaha! I just imagined little fish in your tank with tiny jets of water shooting out of it lol. That would be the funniest site :hihi: I also like sailfin mollies. You can get some really beautiful ones. Much more beautiful than the average lfs black or dalmatian mollies :thumbsup:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey there's CL again back from his adventures around the world.

I wonder what the smallest archerfish species is(???). Most of them get too big for regular aquariums, but it seems like there is one that only grows to 3" or 4".

Are there any loaches that are associated with estuary habitats. I like loaches a lot.

I'm shopping on Aquabid right now. There are quite a few unusual livebearers on there...more than there were last time I looked.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey well one seller on Aquabid has green chromides and they're cheap too.

I think I like the look of the greeen chromides better than the orange chromides. I understand that the green is the true wild coloration, and that the orange is a selected aquarium strain. Is this right? Compare the difference.....

Google: "Green Chromide"

vs.

Google: "Orange Chromide"

Which do you like better?


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

I don't know if the orange is wild coloration or not but the green chromides looks better.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I agree but hte problem with the greens is that they grow to 15" long, while the oranges only reach 3-4". I'll only be able to keep the greens--the one sale that I saw described 1.5" fish--for a while and then I'll have to rehome them.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey here's another shot with a different view. The plants look pretty thick from this angle...


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## aquariumluvr (Aug 6, 2010)

Thought I'd post a picture of some red mangroves. You can also see the white mangrove roots poking up everywhere. Good luck on the fish selection!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey thanks so much for posting up that picture. That is so cool! I hope I can get to Florida again sometime.

Hey I got a new YouTube video put together here is the link...

*YouTube: An Introduction to Planted Ripariums - Riparium SupplyTM*




*


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I think that this post makes *5,000* for me.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

CONGRATS! This makes post *2,891* for me!


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## luke20037 (Jan 24, 2010)

hey i saw a thread on the vivarium section and he had archer fish, he had a video on youtube and they was awsome! dont know if you have yet but can we see a pic of your tank room yet?!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Da Plant Man said:


> CONGRATS! This makes post *2,891* for me!


Whoot!!!! Post # *2,891*!!!!!! :bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:



luke20037 said:


> hey i saw a thread on the vivarium section and he had archer fish, he had a video on youtube and they was awsome! dont know if you have yet but can we see a pic of your tank room yet?!


That was probably Adeeb's setup. He really did that right and he put amazing fish in there.

Archers would not work for this setup of mine. The tank is too small, plus I have heard that they jump so open top would be no good.


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## giga (Dec 7, 2007)

Just FYI and I think you may notice this but mangrove export salt through there leaves and every few days with my full salt water tank I had to spray them with a mist bottle(doesn't rain in my house:hihi. I think whites export salt through pores under the leaves right where they connect to the stem. Since this is brackish may not be that bad though. 

black mangrove salt exporting through leaves


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks yes I am planning for that if I end up adding the salt. I'm still not 100% sure that I am going to make it brackish. I might keep it going with freshwater.

It really would be nice to do a brackish riparium setup in a real tall tank because you could set it up with a misting system to rinse the leaves _and_ because you could keep mudskippers and/or archers, which would not work in this kind of open-top riparium.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

looks awesome dude. Great work.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks! this is my last best shot of the tank. Maybe I will make time to work on it some more this weekend.


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## narhay (Feb 28, 2007)

Very unique. I'd like to see it in 6 months when things have grown in.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

It shouldn't take too much longer to start looking full. Those leather ferns are gorwing real fast.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Looks great...I am tempted to copy it sometime, I'd love to have a mangrove tank


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

These plants are a lot of fun that's for sure.

There are a number of really weird and interesting fish that live in brackish envrionments and there are weird and interesting plants that do too.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Yeah I was talking to a friend today who used to keep a brackish tank years ago in his dorm room of all things. I mentioned your tank to him, so he may chime in here.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

You know the coolest new plants that I have been trying out are _Pandanus_ screwpines. I have a smallish _P. tectorius_ "Hawaiian hala tree" screwpine going in here. This plant can apparently grow in brackish swamp conditions. Look at the crazy prop roots that _Pandanus_ grow...

*Google Image: Pandanus*


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I might be moving this planting into my 50G rimless setup. This will be a real pain because that tank currently has the "Slot Canyon" layout with everything in it, but this mangrove tree riparium planting is looking good and I want to set it up better for taking pictures.


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## luke20037 (Jan 24, 2010)

i agree it will look more natural in a rimless tank, a rim seems to restrict the flow between water and plant, rimless takes your eyes away from the fact there is glass at all


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Well now I am changing my my mind again. I think I better leave that 50 as it is because I do have some pretty cool fish in there and because I wanted to spruce up the planting some more. There is one other stand in the shop that I might better use for the mangrove setup.

Here is a _Limia _and a _Thoricthys_ that I currently have in the 50. These are real nice fish.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

hydrophyte said:


> You know the coolest new plants that I have been trying out are _Pandanus_ screwpines. I have a smallish _P. tectorius_ "Hawaiian hala tree" screwpine going in here. This plant can apparently grow in brackish swamp conditions. Look at the crazy prop roots that _Pandanus_ grow...
> 
> *Google Image: Pandanus*


 
Oh man, if you can get some roots like that growing, that would look amazing...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

My two little plants are already starting to grow those prop roots.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Still no fish for this setup...but I did just read this interesting article...

*AquaBotanic.com: Brackish Fish of the Amazon by Neale Monks*

Those fish sound intriguing, but mostly they either grow too big or just aren't so appealing to me.

I still hope to track down some chromide cichlids somewhere.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have neglected this project, but just scored a group of six sheepshead minnow (_Cyprinodon variegatus_) on AquaBid.com.

This is a really cool fish and I can't wait to see them. I am surpised that I did not run into them in my research before. Check 'em out...

http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=sheepshead%20minnow&oe=utf-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I am cleaning this setup right now--it had grown a lot of algae. Those killis might get here later this afternoon.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey I _finally_ got back to work on this thing...










I moved the whole planting into this 65G and I think I like this better. The _C. variegatus_ killis are in there too! I need to take some time to get pictures of them they are very cool.


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## HX67 (Jul 15, 2010)

Wow!
I like the Senskeish photography on this one. Proportions, also.
All it needs is some very small plant around the roots on the bottom and it's perfect.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks! Yes I don't plan on using any underwater plants, but it will be a nice active fish display once I round up the rest of the fish.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's another view of the foliage in here. This setup has some really nice plants.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Look here's another view of the pneumatophores on one of my larger black mangroves. They have grown bigger and also started to sprout many fibrous roots. I moved the plant temporarily into my 50G for better picture taking.










That fish is the ultra-rare mangrove betta (_Betta fooledya_).




*


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have a couple more shots of those pneumatophores kicking around here. Here you can better see those fibrous roots that started growing from them.










They make a neat effect from the top too.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Beautiful setup Hydrophyte! I like the tropical airyness feel of it. Judging your above tank picture, I am not the only one who likes to mist my riparium plants before photoshoots? Or am I?

That betta looks amazing! Stunning colors.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks Jake. This will be looking really good when I can finish stocking the fish.

Yep if you mist the foliage before picture-taking it really accentuates the colors. I mist those mangrove plants every couple of days too because they accumulate salt on their leaves.


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## giga (Dec 7, 2007)

how long it take to get those pneumatophores mine just hit the one year mark, han't seen any roots yet


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

My plants were almost two years old and 24" tall when they started to grow the pneumatophores.


