Anubias nana

Overview

Anubias nana (Anubias barteri var. nana) is the dwarf version of Anubias barteri — same tough, dark-green, near-indestructible plant, just smaller. Its compact size and low, spreading habit make it one of the best foreground and nano-tank plants available. Like all Anubias it is a slow-growing rhizome plant that shrugs off low light, needs no CO2, and is left alone by most fish and shrimp.

Planting & placement

Anubias nana is a rhizome plant — the creeping stem must never be buried, or it rots. The neatest method is to glue or tie the rhizome to a small stone or piece of driftwood; the roots then grip the surface. Its low profile makes it perfect for the foreground and for dressing the front faces of hardscape. In a nano tank a single rhizome placed on a feature rock creates an instant focal point. See how to plant aquarium plants for the glue technique, and try our aquascaping for beginners guide for layout ideas.

Light, CO2 & ferts

Keep lighting low. Because Anubias nana grows so slowly, strong light mainly benefits the algae that settle on its long-lived leaves. It needs no CO2, and because it feeds through its leaves a light weekly dose of liquid fertilizer is all it wants — no special substrate required.

Propagation & problems

Propagate by rhizome division — once the plant has several leaf clusters, cut the rhizome into pieces of three or four leaves each and attach them to new hardscape. Problems are few: the main one is algae on the slow-growing old leaves, best solved with lower light and by pairing it with fast growers like water wisteria. Rhizome rot only happens if the plant is buried, so keep that rhizome in open water. In a shrimp tank the dense, long-lived leaves double as a grazing surface for biofilm and a hiding place for shrimplets, which is why nano keepers love it. Trim off any leaf that yellows or gets overgrown with algae at the base, and the plant keeps pushing tidy new growth for years.