Eight species, one variety in the bag, and one rule
Anubias is the plant sold to people who have killed plants. It needs no CO2, no substrate and almost no light, and it dies from one mistake: burying the rhizome.
Wikipedia describes a genus of aquatic and semi-aquatic flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical central and western Africa, growing primarily in rivers and streams but also found in marshes. It lists eight species, with multiple varieties of A. barteri, and says the genus was first described in 1857 by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott and revised in 1979.
What a shop sells is narrower than the genus. Wikipedia: most notably the varying forms of A. barteri are commonly used in aquariums. Both of our care sources write about the same variety without saying so in the title: Aquarium Co-Op sells it as anubias nana and gives the name as Anubias barteri var. nana, and Fishkeeping World writes its whole guide about the same plant, which it also calls dwarf anubias.
The rule is the same in all four sources and station 03 takes it in full. Wikipedia: they should be attached to a piece of rock or driftwood, as they are more likely to grow and thrive when the rhizome and roots are left exposed instead of buried.
This is the fourth plant record on this site and the second that grows attached to hardscape rather than rooted in substrate, after our java fern record. That shared property is why both plants keep appearing on records for fish that dig, and why our flowerhorn record names them together as the two plants one source says survive that tank.
Why this record was written now
- The gap
- Five thousand two hundred searches a month for the genus, and eleven thousand across the cluster of varieties.
- What it changes
- It is the first plant here that two sources say a goldfish will not eat, on a site whose goldfish record already refuses two other plants.
- What it does not
- Nothing on the nine field table is blank, and two of the nine carry a disagreement rather than a figure.
The light and the water, and two PAR ranges that touch at a point
| Source | Light | CO2 | Temperature and pH | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquarium Co-Op | Low light, 10 to 20 PAR | None | not stated | Rather slow growing |
| Aquarium Breeder | 20 to 40 PAR, moderate to low | Not needed to low | 72 to 82 °F, pH 6.0 to 8.0, GH 2 to 15, KH 3 to 8 | 1 to 2 leaves in about 3 weeks or more |
| Fishkeeping World | Low to moderate, no PAR figure | Manages with the CO2 fish expel | 72 to 82 °F, pH 6 to 7.5, 3 to 8 KH | Slow, maximum size 7.5 in |
| Wikipedia | Shaded areas | not stated | not stated | not stated |
The two PAR ranges meet at exactly 20 and share nothing else. Aquarium Co-Op calls 10 to 20 low light; Aquarium Breeder calls 20 to 40 moderate to low. The row prints the whole span, and on this plant the disagreement matters less than it would on a fast grower, because both sources warn about the same consequence rather than about slow growth.
Too much light does not burn this plant. It grows algae on it. Aquarium Co-Op: too much light may cause excess algae growth, so consider placing the anubias further away from the light or under the shade of taller or floating plants. Aquarium Breeder: intense lighting can accelerate growth but risks algae formation. Wikipedia says the same in two words, shaded areas.
A leaf that takes three weeks to grow is a leaf that carries algae for months, which is the sentence that ties the light row to the growth row. Our hornwort record grows 1 to 4 inches a week and sheds the problem; this plant does not.
On water the two sources that publish figures agree on the temperature exactly, 72 to 82 °F, and meet on pH from 6.0 to 7.5. Both publish the same KH, 3 to 8, and Aquarium Breeder adds a GH of 2 to 15, about 36 to 268 ppm, which is the widest hardness tolerance on any plant record here. Those are undemanding conditions by any measure on this site, and the temperature band contains every fish record here except four, which is a large part of why this plant is on so many tank lists.
What none of our sources publishes is a set of water parameters this plant will fail in. Both figures are given as optimal or as a range rather than as a limit, and the two care sources describe the plant as easy: the failure modes our sources actually name are a buried rhizome and too much light, both of which are decisions rather than water readings.
The anubias rhizome, and the one disagreement underneath it
Every source gives the same instruction and two of them disagree about how far it goes.
- Aquarium Co-Op: be careful not to bury the rhizome or the plant may suffer.
- Wikipedia: they are more likely to grow and thrive when the rhizome and roots are left exposed instead of buried.
- Aquarium Breeder: make sure you do not bury it under the substrate, and then the sentence nobody else writes: the actual roots can safely be in the substrate.
- Fishkeeping World: you do not need to bury the roots, because they will rot if fully buried.
- Aquarium Store Depot: never bury the rhizome in substrate or it will rot, rhizomes should be left above substrate when planted, and the plant will happily grow even in bare bottom tanks.