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

Bumble bee gobies would be epic if you could keep the tank brackish for them


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## giga (Dec 7, 2007)

do you trim your mangroves, because mine grew to 4 feet and I trimmed it down to 12", there up to three feet again-these grow like crazy-also what do you have yours growing in? I wish mine would grow pneumatophores


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I think I have enough fish ideas for now. I picked another one last night--I'll take pictures pretty soon--and I am going to add the orange chromides too.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

giga said:


> do you trim your mangroves, because mine grew to 4 feet and I trimmed it down to 12", there up to three feet again-these grow like crazy-also what do you have yours growing in? I wish mine would grow pneumatophores


I have trimmed them some, but I try to not take off very much. They don't like to be pruned. Do you ahve black mangroves? They should grow the pneumatophores eventually. Mine had trunks a little bigger than a pencil when they started to grow the pneumatophores.


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## giga (Dec 7, 2007)

Yeah I have red, white black and even have some small leaf Orange mangroves on the way. My blacks don't seem to mind being prunned, guess I just have to wait for the roots,also is it sand your growing them in


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Where the heck are you getting orange mangrove?

I have mine growing in riparium planter gravel, which is a baked clay kitty litter tupe substrate. Sand is probably fine too so long as there is good root fertilization. I also try to bury some regular topsoil down in the planters and they seem to like that too.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Gorgeous tank, beautiful selections


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I just tried looking for it again...there is a website from Austria that sells mangrove propagules from many different species from all over the world...gotta look some more so I can find it.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This is the plant that I really, really, really, really want to get...

*Google: Montrichardia arborescens*






*


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

That would be so sweet


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I should be able to find it if I look around hard enough. That plant does grow into a small tree, but I ought to be able to control the size by pruning back the leaves as they get too big.

Here's that (archival) picture that I linked before...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I was just reminded about another plant that sure would be fun to try in this setup...

*Aroid.org: Aglaodorum griffithii*

There's no place to get that here in the US. I wonder if I could find somebody in Indonesia willing to sell and send seeds(????).

It is not an especially attractive plant, but it is botanically cool. It looks a lot like the easy to find _Cryptotocoryne ciliata_ and grows in the same river estuary habitats.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Look! I got a few pictures of the _Pandanus tectorius_ that is growing freshwater in the koi pond at our local botanical garden.










Pretty cool huh? I have a couple pictures of the foliage too.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's a picture of the top of that plant. You can see pretty well the way that the leaves are born in a spiral pattern...










And here is most of the whole plant squeezed into this frame...


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Awesome looking plant


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yep it's quite a plant isn't it? 

My little plants have a ways to go before they grow up big like that.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

LOL, might be hard on the tank and roof though.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I should be abel to keep it going for a few years more as ahouseplant when it gets too big for the riparium. _Pandanus_ make good houseplants.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I am going to re-do the lighting for this setup. I have been using an old Coralife CF fixture jury-rigged not very well.

Just today I picked up another one of those economical 36" hydroponics T5 strips...








(https://www.horticulturesource.com/images/cache/large_thumbnail/904301.jpeg)

...and I am going to hang of them up together. I got that fixture for just twenty-seven bucks. The reflectors are $17, so I can put together the whole deal with two strips for about $90 plus a few dollars more for the hanging hardware.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Sweet deal, great shopping


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yep I hope to have the new lighting hung up in just a day or two. Then I can get some better pictures of the setup two. 

I still just ahve those _Cyprinidon_ killis in there. I still gotta track down the orange chromide cichlids.

The plants are mostly looking good and adapting to the rising water salinity. The white mangrove looks a little sad but OK. I need to get a hydrometer for more accurate measurements.


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## plecostomouse (Jun 9, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> That fish is the ultra-rare mangrove betta (_Betta fooledya_).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


cureses i have fallen pray to yet another bad joke!!
nice tank too.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks! Haha, gotcha!

We have a holiday here in the US today and I hope to work on this tank some more.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

I would suggest getting a refractometer instead of a hydrometer. Hydrometers are notoriously inaccurate and inconsistent.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

For now I am just using a rough target based on the amount of Instant Ocean added per volume of water. I have been slowly working it up with water changes and now it is up to almost 1/2 cup salt mix/5 gallons water, which should put the specific gravity at almost 1.0025.


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## giga (Dec 7, 2007)

I agree get a refractor and make sure you only top up with fresh water and not salt water


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I think I'll do OK for now with just generous weekly water changes with measured amounts of salt mix and top offs with plain tapwater.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

That's workable.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yep I think so. A brackish tank does not need to be in a narrow range the way that a reef tank does.


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## giga (Dec 7, 2007)

That's very true because braxkish waters tend to fluctuate withthe tides so it like nature.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey everybody please check out this thread that I just started over in General Planted Tank Discussion. I have been fighting some important misconceptions about planted ripariums and I hope to clear up a few ideas with posts in that thread.

*Persistent Myths about Planted Ripariums*

I should turn that into a magaizine article someday too.


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

How do you keep that Mangrove from growing into a 50' tree? Do you root prune?

I see from one of your previous posts that it is several years old.


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## deleted_user_12 (Aug 21, 2011)

dude more PICSSSS


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Sharkfood said:


> How do you keep that Mangrove from growing into a 50' tree? Do you root prune?
> 
> I see from one of your previous posts that it is several years old.


It does not grow super fast. I control the height by pruning the newest leaves on top. This causes the plant to branch and grow more bushy. Yo uhave to be careful with mangroves to not take off too much because they do not like to be pruned. 



fishman333 said:


> dude more PICSSSS


Yep I am working on a better light fixture so I can get better pictures of the whole thing.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I was working on this setup some more today. I have had it set up provisionally on a make-shift stand, but I want to get it onto a better stand.

I am going to make another stand of this kind of construction...










However, I am going to just use some of these cheaper 2X4s that I have around here and I plan to just paint them. I might use a blue or a purple paint.

The plants and the fish are still looking good. I'll get an updated FTS when I get everythign put together with the new stand.


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## HX67 (Jul 15, 2010)

Hi, Devin.

You still got this tank up and running? If so, we (I) would love to see an update of how your plants are doing. And some data of the salinity you work with.

Also, I'm working up courage to prune my black mangroves. They have grown their way up to the lid of the tank and I suppose they should start branching and thicken up a bit if I cut the tops off? 
They are very thin, barely holding their own weight up right. Too little light or what?
Any directions?

Thanks!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Finally after all this time I have a new photo update.

This tank was semi-neglected for a long time, but I fixed it up and now it looks better.

This shot shows the foliage pretty well. There are six different mangrove species (four trees and two herbaceous plants) in there.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice! Maybe one day you'll have some sizable trees in there! haha


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Gosh I haven't seen CL on here in a long time.

I hope to keep most of those plants shorter with pruning. Red mangrove hates pruning, but it also grows very slowly.


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## flowerfishs (May 6, 2009)

Another fancy Riparium tank!


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## HX67 (Jul 15, 2010)

Great!

Eagerly waiting for more details on your water conditions and fishies.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

flowerfishs said:


> Another fancy Riparium tank!


This one isn't so fancy, but I have some nice plants in there.



HX67 said:


> Great!
> 
> Eagerly waiting for more details on your water conditions and fishies.


Hi Timo! I'll try to post more soon. I am trying to work on this setup a little more every day. Here are a couple more quick pictures.










Here is foliage on the new _Rhizophora mangle_.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This is really cool. Here are the stilt roots on the _Pandanus tectorius_. This is my favorite plant in here.


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## Obakemono (Dec 23, 2011)

The only reason that mangroves grow in brackish to salt water is they grow so slowly they cannot compete with faster trees. Freshwater is fine for them. When I was in school in Florida we did allot of studies on these trees. The Indians used to collect the salt off of the leaves (that is how they get rid of excess salt from the water). I like what you have done with these trees.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Obakemono said:


> The only reason that mangroves grow in brackish to salt water is they grow so slowly they cannot compete with faster trees. Freshwater is fine for them. When I was in school in Florida we did allot of studies on these trees. The Indians used to collect the salt off of the leaves (that is how they get rid of excess salt from the water). I like what you have done with these trees.


Yep they all grow just fine in freshwater too. Before setting up this tank I had all of these in regular freshwater.

I spray these plants down with RO water every few days to rinse away the accumulating salt residue.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm trying to get this tank into better shape. The plants are looking good, but it needs more fish. 

I have been watching AquBid for more native US killis because there is a seller there who catches them in Florida. They include some really cool little fish. There is currently an auction for _Lucania goodei_. This is an especially pretty fish that resembles white cloud mountain minnows. It's funny it's not a popular aquarium fish--people just don't appreciate native US fish.

I am trying to figure out the habitat preferences of _L. goodei_. I have run into some sources that cite it as using brackish habitats, but most describe instead clear freshwater streams as preferred habitats.

Look at this Creative Commons (http://eol.org/data_objects/17428292) picture of _L. goodei_.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have a pretty cool new plant coming with an order next week. The mangrove spider lily (_Hymenocallis latifolia_) grows in mangrove swamps and tolerates moderately brackish water. 









(Wikimedia Commons image: http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kubanische_weisse_bluete.jpg)


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

that flower is sick. hope to see your pics of its bloom in due time.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yeah I hope it will grow. A disadvantage with that species is that it grows really big, to 48" tall. The other _Hymenocallis_ that I have, such as H. _traubii_, are better riparium choices because they only get to 14" or so tall.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Nice choice in fish, if you do decide to get them. I have them in my freshwater 75 gallon currently, but I have no idea if they can tolerate brackish. You could also go with some wild sailfin mollies, which are really nice, but that might not be what you're looking. They've got a beautiful brown coloration, and actually loosely school together in my aquarium!

This is a really cool project, I love all of the plants in this tank.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

Double post...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

rainbuilder said:


> Nice choice in fish! I currently have some in my freshwater 75 gallon. I don't know if they could be brackish though. You could go with some wild sailfin mollies, which have a beautiful tan coloration and a unique pattern that could for sure go brackish. Mine actually school loosely in my aquarium!
> 
> All of the plants in this tank are really great. I love the mangroves.


Which fish do you mean? The _Lucania_? I was advised against keeping thos ein brackish water and they would probably get beat up by the flagfish and the _C. variegatus_. I want to track down some other lively brackish-associated killi, such as [I]Adinia xenica[/I].

Yeah these plants are really great. I want to add a larger _Cryptocoryne ciliata_ too. I have one in there, but it is down in the shade and only 3" tall and I don't think it will grow like that.


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

hydrophyte said:


> Which fish do you mean? The _Lucania_? I was advised against keeping thos ein brackish water and they would probably get beat up by the flagfish and the _C. variegatus_. I want to track down some other lively brackish-associated killi, such as _Adinia xenica_.
> 
> Yeah these plants are really great. I want to add a larger _Cryptocoryne ciliata_ too. I have one in there, but it is down in the shade and only 3" tall and I don't think it will grow like that.


Yes, the lucania. I guess I didn't read that part.

Those Adinia are really nice! I think they would compliment the scape really well. The pupfish are really nice as well.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

The pupfish are really cool. The males have the most incredible iridescent turquoise coloration and they are super lively in the tank. I am surprised that they are not a more popular aquarium fish. I suppose most of our native fish are underrated. Where did you get your _Lucania_?


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## rainbuilder (Sep 21, 2011)

I got them, my mollies, and my swamp darters from another kid (wild caught) in Florida. His username on here is trogdorslayer22. My favorite of the three is the swamp darters, even though I hardly see them. I think I'll have to set them up their own biotope aquarium sometime, with a bunch of leaf litter and tannins.

I'd really like to see the pupfish! It'd be really cool if you posted pictures of them. Or maybe you did and I didn't see them.


