マングローブラグーン

[Giga]

Great idea for a tank!

 

Have you considered fabricating artificial mangrove roots from PVC pipe? If you need some thick and sturdy roots until your mangroves grow in, they are pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing if you are willing to be a bit of an artist.

 

I actually tried this and the roots looked good but not so much in the tank

 

 

I remember reading some thread (I think it was a poll about whether people have covers or not) and someone mentioned they had a rimless acrylic tank, but they had a cover just a few inches around the edges. Seems like an interesting idea, not too sure how it would look in person though.

 

I've been planning a tank (admittedly inspired by your idea, I should add) but I decided to keep the mangroves in an uncovered fuge immediately to the side of the DT specifically so I can keep a cover on the DT to avoid jumpers. It'll be ugly, but I plan to only keep it on the tank when I'm away at work or class. That way I can be there to rescue any carpet surfers when the cover is off (and while the tank is pretty) but won't have to worry about it while I'm away (nor will I have to worry about looks, since I won't be there to stare at the ugly screen!) What I believe you're aiming at in your tank is to have the left side be completely covered in mangroves, so when they mature their branches/trunks would form a natural screen, right? So you could just have a removable/temporary screen on the other half of the tank.

 

 

I originally had the two island idea and that they way I built the tank, and yes I was going to have the left island have a mangrove canopy. Now that I have the tank up and running I'm not sure I like the two islands. I'm thinking of having one island in the center and have the overflow hidden so it looks like a true ADA. I think when I change the sand bed i'm do this. I don't think I'll ever you a screen cover I just plain don't like it

[Giga]

So I finally got around to testing my camera on my phone-I was impressed

 

 

 

Non reef related-told my dog to get a stick and he brought a small tree back

 

He also loves to hunt crabs so anytime where go for a walk he has to stop by the water

 

I guess the htc incredible really is incredible-this being my first smart phone, it feels like i've been living in the stone ages

[acer]

this might be out of the question... but have you thought of one main island... like what you are planning on doing, but also have some smaller islands around it? I don't know how that would look in your tank or even it would look right proportionally.

[~LadyBug~]

Non reef related-told my dog to get a stick and he brought a small tree back

 

I guess the htc incredible really is incredible-this being my first smart phone, it feels like i've been living in the stone ages

that's not a dog, it's a Shetland pony, so can you really blame puppy for finding a size-appropriate toy ? j/k

i know what you mean about the phone. i've got a simple flip, and i'm amazed at what my friends can pull off with their's

[Giga]

this might be out of the question... but have you thought of one main island... like what you are planning on doing, but also have some smaller islands around it? I don't know how that would look in your tank or even it would look right proportionally.

 

Yeah i was thinking the same thing I might have a small island with a anenome or something small

[animalmaster6]

Nice!

 

I like that brittle star. Hitchhiker?

[d9hp]

Man I like your tank but I love your dog.

 

Can't wait to see this thing progress some more.

 

Sorry about the fish. I don't read Japanese nor did I translate it but I'm assuming that's what all that meant.

 

Looking forward to updates.

[Giga]

that's not a dog, it's a Shetland pony, so can you really blame puppy for finding a size-appropriate toy ? j/k

 

Man I like your tank but I love your dog.

 

 

here's a couple more pics from that day

 

Nice!

 

I like that brittle star. Hitchhiker?

 

yeah I have like 20 of them-and this guys always come out at night and he about 1" across

[animalmaster6]

Awesome dog!

 

 

I love micro brittle stars as hitchhikers. They are some of the coolest little guys.

[Giga]

nothing really to talk about but things seem to be growing

 

This guys color is coming back and the tips are growing!

 

Black mangrove growth-it's strange because one of the seeds it growing like crazy-then the one in the back hasn't even stood up yet

 

Reds seem to be growing rather quick-this is 5 days worth!!

 

added this guys and a porcelain crab but I couldn't get a good shot of the porcelain

 

I seem to have a diatom bloom

 

I also ordered some new parts for my new lighting for when I change the aqua scape- I think I'm gonna wait till after the holidays to make the huge change. By that time the blacks will be old enough to withstand a root prune/transplant. On another note I think I found a flat worm I guess I'll get a six line to curb this before it gets out of hand. It's not a malicious species but still I hate those guys

[animalmaster6]

Those mangroves are growing fast, really fast!

[Giga]

 

My wife takes some pretty good pics and then edits them cool too

[animalmaster6]

That's an awesome pic!

[fallenlordz]

just saw this thread - looks cool

[Giga]

just saw this thread - looks cool

 

 

Thanks

[Giga]

Got around to this today

 

 

 

4$ frag I'll take it

 

Fuzzy and brown as ever

 

Roots roots and more roots

 

 

Cool shots

 

 

While I was walking my dog I found these guys no idea what anemone they are but cool no the less

[Uhuru]

That is impressive growth already, I love the look of mangrove roots underwater.

[animalmaster6]

Those anemones look like tube anemones, cool!

 

 

The Mangroves look great! Definetly growing.

[M1A1]

Glad things are working out for you, Giga! Your mangroves make me envious as my three went into shock when I moved them between my tanks. Not like they have any light to grow with now anyways...

[Diskusting]

This will be interesting.

[Giga]

Doesn't seem to be a huge interest in my tank these days but I'd thought I'd update. Did a 5 gallon water change and rearranged the rock work a bit.Didn't clean the glass though

 

roots?

 

Black growth

 

In case you didn't believe, mangrove export salt through their leaves and other pores

 

The left island that I'm never quite happy with. I gonna have to let it grow for like 6 month then rearrange everything and make something more natural

 

I LOVE my right island-it doesn't look that awesome in the pic but in person it's very ADA. Right now I only have two corals, my slimmer and a zoa frag, but imagine this covered with coral?!

 

I also got bored of just having 1 fish so I picked up 5 4 bar damsels-Yep damsels. The reason why these guys, is because if you every look at nature vid you always see a group of these guys using sps stags as shelter. And what do you know as soon as I put these guys in the tank the sps became there home. It is so cool to watch them school in and out of the stag. The really funny thing is that my blue eye keep them in line and will school with them on occasion.

 

lastly-ugly FTS

[Rehype]

Thats awesome giga. Ive never seen those species before..

[~LadyBug~]

that pic of the mangroves exporting salt is amazing!!

[BytheSea]

That's cool...Plan for any other fish?

[clifford513]

Great setup...can't wait to see it when the mangroves fill in some!