Red mangrove

Rhizophora mangle

Also known as Red mangrove propagule, American mangrove

BrackishSaltwaterStemPlantlets

Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) — Bob Peterson · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Light: High light
CO2: No CO₂ needed
Temperature: 72–82°F; 22–28°C
Max height: 23.6 in; 60 cm

Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Background
Type: Stem
pH: 7.5–8.4
Hardness: 8–25 dGH
Spread: 5.9 in (15 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Emersed
Difficulty: Medium
Family: Rhizophoraceae
Origin: Tropical and subtropical coasts of the Americas, West Africa, and the Pacific

Overview

Red mangrove is a true tree rather than an aquatic plant, grown in the hobby from aquacultured, sustainable propagules. It suits a brackish tank, an open-topped estuary setup or a marine refugium. It is of medium difficulty.

Did you know

Red mangrove reproduces by dropping a living seedling rather than a seed. The pencil-like propagule you buy germinated on the parent tree and is already a small plant. Botanists call a plant that does this viviparous.

Caring for red mangrove

Plant the propagule root end down in the substrate, or wedge it among rock, with the growing tip and leaves above the water. Only the roots and lower stem sit in the water while the leaves grow up into the air. It slowly grows into a small tree, so it needs an open-topped tank with headroom and a light above the waterline.

Red mangrove needs bright light from above and no CO2. It takes nutrients from both the water and its roots, so it doubles as natural filtration. Marine keepers use it in refugiums for that. It handles brackish and marine water at a pH of 7.5 to 8.4 and 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C).

It grows slowly but is hardy once established. It sheds salt through its leaves, so a salt crust on the foliage is normal, and you can rinse it off every few days. Remove any leaves that drop before they rot and foul the water.

Good to know

Red mangrove belongs to the family Rhizophoraceae. It is known for the arching stilt or prop roots that hold it above the tidal mud. In a tank it grows as a single upright stem with paired glossy leaves.

In the wild

Red mangroves line tropical and subtropical estuaries, lagoons and sheltered coasts across the Americas, West Africa and the Pacific. They root in soft tidal mud where salt and fresh water mix. They are euryhaline and live in brackish to marine water.