Anubias Aquarium Plant Care – The Ultimate Guide To Lush, Algae-Free

Written ByHoward Parker

Have you ever bought a beautiful aquarium plant, only to watch it melt away into a sad, brown mush within weeks? It’s a frustrating experience that makes many aquarists feel like they just don’t have a “green thumb.”

I promise you, it’s not you—it’s often the plant. But what if there was a plant that was not only stunningly beautiful but also nearly indestructible? A plant that forgives common beginner mistakes and rewards you with deep green, luscious leaves year after year?

Welcome to the world of Anubias. In this complete anubias aquarium plant care guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know. We’ll cover the single most important rule for planting, how to create the perfect low-maintenance environment, and how to solve the few problems you might encounter. Get ready to transform your tank with one of the hardiest and most rewarding plants in the hobby.

Why Anubias is the Beginner’s Best Friend (and an Expert’s Favorite)

When you walk into an aquarium store, the sheer variety of plants can be overwhelming. But you’ll almost always see Anubias, and for good reason. It’s a true champion of the aquatic world, beloved by newcomers and seasoned aquascapers alike.

The core benefits of anubias aquarium plant care are its simplicity and resilience. Unlike delicate stem plants that demand high light and precise nutrient dosing, Anubias is the definition of low-maintenance. It’s a slow-growing epiphyte, which is a fancy way of saying it prefers to grow attached to things like driftwood and rocks rather than buried in substrate.

This unique characteristic makes it incredibly versatile. You can tuck it into crevices, attach it to branches to create a “tree” effect, or use it as a beautiful foreground accent. Its tough, waxy leaves are also resistant to damage from many herbivorous fish like goldfish or certain cichlids, which would make a snack out of softer plants.

A Variety for Every Tank

One of the best parts about Anubias is the sheer variety available. You can find a shape and size to fit almost any aquascape vision:

  • Anubias barteri var. nana (‘Anubias Nana’): The most popular and common variety. Its compact size and deep green leaves make it perfect for foregrounds and midgrounds.
  • Anubias ‘Nana Petite’: An even smaller version of Anubias Nana, ideal for nano tanks or creating fine details in a larger scape.
  • Anubias coffeefolia: Recognizable by its beautifully ridged, dark green leaves that resemble coffee plant leaves. It adds incredible texture to an aquarium.
  • Anubias frazeri: Features more pointed, spear-shaped leaves and a taller growth habit, making it a great midground or background choice.

The Golden Rule: How to Plant Anubias Correctly

If you take only one piece of advice from this entire article, let it be this. Understanding how to anubias aquarium plant care begins and ends with one critical rule. Mess this up, and your plant is doomed. Get it right, and you’re 90% of the way to success.

The All-Important Rhizome: Do NOT Bury It!

Look closely at your Anubias plant. You’ll see the leaves and their stems (petioles) growing from a thick, horizontal green stem. This is the rhizome. It’s the life force of the plant, storing nutrients and sprouting new leaves and roots.

Under no circumstances should you ever bury the rhizome in your substrate.

Burying the rhizome will suffocate it, causing it to rot and decay. This is the number one reason Anubias plants die in home aquariums. