Where to buy mangrove plants with aerial roots?

nickmealey · May 3, 2021

Hey all,

Just curious about if you've seen folks selling mangrove plants that are bigger than just the seedlings with only a couple leaves, I can find those everywhere. Thinking about building a nano mangrove lagoon, but wondering if there's options if I didn't want to grow them out myself. I recently watched a @Bulk Reef Supply video where in the background there's a mangrove tank. The one in the center is about the size I'm after. Is that kind of plant take a few years to grow that big? I'm patient when it comes to grow coral but this would be an office tank and I'd rather not wait that long

Then of course there's tank like this one that are pretty incredible.

Ricksreeefs · May 4, 2021

I saw some on eBay that I was looking at, not sure if it’s the best place to get them. I think most stores just sell the seeds.

fish farmer · May 4, 2021

I've always been under the impression that they don't transplant well, so it is best to let them sprout from the pod.

Ricksreeefs · May 4, 2021

fish farmer said:
I've always been under the impression that they don't transplant well, so it is best to let them sprout from the pod.

Yeah the inappropriate reefers has some pretty great vids abt mangroves but basically if cant put them in saltwater if the roots are damaged.

BurlyWizard · May 4, 2021

Yes, mangroves can take a couple years to get that large. They also grow faster in freshwater, so it's not uncommon for people dedicating a mangrove tank to grow them in fresh for some time before setting up/adding them to the saltwater aquarium. In terms of buying that size, there are some ebay listings that clarify them by size, but I have only seen it specified to a 16"-20" range, nothing like what you can see in that photo. It does seem like they are growing in popularity of late, so we may get more traction. Your best success for one that size is likely to scan local forums/Facebook groups for someone nearby who could offer one up. However, I did ask my LFS to see what they could do, and they got a couple 20 inchers which I used, but still nothing that had converted from rooted seed to "tree" yet. Feel free to DM to chat more.