Anubias Care Guide

How to Plant Anubias Correctly

Attach Anubias to wood or rock with aquarium-safe thread, a small amount of suitable cyanoacrylate gel, or by wedging the roots gently into a crevice. Avoid crushing the rhizome.

If placing it near substrate, bury only the roots while keeping the rhizome above the surface. A buried rhizome can rot and cause leaves to detach.

Choose a permanent location with room for slow expansion. Because the plant grows slowly, frequent relocation offers little benefit.

A newly purchased Anubias is often tied to a small rock, grown in a pot, or sold as a loose rhizome. Remove restrictive packing carefully and identify the rhizome before planting. The thin roots can be buried or allowed to grip hardscape; the thicker green or brown horizontal rhizome must remain exposed. If using cyanoacrylate gel, a tiny spot on roots or the underside of the rhizome is enough—covering a large area is unnecessary. Thread or fishing line should be snug enough to hold the plant but not so tight that it cuts into tissue as the rhizome thickens.

Lighting Requirements

Anubias generally performs well under low to moderate aquarium light. Strong light can grow the plant, but it often encourages algae on the slow-growing leaves.

Use a consistent timer and consider placing Anubias beneath taller plants, floating plants, or hardscape if leaf algae is persistent.

Very low light can slow an already slow plant even further. The goal is enough light for steady new growth without forcing unnecessary intensity.

Because Anubias grows slowly, increasing light often increases algae faster than it increases leaf production. Start in a lower or partially shaded position and move the plant only if growth is clearly inadequate. A leaf very close to a powerful LED can receive far more intensity than one only 20 centimeters lower, so placement is an important control. If the aquarium contains demanding carpet plants that require stronger light, use hardscape or taller plants to shade Anubias locally. This lets one aquarium support different light preferences without compromising the entire layout.

Fertilizer and CO2

Anubias can absorb nutrients from the water column through leaves and roots. A balanced aquarium fertilizer can support growth in tanks where fish waste alone does not supply everything plants need.

Injected CO2 is optional. It can improve growth in a high-tech planted aquarium, but Anubias is widely used in low-tech tanks without injection.

Avoid dosing individual nutrients from symptom charts alone. Slow growth means changes can take time to appear, so make measured adjustments and watch new leaves.

Anubias has modest nutrient demand compared with fast stems, but modest does not mean zero. In a lightly stocked tank with little feeding, a complete water-column fertilizer may prevent slow deficiencies from developing. In a fish-heavy aquarium, existing nutrients may supply much of what it needs, though micronutrients can still become limiting. Root tabs are not essential simply because roots touch substrate; Anubias is very capable of using water-column nutrients. If you change fertilization, wait for several new leaves before judging the full effect because the plant’s naturally slow pace makes rapid conclusions unreliable.

Preventing Algae on Anubias Leaves

Because an Anubias leaf may remain for months, it is exposed to light long enough for algae to establish. This is especially common when the plant sits directly under a bright fixture.

Gently clean sturdy leaves, trim severely damaged old leaves, and correct lighting or plant-growth imbalances. Do not scrub so hard that you damage the leaf surface.

Shrimp, snails, and some fish may graze certain algae, but choose them for overall compatibility rather than expecting them to polish every leaf.

For hard green spots, prevention is usually easier than removal because aggressive scraping can scar the thick leaf. Reduce the leaf’s direct light exposure and keep surrounding plants healthy, then gently clean what releases without force. Soft films may be grazed by shrimp or snails, but a heavily shaded, unhealthy leaf can still decline beneath the algae. If one old leaf repeatedly collects growth while the rest of the plant looks healthy, removing that leaf may be the simplest answer. Do not trim several leaves from a tiny rhizome at once; each remaining leaf is valuable photosynthetic area.

Growth Rate and New Leaves

Anubias grows slowly compared with many stem plants. A healthy plant may produce leaves at a measured pace rather than showing dramatic weekly growth.

New leaves can initially be lighter and then darken as they mature. Judge plant health from the quality of repeated new growth, not from one leaf alone.

Different Anubias species and cultivars vary greatly in leaf size and growth habit. A compact nana-type plant will not develop like a large barteri form.

New Anubias leaves emerge from a growing tip on the rhizome and may appear pale, soft, or slightly folded before hardening. That temporary appearance should not be confused with a deficiency unless the leaf remains abnormal as it matures or repeated new leaves show the same pattern. A healthy rhizome is firm, and active tips gradually extend along hardscape. Different cultivars can vary from tiny coin-sized leaves to large broad foliage, so compare growth with the correct variety. Slow growth is normal; complete absence of new growth for a long period deserves a review of light, nutrition, and rhizome health.

How to Propagate Anubias

Once the rhizome is long and healthy, cut it with a clean sharp blade so each division retains leaves and viable growing tissue.

Attach each division to hardscape with the rhizome exposed. Larger divisions usually recover more reliably than tiny fragments.

Do not divide a weak or recently melting plant just to make more plants. Stabilize it first and propagate from healthy established growth.

Choose a section of rhizome long enough that both the parent and cutting retain multiple leaves when possible. Use a clean blade rather than tearing the rhizome, which can crush tissue. After division, inspect the cut surfaces and attach each piece where water can circulate around it. Tiny one-leaf fragments can sometimes survive, but they recover much more slowly and leave little margin if that leaf is damaged. Propagation is easiest when the plant is actively producing new leaves. If the rhizome is soft, discolored, or losing leaves, address the decline before creating additional wounded surfaces.

Common Anubias Problems

Yellow leaves can result from aging, nutrient issues, or general stress. A soft dark rhizome is more concerning because it can indicate rot.

Small holes or damaged edges may come from physical injury, grazing, old-leaf decline, or nutrition. Inspect the whole plant and tank before changing fertilizer.

A plant that stops growing after being moved may simply be adapting. Check that the rhizome is exposed, lighting is appropriate, and water conditions are stable before repeatedly repositioning it.

Rhizome rot often begins as a soft or darkened section and may progress while leaves yellow or detach. Remove clearly decayed tissue back to firm healthy rhizome with a clean tool and correct the condition that kept it buried or stagnant. If only one older leaf yellows while the rhizome and new growth are healthy, normal senescence is more likely. Small holes should also be interpreted in context: a pleco rasping the surface, physical damage during maintenance, and nutrient issues can produce different patterns. Photographing the whole plant is more diagnostically useful than examining a single damaged spot.

Anubias care is simple once the plant’s structure is understood: roots may enter substrate, but the rhizome stays exposed. Pair that rule with moderate light, steady water-column nutrition, and patience with its naturally slow growth. Control leaf algae by adjusting placement and tank balance rather than blasting the plant with light or harsh cleaning. A firm rhizome that continues producing healthy leaves is the clearest sign that the plant is settled.

Profiles

Rhizome Plants profiles

See all Rhizome Plants

Anubias Nana

Anubias barteri 'Nana'

Care level

Beginner

Placement

Foreground, Hardscape, Midground

Light

Low

CO₂

Optional

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Anubias Nangi

Anubias 'Nangi'

Care level

Beginner

Placement

Foreground, Hardscape, Midground

Light

Low

CO₂

Optional

View Profile →

Anubias Gabon

Anubias sp. 'Gabon'

Care level

Beginner

Placement

Background, Hardscape, Midground, Riparium

Light

Low

CO₂

Optional

View Profile →

Anubias Minima

Anubias barteri 'Minima'

Care level

Beginner

Placement

Foreground, Hardscape, Midground

Light

Low

CO₂

Optional

View Profile →