Anubias barteri
Anubias barteri
easy careOverview
Anubias barteri is a tough, slow-growing rhizome plant with thick, dark-green, almost plastic-looking leaves. It is one of the hardiest plants in the hobby: undemanding, unpalatable to most fish, and happy in low light with no CO2. Because it grows so slowly it stays tidy for months, making it a favourite for low-tech tanks, cichlid tanks and shrimp tanks alike. The compact Anubias nana is simply a smaller variety of the same plant.
Planting & placement
Like Java fern, Anubias is a rhizome plant and must not be buried. Attach the rhizome to driftwood or rock with thread or a dab of cyanoacrylate glue, letting the roots anchor into the hardscape. If you do plant it in substrate, keep the rhizome fully above the surface. Its low, spreading habit suits the foreground and midground, and it looks superb sprouting from crevices in wood. Our how to plant aquarium plants guide covers attachment step by step.
Light, CO2 & ferts
Keep the light low. Anubias grows so slowly that under bright light the leaves sit still long enough for algae to colonise them — shade and gentle lighting keep leaves clean. It needs no CO2. Feeding is easy: a modest weekly dose of liquid plant fertilizer is absorbed through the leaves. Growth will still be slow — that is simply the nature of the plant.
Propagation & problems
Propagate Anubias by dividing the rhizome. Once the plant has several growth points, snap or cut the rhizome into pieces, each with at least three or four leaves and some roots, then attach each division to new hardscape. The main problems are algae on old leaves (reduce light, add fast growers like hornwort) and rhizome rot from burying. Mature plants may even flower above the waterline — harmless and a sign of a happy plant. Because it is so undemanding and unpalatable, Anubias is one of the safest choices for tanks with plant-nibbling fish such as goldfish and larger cichlids, where more delicate species would be shredded. Keep an eye on the oldest leaves and simply trim any that yellow or accumulate algae at the base.
Anubias barteri — frequently asked questions
Can I bury Anubias in the substrate?
No. Anubias is a rhizome plant. If you bury the thick creeping rhizome it rots and the plant dies. Only the roots may touch the substrate — the rhizome must stay exposed. Better still, glue or tie it to rock or wood.
Why does my Anubias grow so slowly?
That is completely normal. Anubias is one of the slowest aquarium plants, adding just a leaf every few weeks. Slow growth is a feature — it means low maintenance — but it also makes older leaves prone to algae under bright light.
Does Anubias need CO2 or special substrate?
Neither. Anubias thrives in low light with no CO2 and feeds from the water column, so it needs no nutrient substrate. A light liquid fertilizer dose is plenty.
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