Visiting Key West with a reef tank at home? There is a working coral farm on N Roosevelt Boulevard, and you can walk into it. The Underwater Gardener is a licensed Florida aquaculture facility and marine life collector with a retail storefront — raceways of WYSIWYG coral, Keys-collected ricordea and inverts, and display reefs you are welcome to stand in front of for as long as you like.
The part that surprises people: you do not have to get anything home yourself. Buy the coral while you are here, and we ship it to your door the way we ship every online order — packed at the farm, UPS Overnight, on our regular Tuesday and Wednesday ship days. Your corals ride in an insulated box while you finish your vacation.
How it works
| 1. Come in | Mon & Fri 10:30am–6:30pm, Sat 11am–6pm, Sun 11am–5pm. Tue–Thu we are closed to the public — out collecting fish and running aquarium maintenance |
|---|---|
| 2. Pick your animals | Everything in the raceways is the actual animal — what you point at is what ships |
| 3. We hold and pack them | Your corals stay in our systems until the next ship day |
| 4. Overnight to your door | Standard shipping rates apply: one $15 packing fee per box, actual UPS Overnight, free over $399. Florida addresses: qualifying livestock under 6 lb ships for a flat $30 |
No airline bags, no styrofoam cooler in the rental car, no TSA conversation about why your carry-on is full of seawater.
Where we are
2816 N Roosevelt Blvd Suite 1, Key West — on the boulevard as you come onto the island, a few minutes from the airport. Directions and current hours: Visit Us.
What you will actually see
Aquacultured stony corals grown on site under Florida Aquaculture Certificate #AQ0254072, Florida ricordea and other Keys marine life collected under license, and whatever is newest on the WYSIWYG racks. If you want a preview before you drive over, the gallery and conservation page show the operation.
Traveling without the tank owner in the family? Gift cards travel lighter than coral — ask in store.
Every stony coral we sell is aquacultured at the shop in Key West under Florida Aquaculture Certificate #AQ0254072, and the photo on a WYSIWYG listing is the exact animal that ships. Corals ship UPS Overnight every Tuesday and Wednesday. If you are ever in Key West, come see the raceways.