So the rhizome is settled and the roots are not. One source says roots in the substrate are safe, another says they rot there, and a third would rather neither was buried. This record prints the rhizome instruction as the row and leaves the roots as a disagreement, because that is what our sources actually say.
How to attach it
Aquarium Co-Op is the most specific: insert each plant clump between a crack in a rock, or more firmly attach them to decor using super glue gel, drawing a small line of glue on the hardscape and firmly pressing the roots in place for 30 seconds or until set. Aquarium Breeder describes the same method with a longer hold, two minutes. Wikipedia gives the principle rather than the method, that the plant should be attached to a piece of rock or driftwood.
Fishkeeping World is the only source that discusses the substrate as a surface rather than a hazard, asking for fine-grained substrates and saying sand is the softest and therefore the least likely to damage them.
Anubias on driftwood is the arrangement all four sources describe, and it is the same property our java fern record carries. Two plants on this site can be moved without being replanted, and both of them are on the list our flowerhorn record cites for a fish that uproots everything else.
The full record
| Field | Recorded | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Low. 10 to 40 PAR | Two sources publish a PAR figure and the two ranges do not meet. Aquarium Co-Op: low light, 10 to 20 PAR. Aquarium Breeder: 20 to 40 PAR, which it calls moderate to low. They touch at exactly 20 and share nothing else. Fishkeeping World publishes no PAR and says low to moderate, adding that you do not need any special lighting and standard aquarium lights will do. What all three agree on is the failure mode rather than the figure: Aquarium Co-Op says too much light may cause excess algae growth and suggests placing the anubias further from the light or under the shade of taller or floating plants, and Aquarium Breeder says intense lighting can accelerate growth but risks algae formation. The row prints the whole span because on a plant this slow the algae is the constraint, not the growth. |
| CO2 | Not needed | Every source that addresses it says the same thing. Aquarium Co-Op lists the CO2 requirement as none. Aquarium Breeder puts it as not needed to low. Fishkeeping World does not treat it as a requirement at all and explains why in one line: anubias nana manages with the CO2 expelled by fish as they respire. This is the same answer our java fern and java moss records carry, and it is the reason all three of those plants keep appearing on low tech tank lists. |
| Placement | Attached to wood or rock | All four sources describe the same method. Wikipedia: they should be attached to a piece of rock or driftwood, as they are more likely to grow and thrive when the rhizome and roots are left exposed instead of buried. Aquarium Co-Op: insert each plant clump between a crack in a rock or more firmly attach them to decor using super glue gel, drawing a small line of glue on the hardscape and pressing the roots in place for 30 seconds or until set. Aquarium Breeder gives the same method with a longer hold, two minutes. Fishkeeping World describes a plant that does not need its roots buried. It is the same property our java fern record carries, and it is why both plants turn up on records for fish that dig. |
| Substrate | None required. The rhizome must stay out of it | This is the one instruction every source gives and the one place two of them disagree about the detail. Aquarium Co-Op: be careful not to bury the rhizome or the plant may suffer. Wikipedia: the rhizome and roots are better left exposed than buried. Then the disagreement, and it is about the roots rather than the rhizome. Aquarium Breeder: make sure you do not bury it under the substrate, and the actual roots can safely be in the substrate. Fishkeeping World: you do not need to bury the roots, because they will rot if fully buried. So one source says the roots are safe in the substrate and another says they rot there, while both agree the rhizome must stay above it. Fishkeeping World also asks for fine-grained substrate, saying sand is the softest and so the least likely to damage them. A fifth source agrees with the rule and adds the tank it does not need: Aquarium Store Depot says never bury the rhizome in substrate or it will rot, that rhizomes should be left above substrate when planted, and that the plant will happily grow even in bare bottom tanks. |
| Growth rate | Slow. 1 to 2 leaves in about three weeks | One source publishes a figure and the others publish the adjective. Aquarium Breeder: a slow grower that shoots just 1 to 2 leaves in about 3 weeks or more. Aquarium Co-Op: rather slow growing. Fishkeeping World: slow. That three week figure is the only growth rate on any plant record here besides our hornwort record, which carries 1 to 4 inches a week, and the two sit at opposite ends of what a planted tank can do. |
| Propagation | Rhizome division | Three sources describe the same cut. Aquarium Co-Op: use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the rhizome and split into two plants. Fishkeeping World: this species propagates via rhizome division, each cutting should have at least three leaves, and it will only take them a few days to start producing roots. Aquarium Breeder names the rhizome as the method without setting a leaf count. The three leaf figure is the only quantity anybody publishes, and the few days to root is the only timescale. |
