How to grow Anubias species

Anubias are among the easiest aquarium plants to grow: hardy, shade-tolerant epiphytes that attach to wood or rock instead of being planted. The core of growing them is simple. Keep the rhizome above the substrate (roots can go into aquasoil, the rhizome should not be buried), give moderate light and clean, stable water, and keep the full set of nutrients available even though demand is low.

• Anubias is a hardy, slow-growing African epiphyte. It grows attached to hardscape or rooted in aquasoil, but the rhizome should stay above the substrate.

• It tolerates a wide parameter range, roughly 22 to 28°C, pH 6 to 8, and 2 to 15 dGH, and grows in low light, from as little as 10 µmol PAR.

• Nutrient demand is low because growth is slow, but a complete nutrient supply, in both the water column and the substrate, is still needed long term or deficiencies appear over months.

• Algae on Anubias (BBA in strong flow, green spot algae on old leaves in bright light) is a symptom of stress or aging leaves, not something to fix with chemical dips.

• CO2 is not required, but with CO2 injection, it produces more robust, algae-resistant plants and faster growth.

Anubias have been a staple of the planted aquarium hobby for decades. The genus is named after Anubis, the Egyptian god of the underworld and shadowlands, a fitting nod to how shade-tolerant these plants are. They are native to Africa, growing along shaded riverbanks and streams, and the hobby offers several varieties, from palm-sized species down to nano cultivars barely a centimeter across.

Anubias Varieties: Anubias barteri, Anubias nana, and Nano Types

Anubias nana petite - a smaller variety of Anubias, here in the center, attached to driftwood. Even though this tank is not on CO2 injection, it grows well. It is a very popular plant in the aquarium hobby because it is relatively easy to grow.

Larger species include Anubias gigantea, Anubias afzelii, Anubias heterophylla, and Anubias gracilis. These have leaves as long as the palm of your hand. Often, larger species are sold as smaller, baby specimens, so be aware if you intend to get a smaller plant.

Medium-sized Anubias include Anubias barteri 'nana' and its many variants and Anubias coffeefolia. Their leaves reach around 8 - 10cm in length when fully grown.

Smaller Anubias species include Anubias nana 'petite' & its variants, Anubias 'Stardust'; these have leaves around 1.5 - 2 cm long, around the size of a smaller thumbnail.

The smallest Anubias species include Anubias nana 'Pangolino', Anubias 'Chilli'; these have leaf sizes around 1cm to 2cm but are more narrow compared to Anubias 'petite'.

Variegated varietals exist for most sizes. Popular ones on the market are Anubias white, Anubias 'Pinto' and Anubias 'petite white'.

Anubias nana 'petite' maintains a small, neat shape. These plants are grown in a non-CO2-injected tank and are slightly smaller than those grown with CO2 injection.

Anubias white petite is a variegated white Anubias that stays very small. Its rarity means that it can be difficult to find and expensive to purchase.

Can Anubias Grow in Substrate, or Only on Hardscape?

At The 2Hr Aquarist, we have often grown Anubias planted directly into aquasoil. There is a popular beginner myth that Anubias, Java fern, and Bucephalandra do not grow well in substrate; the opposite is true. Given the chance to root into a nutrient-rich soil, they grow better than they do bare on hardscape, because they can draw nutrients through their roots as well as their leaves.

The one rule: keep the rhizome itself above the substrate line: roots into the soil, rhizome clear. Where the top layer of aquasoil is loose, you can wedge the rhizome into it just enough to hold the plant in place, but do not smother it.

They also grow well on hardscape, wood or rock, and do not need substrate at all; over time they root deeply into it, which can make them awkward to move, so leaving them attached to hardscape keeps them easy to reposition. That flexibility on wood and rock, and the way they blend with mosses and other epiphytes, is why Anubias are a mainstay of aquascapes, filling shaded corners where fussier plants would sulk.

What Water Conditions Do Anubias Need?

Anubias are, as a genus, very hardy and easy to grow, acclimating to a wide range of temperature, pH and hardness. They are alot more tolerant of hard water, and even a little salinity, than most aquatic plants. Because they evolved in shaded, flowing water, they are not demanding about light and grow perfectly well in shade. None of that makes them zero-effort: to keep them in good condition and algae-free over the long term, you still have to meet their basic needs. Hardy is not the same as indestructible.

Like most aquatic plants, they do best in clean, filtered water with low organic waste, which more than anything keeps them algae-free. They grow well fully submerged on hardscape, wood or rock, and do not need substrate at all; over time they root deeply into it, which can make them awkward to move, so leaving them attached to hardscape keeps them easy to reposition.

Smaller Anubias tend to be more delicate, and colored or variegated ones more so.

Anubias barteri nana growing in soil. They grow very well in soil/aquasoil as long as the rhizome is not buried. They take up nutrients well through their roots like most other plants.

Do Anubias Need CO2 and Fertilizer?

Anubias will grow without CO2 injection, which makes them ideal for low-tech setups, but adding CO2 gives more robust, algae-resistant plants and lifts growth rates significantly.

