Mangrove setup box thing help

[Aidanflower]

So i would like to "steal" the idea of having the mangroves in a long slender, shallow box like peters fish tank (the giant. One thats more then 1000 gallons). Instead of having it in a seperate room i would like to attatch it to the back of the tank with a pump in the over flow cover feeding water to the mangroves and on the other side a return tube that returns the water back into the tank. I would need roughly a 4 ft long, 3 1/2 wide and fairly shallow box for it. Sorry if it is hard to understand. Here is a picture from peters fish tank of the boxes. Thanks

 

[Gregcoyote]

Why couldn't you use a basic hydroponics setup? That way you could use a timer to flood then uncover the root system just like in a tidal area. Just keep it higher than your sump, then a simple pump could supply it seawater. Remember the leaves have to get soaked in a freshwater shower pretty often.

 

[Aidanflower]

I dont have room in the sump. But thats a good idea. How effective are mangroves?

 

[Gregcoyote]

Not very IMO. It's just a cool thing to do. Algae's like chaeto grow far faster, are easier to harvest and tie up nitrogen just fine.

The creative use of Algae's is where it's at for me, my algae scrubber has run over 20 years with no down time. It generates about 5 pounds of wet algae per month. That's a lot of nitrogen products being tied up.

 

[Aidanflower]

Not very IMO. It's just a cool thing to do. Algae's like chaeto grow far faster, are easier to harvest and tie up nitrogen just fine. The creative use of Algae's is where it's at for me, my algae scrubber has run over 20 years with no down time. It generates about 5 pounds of wet algae per month. That's a lot of nitrogen products being tied up.

Okay so lets say i were to make the trough box thing a fuge. Mainly for the benefit of the macro algae removing nutrients. But if i could have colonies of pods that would be great but not a necessity.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Okay so lets say i were to make the trough box thing a fuge. Mainly for the benefit of the macro algae removing nutrients. But if i could have colonies of pods that would be great but not a necessity.

That's a good idea. A refugium with algae and a cheap light is all you really need to take advantage of algae nutrient export.

 

[Rmckoy]

Not very IMO. It's just a cool thing to do. Algae's like chaeto grow far faster, are easier to harvest and tie up nitrogen just fine. The creative use of Algae's is where it's at for me, my algae scrubber has run over 20 years with no down time. It generates about 5 pounds of wet algae per month. That's a lot of nitrogen products being tied up.

I'm going to start a thread about algae scrubbers , and other nitrate removing theories ,

 

[Gregcoyote]

Dr. Walter Addy of the Smithsonian wrote the first book on the subject of using algae to treat water. It's nothing new, but I have found it to be the most sustainable method for exporting excess nutrients as I have ever found. No chemicals and like protein skimming it models natures way of cleaning water. Also reduces nuisance algae in the display tank.

 

[Aidanflower]

I'm going to start a thread about algae scrubbers , and other nitrate removing theories ,

What is the name, if you have started it

 

[Rmckoy]

What is the name, if you have started it

Algae scrubbers

 

[Aidanflower]

Not very IMO. It's just a cool thing to do. Algae's like chaeto grow far faster, are easier to harvest and tie up nitrogen just fine. The creative use of Algae's is where it's at for me, my algae scrubber has run over 20 years with no down time. It generates about 5 pounds of wet algae per month. That's a lot of nitrogen products being tied up.

What model algae scrubber and how much did you pay for it? All of the ones i see are expensive

 

[Hondatek]

You can make your own for less than $50

 

[Rmckoy]

What's the advantage of producing algae ?
Does it help export nutrients ? ( nitrate )

 

[Hondatek]

Yes it uses nutrients to grow. When you do your weekly screen cleanings you export them into your trash can or you can dry them out to make algae sheets

 

[Rmckoy]

Yes it uses nutrients to grow. When you do your weekly screen cleanings you export them into your trash can or you can dry them out to make algae sheets

Algae sheets would then be used as a food source for herbivores ?

 

[Sniperhank]

Correct, but sometimes the algae that we grow in our tanks fish won't consume and can make that process difficult. I think just throwing what you grow away and buying algae sheets if necessary is the best option.

 

[Hondatek]

All my fish love the stuff. I will even just pull some right off the screen and put it in the tank .

 

[Sniperhank]

All my fish love the stuff. I will even just pull some right off the screen and put it in the tank .

Only my lawnmower blenny cares...and he can eat it straight out of the DT where it also grows! Lol.

 

[Aidanflower]

What about a nitrate reactor? Have any of you had experience with them. What are the comparisons with them vs an algae scrubber.