| Temperature | 72 to 82 °F | Two sources publish a band and they publish the same one. Fishkeeping World: 72 to 82 °F. Aquarium Breeder: 22 to 28 C, 72 to 82 °F, which it calls optimal. Aquarium Co-Op and Wikipedia publish no temperature. That band contains every fish record on this site except the axolotl, the goldfish, the clown loach and the discus, which is what makes this plant appear on so many tank lists. |
| pH | 6.0 to 7.5 | Two sources and the overlap is the span the row prints. Fishkeeping World: pH 6 to 7.5, with 3 to 8 KH. Aquarium Breeder: optimal pH 6.0 to 8.0, with GH 2 to 15 and 3 to 8 KH. The two KH figures agree exactly and the pH ranges meet from 6.0 to 7.5. In ppm, Aquarium Breeder's GH of 2 to 15 is about 36 to 268, which is the widest hardness tolerance of any plant record here. |
| Eaten by | Disputed. Two sources say nothing eats it | Station 04 prints this as the record's dispute. Wikipedia: the genus is valued because herbivorous fish generally will not consume them, and it says anubias can be used in aquariums with African cichlids and goldfish. Aquarium Breeder: fish, shrimp and snails generally do not consume anubias, because of its coarse and leather-like leaves. Against those two, Fishkeeping World names goldfish and other plant-nibbling species among the species that eat it. Two of our sources say nothing eats this plant and one names the fish the other two say it is safe with, which is the sharpest form this question has taken on any plant record here. |
The same nine fields for every animal on this site are in the A to Z index.
Where our sources disagree
Every record here names a disagreement. On a plant record the question is what eats it, and this one has three sources and two answers.
Wikipedia
Herbivorous fish generally won't consume them, and they can be used in aquariums with African cichlids and goldfish.
Fishkeeping World
Goldfish and other plant-nibbling species will eat it.
What we record: we print both and take neither, and here the count and the mechanism both favor one side. Aquarium Breeder agrees with Wikipedia and gives a reason: fish, shrimp and snails generally do not consume anubias because of its coarse and leather-like leaves, which is a claim about the leaf rather than about the fish.
Fishkeeping World gives no mechanism. What makes this worth printing rather than settling is our own goldfish record, which carries Wikipedia stating that because goldfish eat live plants, their presence in a planted aquarium is a problem.
That is the same publisher on both sides of the same question, in one article about a fish and another about a plant. Our goldfish record already refuses our java fern and hornwort records on that sentence, and this plant is the first one here with a source saying it is the exception.
Does anything eat anubias? Two sources say no and one names the goldfish
The three statements
Wikipedia: the genus is valued because herbivorous fish generally will not consume them, and it says anubias can be used in aquariums with African cichlids and goldfish.
Aquarium Breeder: fish, shrimp and snails generally do not consume anubias, because of its coarse and leather-like leaves.
Fishkeeping World: goldfish and other plant-nibbling species will eat it.
Two against one, and only one side offers a mechanism. The leather leaf is a claim about the plant that can be checked against the other plants here; the goldfish claim is a list without a reason attached.
Why it matters on this site specifically
Our goldfish record carries Wikipedia stating that because goldfish eat live plants, their presence in a planted aquarium is a problem. That is the same publisher on both sides: one article says goldfish eat live plants and another says anubias can be used in aquariums with goldfish.
The consequence is already printed on our tank mates grid. Our java fern and hornwort records are both refused against the goldfish record on that sentence. This record is marked a caution instead, because it is the first plant here with two sources saying a goldfish will leave it alone.
The water narrows it further and nobody mentions that either. Our goldfish record carries 68 to 74 °F and this record carries 72 to 82, so the two meet only from 72 to 74. A goldfish tank that suits this plant is a goldfish tank kept at the top of its range.
Anubias types, and what our sources publish for each
The searches around this plant are mostly variety names, and our sources name far fewer than the trade does.
- Anubias barteri var. nana is what both care sources write about, and Fishkeeping World gives it a maximum size of 7.5 inches and calls it dwarf anubias. An anubias nana plant bought in a shop is this variety.
- Anubias nana petite, which Fishkeeping World gives as Anubias barteri var. nana petite, growing to around 5 cm. Aquarium Co-Op names it as a separate plant it sells, and the searches shorten it to anubias petite.
- Anubias barteri, the species behind both of the above, and the one Wikipedia says the hobby mostly uses, in its varying forms.