Their absolute nutrient demand is low, since a slow-growing plant does not consume much, and this is where a common belief goes wrong. You will often read that Anubias feeds from the water column and needs little to no fertilizer. Low demand is real; minimal fertilization is the wrong conclusion. What matters long term is that the full set of nutrients is available, through both the water column and the roots, not that you dose a lot of it, and low demand does not mean low importance.

Give them a complete supply and they stay healthy for years; leave a gap and the shortfall shows up slowly, as premature decay of old leaves and yellowing or off-colored new growth. Because they grow so slowly, a deficiency can take months to become obvious, by which point those old leaves are already gone.

Why Does My Anubias Get Algae?

They are prone to BBA (black brush algae) where they sit in too much direct flow, so keep them clear of the immediate blast of the filter outlet.

Contrary to popular belief, Anubias can be grown in bright light, but there is a catch. Bright light speeds their growth and exposes any weakness in nutrient access, and on a slow-growing plant with long-lived leaves it also invites green spot algae (GSA) on the oldest leaves.

Moderate lighting is the safer default: enough to keep them healthy, not so much that their leisurely growth cannot keep the leaf surface renewed. If you want the fast lane, pair the brighter light with a complete nutrient supply and CO2, or the algae will find the gap.

When algae does appear on Anubias, the hobby's first instinct is to reach for a chemical fix: liquid carbon, a peroxide or bleach dip, an algaecide. Anubias is tough enough to shrug off a spot treatment better than most plants, so these do work on the leaf, but they treat the symptom, not the cause. Algae on a plant is a signal that it is under stress, or that old leaves are decaying faster than they are replaced, not a target to be zapped.

The durable fix is husbandry: trim off the worst-affected old leaves, keep conditions stable, run regular water changes to remove detritus, and let a cleanup crew do the grazing. Anubias's tough leaves are ideal for this; snails, shrimp and other algae eaters will work green spot and soft algae off them without damaging the plant.

Anubias are popular with the aquascaping crowd because they grow well on wood and blend well with mosses and other epiphytes.

Key success factors

• Clean water and stable, long-term parameters. Anubias tolerate a wide range (about 22 to 28°C, pH 6 to 8, 2 to 15 dGH); what they do not tolerate is constant swings.

• More light means faster growth but higher algae risk, especially green spot algae on old leaves; lower light is slower but more stable. Moderate lighting suits most tanks.

• Anubias will grow on as little as 10 µmol PAR, so use them in the shaded corners where other plants will not.

• Keep the complete set of nutrients available, in both the water column and the substrate: low demand does not mean low importance. In slow-growing tanks a deficiency can take months to show.

• Ideal for low-tech, non-CO2 setups. They attach flexibly to hardscape and tolerate shade, which is why they anchor so many aquascapes.

How to Propagate Anubias barteri and Anubias nana

To propagate Anubias, work with the plant's rhizome. Given time, the rhizome naturally sprouts separate growth heads that can be cut from the main rhizome once they are a workable size.

You can also divide the rhizome deliberately with a sharp blade or scissors once it is long enough. Healthy specimens divide cleanly and finely; unhealthy ones tend to disintegrate, which is a decent test of plant health in itself. Each cut section grows into a new plant, so long as it carries a few leaves. As a guide: a healthy Anubias barteri 'nana' rhizome can be cut into 4-5 cm segments, while a healthy Anubias nana 'petite' can go finer, into 2-3 cm segments, each with at least a couple of leaves.

How to Attach Anubias to Wood or Rock

Anubias attach to hardscape with zip ties, thread, fishing line or superglue. At The 2Hr Aquarist, we default to gel-type superglue because it is quick and convenient: dab a small amount onto the rhizome itself, press the plant against the wood or rock for about ten seconds, and the bond holds as long as the contact surface is reasonable. You can do this underwater. The trade-off is that the glue dries to a white mark on the hardscape, so keep it on the contact point.

Why Are My Anubias Leaves Turning Yellow?

Although Anubias are very hardy and can survive without additional supplementation, at least in the short term, they will sometimes run into nutrient deficiencies in the long term. This depends on what is in your tap water and whether your aquarium is producing an adequate, complete set of nutrients over the long term.

Yellowing of older leaves, pale new leaves, or obvious chlorosis, as shown in the picture below, are all signs of nutrient deficiency.

How to Choose Healthy Anubias

Plants that are very dark green indicate that the plants were grown in deeper shade, while lighter green plants were grown in farms with more light. The shade of green will vary depending on the light levels in your own tank.

Buying healthy plants makes a big difference. Avoid plants with yellowing leaves or soft/mushy leaves/stems. Plants should be relatively stiff (even those grown submerged). Uniform coloration is a good sign. With Anubias species, it can sometimes be difficult to visually tell the health of the plant, as they are quite hardy plants and sometimes show little outward sign even though the plants have been sitting on the shelves for too long. If you are experiencing a lot of melting at planting while other species in the same tank are doing well, you may have picked up a batch that has been in transit or packaging for too long. Buying from a different source may be a good idea.

Learn how to grow red aquarium plants.

Read how to optimize CO2 levels.

Browse more plant growing profiles.

Read how to stabilize a new planted tank.