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## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

The spider lily should look great. They happen to grow wild not far from my home. An entire section of the Catawba River south of Charlotte, NC blooms. It's an amazing sight. A state park is near the blooming site and has some pics.

http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/landsfordcanal/introduction.aspx


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

SaltyNC said:


> The spider lily should look great. They happen to grow wild not far from my home. An entire section of the Catawba River south of Charlotte, NC blooms. It's an amazing sight. A state park is near the blooming site and has some pics.
> 
> http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/landsfordcanal/introduction.aspx


Wow that is really cool. I have never seen pictures of spider lilies growing in big stands like that out in a river.

There are a number of different species of _Hymeocallis_. This new one that I am getting is _H. latifolia_ and it apparently grows in brackish mangrove areas out in nature. I bet that most of the other species would not do so well in brackish water. 

I have grown _H. traubii_ in regular freshwater tanks and it is a great plant. It's nice for ripariums because ti doesn't get much bigger than 14" tall.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

hydrophyte said:


> I have a pretty cool new plant coming with an order next week. The mangrove spider lily (_Hymenocallis latifolia_) grows in mangrove swamps and tolerates moderately brackish water.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is a large plant, I use to see it all over along the springs and swamps in Florida. More a pond plant. Bit too large for aquariums.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I just ordered some surprise new fish for this setup. I hope they will get here OK probably on Monday.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Somebody on Facebook linked this interesting video of a brackish estuary habitat in Mexico with mollies and cichlids. You can see some _Acrostichum_ leather fern growing along the edge of the water...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cIRUAHqYKQ


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

Absolutely Stunning Setup Hydro!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks. It's really not all that great right now, but I am trying to get it fixed up and looking better.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

So....did the fish get in alright yesterday??!! Pics, please!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's the box opened with fish inside. They got here 100% alive and in great shape. The seller used breather bags packed with yarn and lots of water. Now the fish are going to quarantine. I will try to get pictures.


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Well, if that picture isn't a teaser shot, I don't know what is!! Now, I'm just kinda angry about it.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

crazydaz said:


> Well, if that picture isn't a teaser shot, I don't know what is!! Now, I'm just kinda angry about it.


...more pictures on the way as soon as I can.

Here's a quick placeholder for another species that would be cool to try in here, an orchid that grows on trees in mangrove swamps!...

Google: _Brassavola perrinii _


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm tearing this thing down and putting it back together tomorrow to get it into better shape. I hope to have more pictures on the way soon.


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## greekquarist (Dec 10, 2012)

You will rebuild it...better than it was before...HURRY PLEASE! Your tanks are always so awesome!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

greekquarist said:


> You will rebuild it...better than it was before...HURRY PLEASE! Your tanks are always so awesome!


I was just working on it. I am putting the tank on a better stand. I'm using a stand of this design...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I took this setup apart, cleaned everything and then put it all back together.

Here's the tank empty again.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's a quick shot, kind of dark, with substrate, water and plants. 

The airstone was temporary. I was using all-new water and I wanted to pH-balance and mix in the salt faster. 










There are some great plants in there!


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## crazydaz (Mar 18, 2007)

Whoa!! Lovely start Devin!! Tell us the flora, and what are you planning on putting in there in terms of fauna? Sailfins?


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## greekquarist (Dec 10, 2012)

That looks great! How much water do you think is in there?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

crazydaz said:


> Whoa!! Lovely start Devin!! Tell us the flora, and what are you planning on putting in there in terms of fauna? Sailfins?


Thanks Don. Here's a quick plant list...

black mangrove
white mangrove
red mangrove
_ Pandanus tectorius_
leather fern

Yes there is a group of sailfins in there right now. I moved them in there just last night. They look rather bleached out right now but I hope they will start to color up again.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

crazydaz said:


> Whoa!! Lovely start Devin!! Tell us the flora, and what are you planning on putting in there in terms of fauna? Sailfins?





greekquarist said:


> That looks great! How much water do you think is in there?


