Re: Cypress and Mangroves

["Robert H" <robertph3 at attbi_com>]

>>I'd like to try Cypress in one of my tanks.  I've tried Mangroves ins
 saltwater before, with mild luck.  Usually, they put out a leaf or two,
 and never do anything more.  The leaf will drop off after a few weeks, and
 they'll just stay ther e- not rotting, just not growing.  WHen I've tried
 them in FW, they just sink to the bottom after a week and rot.  Has anyone
 had success with them in FW?  <<

The key to growing mangroves is magnesium. The Red Mangrove utilizes an
internal salt pump to exclude salt ions. This is the means by which the
plant survives the saline environment. The "pump" is a cellular process
whereby the element magnesium (Mg) is taken into the plant's cells, forcing
out sodium (Na) ions. Therefore, growing Red Mangrove in a closed system
such as an aquarium requires close monitoring of the magnesium balance as
the plants will remove not only the nitrogen wastes in the water, but
magnesium as well. When magnesium is depleted in a tank, the plants will
turn yellow or exhibit other signs of salt stress, including shrivelling.

Even in fresh water, elevated levels of magnesium are needed. Remember this
is a "tree", not a typical plant. A mangrove for the aquarium will be a very
young sappling with only two or three leaves and is not likely to get bushy
leaf growth unless the trunk becomes sizeable.

Robert Paul Hudson
http://www.aquabotanic.com