Red mangrove

Care at a glance

The red mangrove is not a coral or an alga but a genuine tree, sold as a propagule (seedling) for the refugium or paludarium. With its roots in the water and leaves above, it actively pulls nitrate and phosphate out of the tank, which makes it popular as natural water polishing.

Give it strong light and, once it forms leaves, an occasional light mist of fresh water over the foliage to rinse off salt crystals. A mangrove grows slowly but steadily into a shrub a metre or more tall; trim the roots and tip regularly, or plan to give it a bigger home in time.

Related species

• Mermaid’s fanUdotea sp.
• Shaving brush plantPenicillus capitatus
• Dragon’s breath algaeHalymenia sp.
• Sea lettuce (ulva)Ulva lactuca
• Sea grapes (ornamental macroalgae)Botryocladia sp.
• Gracilaria (red macroalgae)Gracilaria sp.