Hey thanks!

There is probably only about 22 gallons of water in there, but I can add quite a bit of livestock because of the high water surface area to volume ration\, the broad footprint and the filtration by the plants.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I got a few plant specimen shots while putting this thing back together.

Here's the _Acrostichum_ leather fern.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

The water is clearing up!


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

that is really cool, i dig it. 

it coming along nicely


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

ChadRamsey said:


> that is really cool, i dig it.
> 
> it coming along nicely


Hey thanks so much! Here's another similar view.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I got a quick snapshot to show the fish selection in here. You can see the _Poecilia latipinna, Fundulus confluentus_ and _Cyprinodon variegatus_. The _Jordanella floridae_ are shy and they hide whenever I go near the tank. 










I really like these _C. variegatus_.


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## greekquarist (Dec 10, 2012)

Those fish look really great. I've always considered trying to make a setup for the _Cyprinodon variegatus_, but I don't know the good requirements. How big are they? THey look pretty active too. All in all, great tank.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

greekquarist said:


> Those fish look really great. I've always considered trying to make a setup for the _Cyprinodon variegatus_, but I don't know the good requirements. How big are they? THey look pretty active too. All in all, great tank.


The _C. variegatus_ are really great fish. I am surprised that they aren't more popular. Mine are looking kind of washed out, but when in breeding condition the male has stunning turquoise blue irridescense. These two that I have about 1.5" long and fat. Let me know if you want to get some and I can suggest a good source.


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## greekquarist (Dec 10, 2012)

Ok thank you. If I can finagle my way into setting up a new tank, I will let you know.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

greekquarist said:


> Ok thank you. If I can finagle my way into setting up a new tank, I will let you know.


Hey you bet!


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## greekquarist (Dec 10, 2012)

Hey Hydro, any update?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

greekquarist said:


> Hey Hydro, any update?


I'll try to get some pictures someday here.

Just today I got some more new seeds that include a mangrove-adaptable tree that might grow in here...

Google: _Hibiscus tiliacius_
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=kaNLUavaFIK6yQGeuoGYCw

I'll be interested to see how this plant does. I hope the seeds will sprout.


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## greekquarist (Dec 10, 2012)

I think I saw some of those when I was in Hawai'i. Awesome tree.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

greekquarist said:


> I think I saw some of those when I was in Hawai'i. Awesome tree.


Yeah I think I saw a few trees on the beach in Florida growing with some sea almond.


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

Hey hydrophyte what is the cheapest mangrove I could start with to see if I can grow it in my overflow? And how much would the setup be for two trees. I've been amazed by all the ripariums you have made and it's made me want to put a couple trees over my tank, I'll be setting up a dedicated led just for the trees too.


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## Meganne (Sep 3, 2012)

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/perches/MonoArgentus.php
nice set up!!
a couple of these would look cool in there


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## greekquarist (Dec 10, 2012)

Meganne said:


> http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/perches/MonoArgentus.php
> nice set up!!
> a couple of these would look cool in there


Is the tank big enough? Those get pretty large. But they are so cool!


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## Meganne (Sep 3, 2012)

I have two but they are in an 80 tall, and they are just babies right now.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

shrimpNewbie said:


> Hey hydrophyte what is the cheapest mangrove I could start with to see if I can grow it in my overflow? And how much would the setup be for two trees. I've been amazed by all the ripariums you have made and it's made me want to put a couple trees over my tank, I'll be setting up a dedicated led just for the trees too.


Red mangrove might be the best for growing in a filter. I have sen a few setups with red mangrove just growing with its roots right in the water, but the other mangroves that I have tried do better rooted in a riparium planter or something similar in a dense clay gravel substrate. Black mangrove and white mangrove would not do so well growing right in the water. 