- The rest of the genus: Wikipedia lists eight species, and Aquarium Breeder gives the range of heights across them, from 5 to 100 cm, 2 to 40 inches.
What no source we hold publishes is a care difference between the varieties. The light, the CO2, the rhizome rule, the propagation and the growth rate in station 04 are given for the genus or for nana, and nothing in our four sources says a petite or a congensis wants anything different.
Two names in the searches appear in none of our sources: anubias congensis and anubias coffeefolia, and neither does anubias hastifolia. They are traded names for plants in a genus of eight species, and this record will not describe them from nothing. It is the same position our platy and honey gourami records take on their own strain names.
The size figure worth carrying is the spread: 5 to 100 cm across the genus, against 7.5 inches for the variety in most tanks. A buyer choosing a plant by the word anubias is choosing from a range of twenty to one.
How to propagate anubias, which is one cut
Three sources describe the same operation and between them they give the whole procedure.
- Aquarium Co-Op: use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the rhizome and split into two plants.
- Fishkeeping World: this species propagates via rhizome division, and each cutting should have at least three leaves. It adds that it will only take them a few days to start producing roots.
- Aquarium Breeder: names the rhizome as the method and sets no leaf count.
Three leaves per division is the only quantity anybody publishes, and a few days to root is the only timescale. Put the second against the growth rate and the arithmetic is worth knowing: roots in a few days, and a new leaf in about three weeks.
What the slow growth means for a keeper
Aquarium Breeder is the only source with a figure: a slow grower that shoots just 1 to 2 leaves in about 3 weeks or more.
Read that against the other plants here and the range is enormous. Our hornwort record carries 1 to 4 inches a week, our java fern record carries a new leaf in two to four weeks, and our java moss record carries medium with no source figure at all.
Anubias and java fern are the two slow ones and they fail the same way: a leaf that takes weeks to make is a leaf that carries algae, which is why every source on this record talks about light in terms of algae rather than growth.
On fertilizer the sources split without contradicting each other. Aquarium Co-Op asks for an all-in-one fertilizer dosed until the water has 20 to 50 ppm nitrate, and suggests extra potassium if growth stays poor. Aquarium Breeder says the plant can thrive successfully with or without fertilization.
What this record will not answer
Whether a goldfish will eat it
Two sources say herbivorous fish generally will not, one names goldfish among the species that do, and one of the two on the first side is the publisher of the sentence our goldfish record uses against two other plants.
How much light it wants
10 to 20 PAR per one source and 20 to 40 per another. The two ranges meet at a single number.
Whether the roots can be buried
Safely, per one source. They will rot, per another. Only the rhizome instruction is agreed.
What a congensis or a coffeefolia needs
Neither name appears in any of our four sources, and neither does hastifolia. Wikipedia lists eight species and our care sources write about one variety of one of them.
A tank size
A plant does not have one, which is why that row is not on a plant record here.
How to treat rot once it starts
Our sources describe the cause, which is a buried rhizome, and none of them publishes a treatment. Station 03 has the prevention and this record stops there.
Anubias questions, answered from the record
What is anubias?
A genus of aquatic and semi-aquatic flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical central and western Africa, per Wikipedia, which lists eight species with multiple varieties of A. barteri and says the genus was described in 1857 by Schott and revised in 1979. The anubias plant in most tanks is one variety of one species, Anubias barteri var. nana.
Can you bury the anubias rhizome?
No, and it is the one instruction all four sources give. Aquarium Co-Op: be careful not to bury the rhizome or the plant may suffer. Wikipedia: they are more likely to grow and thrive when the rhizome and roots are left exposed instead of buried. Aquarium Breeder: make sure you do not bury it under the substrate. Fishkeeping World says the roots will rot if fully buried, which is the part our sources disagree about.
Can the roots go in the substrate?
Our sources split. Aquarium Breeder: the actual roots can safely be in the substrate. Fishkeeping World: you do not need to bury the roots, because they will rot if fully buried. Wikipedia prefers both rhizome and roots exposed. All three agree about the rhizome, so the safe reading is the one every source shares: glue or wedge the plant so the rhizome sits in open water.
How much light does anubias need?
Low, and our two PAR figures meet at a single number. Aquarium Co-Op: low light, 10 to 20 PAR. Aquarium Breeder: 20 to 40 PAR, described as moderate to low. Fishkeeping World says low to moderate and that standard aquarium lights will do. Every source warns about the same consequence of too much: algae on the leaves rather than damage to the plant.
