Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)
Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
Using Mangroves/nitrate reduction
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saltaquarium.about.com/cs/nitratecontrol/a/aa051398.htm
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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There is a legend talking about the mangrove's roots being able to perforate the silicone that seals the aquarium glasses, but as far as I know nobody got flooded because of a mangove.

does anyone know where can I get a small (hopefully) mangrove and/or some caluerpa?
how much does it cost?
Ciao
Mirko
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cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-Marine-Red-Mangroves,-w...t-system._W0QQitemZ1
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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saw this on eBay
cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-Marine-Red-Mangroves,-w...t-system._W0QQitemZ1
yes, I was looking at something like that.
but for alive things I don't like to buy on internet.
even because last time I bought a plant on ebay I got some lemna minor hitch-hicking with it and I'm still fighting againt it

Ciao
Mirko
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Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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i have been looking at this for a further planned brackish tank but sources seem few in this neck of the woods i can understand your point but because this is not widely used here it limits the options available, do hopefully others may have seen something new locally try but if you ask in one of our sponsors they may be able to get it added to an order.
well I think you agree with me that lemna minor won't be a problem on my reef tank!

but delivery from UK sometimes takes a week and I don't know how the plants will react.
and then there's the \"ethic\" problem... a mangrove is a tree... and what will I do with it when it will become too much for my tank?
Ciao
Mirko
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As for the mangrove!?! Well i am toying with the option of treating it as you would a bonsai tree regular prooning of the foilage and roots this should be help by fact that this is a somewhat oppturits plant, the pods have been know to take hold on small reefs and surf thus it should with stand this treatment and the fact it seems to be commonly used in the sump suggest slow or self limiting growth.
do i would be only guessing but maybe Zig or platty252 would have some ideas on this?
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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Lesser Duckweed (lemna minor) should not be a problem
As for the mangrove!?! Well i am toying with the option of treating it as you would a bonsai tree regular prooning of the foilage and roots this should be help by fact that this is a somewhat oppturits plant, the pods have been know to take hold on small reefs and surf thus it should with stand this treatment and the fact it seems to be commonly used in the sump suggest slow or self limiting growth.
do i would be only guessing but maybe Zig or platty252 would have some ideas on this?
mmmm

intrigued.
Ciao
Mirko
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- john gannon (john gannon)
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this seems very interesting,i also looked at one of the other topics on this page about green algae which i have a bit of a problem with as ive been fighting with high nitrates and phospates for a whilenow and if is mangroves helped i would give them a go,
thanks for the link mickey
john
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just tried to pm you no joy
try putting an underscore instead of a space in your name and i will try again
Mickey
oooppppppppssssss

Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- john gannon (john gannon)
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not to sure what you mean about the underscore but i will try to pm you and you cn just reply
john
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here is a general link on mangrove topics and uses have not got through them all yet, (so much to learn so little time)
saltaquarium.about.com/od/aboutmangroves...Care_Information.htm
but maybe the Coil Denitrator might help
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- russell (russell)
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handy to know
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- john gannon (john gannon)
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can mangroves go into a tank with m/halides or are they beter off in a sump
in a coil denitrater
do the bioballs work because the water is pushed trough the coil whereas in a external filter apparently they cause high nitrates
if someone with not a lot of experience was to do a diy project cause more harm by not getting flow right[nitrites]
i know i said a few quick querstions but finally would you be able to buy one of these at hayling island and any idea of cost
john
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i have not got through all the stuff on the denitrater but i will go through it in a while and send on anything of interest
you may welll find it at hayling if there is any reps froms hagen etc do i have to say i only have seen it mention state side of the pond and an off the shelf one would require a different power rating then ours but i will look around
AS for the mangroves they grow widely in Florida and Hawaii and around the pacific so i cant see it being a problem do Russel might be a better person to answer this.
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsit...m/lib11/manstart.htm
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- john gannon (john gannon)
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thanks john
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great to hear that you got them







as these would be great for both marine and brackish tanks and would only inhanse any project that they are used in.
looking forward to hearing more on this
mickey
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- john gannon (john gannon)
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day1 nitrates=40
phosphates=0
day 2 nitates=0
phosphates=0
thanks mickey
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that is great news:woohoo:







please keep us up dated on your progress, i am sure i am not the only one who will be watching this space.
Mickey
Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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I'm getting the same result with some macroalgare (caluerpa).
a little piece of liverock with caluerpa reduced the nitrates from 20 to 0 in my 125 litres tank.
the backdraw of it seems to br that if the caluerpa doesn't have enough nutrients then it bleach and it dissolves in two days polluting the whole tank.
but I'm generous with the food so I hope this problem won't arise.
Ciao
Mirko
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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that's why i bouth on ebay some mangroves that I think I won't use.
does anyone want it?
Ciao
Mirko
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- platty252 (Darren Dalton)
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I might be interested mirko. Do you know what type they are?
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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they are 10, have roots and leaves and are btw 15 and 24 inches.
they sprout from saltwater so (I read) they cannot be used on freshwater.
the only problem. I bought them one week ago and I didn't get them yet.
isn't it funny that if you buy something from us or australia it arrives in 3 days but if you buy something from england it takes ages?
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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Great news john getting your Nitrates down.
I might be interested mirko. Do you know what type they are?
I think they are arrived (I don't want to open the package in the office).
I'll have a look at them and I let you know ok?
Ciao
Mirko
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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they are arrived.
I'll take make my experiments with 4 of them so whoever wants the other 6 here I am.
notice that some of them have no leaves yet so if someone wants to experiment them on fresh water they should (but I can't guarantie) be fine.
sorry guys the above is untrue.
once the leaves OR the roots have been developed the plant must stay on the same kind of water from where it sprout of.
nontheless I will have a goo and try two of them on my fresh tank.
Ciao
Mirko
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i was just wondering how things are going i am sure many people would be interested in knowing if the mangrove have made difference or not
Mickey
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- mirko (Mirko Bianco)
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does it help?

the plants i put on the freshwater died though...
Ciao
Mirko
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can not complain about that
Mickey
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