Meganne said:


> http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/perches/MonoArgentus.php
> nice set up!!
> a couple of these would look cool in there


Yeah there is definitely not enough space in this setup. There is only about 20 gallons of water in there and the killis are plenty of fish for it.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm working on this thing again tonight!

The plants and fish look good, but it's full of a slimy brown algae. I'll get it cleaned up again tonight and get some pictures pretty soon.

I want to get some specimen shots of individual plants, but it's tricky because they are so big. I need to experiment.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's a quick update for this tank. The plants are looking good.


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## greekquarist (Dec 10, 2012)

I definitely like it. Very clean and elegant. Two solid thumbs up.


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## decal (Dec 4, 2010)

Love it. I noticed a few pages back you were interested in diamond killifish. If you're still interested I could collect you some this spring/summer. They're quite abundant near Galveston. You could also probably put naked gobies in there. I find them in the bay, but I've kept them in hard freshwater before. Feel free to shoot me a PM about it sometime.

Out of curiosity, where did you get the Pandanus?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

greekquarist said:


> I definitely like it. Very clean and elegant. Two solid thumbs up.


Thanks so much!



decal said:


> Love it. I noticed a few pages back you were interested in diamond killifish. If you're still interested I could collect you some this spring/summer. They're quite abundant near Galveston. You could also probably put naked gobies in there. I find them in the bay, but I've kept them in hard freshwater before. Feel free to shoot me a PM about it sometime.
> 
> Out of curiosity, where did you get the Pandanus?


Yeah that would be great if you could watch out for diamond killis. I have read that they can be hard to find. Naked gobies would be cool too. I want to keep this tank set up for a while longer because I really like the plants and fish. I have stuff here I can send in trade.

I got the _P. tectorius_ from a nursery in Hawaii. I have some _P. utilis_ here and it is also a very easy plant and really cool. They grow well in the riparium planters and _Pandanus_ also make great potted houseplants. 

Here are a couple more shots with better views of the foliage.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Somebody wants a magazine article about this tank. I gotta get it cleaned up and photo-ready again.

I have had a hard time trying to get good pictures of the killis. They are pretty little fish, but they look pale and washed out against the aragonite sand. I think I'll just try to get a few good tank shots, and then do some studio photos for the fish in a smaller specimen tank against a black background. They will probably look better like that.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's one of the quick shots that I got last week. I got the tank cleaned up pretty good, but I need to keep shooting. 

I really like the plants in here a lot, especially the _Pandanus._


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## johnson18 (Apr 29, 2011)

Looks amazing Devin!


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## skoram (Aug 9, 2012)

wow this is a really beautiful tank. Out of curiosity what happened to the ciliatas?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

johnson18 said:


> Looks amazing Devin!


Thanks!



skoram said:


> wow this is a really beautiful tank. Out of curiosity what happened to the ciliatas?


Thanks so much. The C. ciliata was growing well for a while, but then it fizzled. I think that it got too shady for it.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This tank is featured in an article in the current issue of AMAZONAS Magazine. I think it turned out pretty good. I tried to include some good specific information on growing the mangrove trees in a riparium setup.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Stunning publication! That looks really sharp. I love it, Devin!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks so much Chris. I haven't heard from you in like forever.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Yeah man I've been busy out of the country and in my fourth year of engineering. Still check my old subscribed threads though!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Well thanks for stopping by. Good luck finishing up with the rest of your studies.


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## Shipmonkey (Sep 7, 2009)

What do you have for lighting on the tank?


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

hydrophyte said:


> Well thanks for stopping by. Good luck finishing up with the rest of your studies.


Thanks bud! How's the tank holding up?


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## winn (Jan 7, 2016)

Sorry to revive an older thread here, but I'd be very curious to hear how those black mangroves did as they got older. Were you able to keep them small via pruning or did you replace them as they outgrew the space?

I have a seedling that's going on one year old now, and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from others' experiences with the species in a brackish setup. Here's mine:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...-brackish-lagoon-shoreline-20-gal-long-2.html


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