Does anubias need CO2?
No. Aquarium Co-Op lists the CO2 requirement as none, Aquarium Breeder as not needed to low, and Fishkeeping World explains why in one line: anubias nana manages with the CO2 expelled by fish as they respire. It is the same answer our java fern and java moss records carry.
How fast does anubias grow?
One to two leaves in about three weeks or more, per Aquarium Breeder, which is the only figure any of our sources publishes. Aquarium Co-Op calls it rather slow growing and Fishkeeping World calls it slow. Our hornwort record, at 1 to 4 inches a week, is the other end of what a planted tank can do.
How do you propagate anubias?
By cutting the rhizome. Aquarium Co-Op: use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the rhizome and split into two plants. Fishkeeping World: propagates via rhizome division, each cutting should have at least three leaves, and it will only take them a few days to start producing roots. That three leaf figure is the only quantity our sources publish.
How do you attach anubias to driftwood?
With super glue gel, and two sources give the hold time. Aquarium Co-Op: draw a small line of glue on the hardscape and firmly press the roots in place for 30 seconds or until set, or insert the clump between a crack in a rock. Aquarium Breeder describes the same method and asks to hold it firmly for two minutes.
Do fish eat anubias?
Two of our sources say no and one says goldfish do. Wikipedia: herbivorous fish generally will not consume them, and they can be used in aquariums with African cichlids and goldfish. Aquarium Breeder: fish, shrimp and snails generally do not consume anubias, because of its coarse and leather-like leaves. Fishkeeping World names goldfish and other plant-nibbling species among the species that eat it. Our own goldfish record refuses our java fern and hornwort records on Wikipedia’s sentence about goldfish eating live plants, so this plant is marked a caution rather than a refusal.
What water does anubias need?
72 to 82 °F and pH 6.0 to 7.5, from the two sources that publish figures, which agree on the temperature exactly and meet on pH. Both give KH 3 to 8, and Aquarium Breeder adds GH 2 to 15, about 36 to 268 ppm. Aquarium Co-Op and Wikipedia publish no water figures at all.
What is anubias nana petite?
A smaller variety of the same plant. Fishkeeping World gives it as Anubias barteri var. nana petite and says it grows to around 5 cm, against a maximum of 7.5 inches for nana. Aquarium Co-Op sells it as a separate plant. No source we hold publishes a care difference between them.
What are the types of anubias?
Wikipedia lists eight species with multiple varieties of A. barteri, and says the varying forms of that species are what the hobby mostly uses. Aquarium Breeder gives the size range across the genus as 5 to 100 cm, 2 to 40 inches. Anubias congensis, coffeefolia and hastifolia appear in none of our four sources, so this record does not describe them.
Why does anubias grow algae on its leaves?
Because the leaf lasts long enough for algae to arrive. Aquarium Co-Op: too much light may cause excess algae growth, and it suggests moving the plant further from the light or under the shade of taller or floating plants. Aquarium Breeder: intense lighting can accelerate growth but risks algae formation. Wikipedia asks for shaded areas. On a plant that makes one or two leaves in three weeks, a leaf carries whatever grows on it for months.
Does anubias need fertilizer?
Our sources differ without contradicting each other. Aquarium Co-Op doses an all-in-one fertilizer until the water has 20 to 50 ppm nitrate, and suggests extra potassium if growth stays poor. Aquarium Breeder says the plant can thrive successfully with or without fertilization. Fishkeeping World treats it as an undemanding plant and gives no figures.
What anubias needs that a stem plant does not
Three things our sources ask for, and one of them is a refusal.
- Something to glue it towood or rock, held 30 seconds to two minutes
- Shade, or distance from the lighttoo much light means algae on a leaf that lasts months
- No substrate over the rhizomethe one instruction all four sources give
Every item our records ask for is gathered on the tank setup topic.
Nothing here is a paid link. It is the shortfall between what this record asks for and what a boxed kit contains.
How this record was compiled
- By
- Verified
- Sources
Wikipedia, Anubias, Aquarium Co-Op, anubias nana, Aquarium Breeder, anubias care guide, Fishkeeping World, anubias nana and Aquarium Store Depot, best beginner aquarium plants
- Conflicts
Printed above: two sources say herbivorous fish generally do not eat anubias and one names goldfish among the species that do. Our sources also publish two PAR ranges that meet only at 20, and disagree about whether the roots may sit in the substrate
- Not recorded
A tank size, because a plant does not have one; and any figure for the eight species other than A. barteri and its varieties, which is what our sources write about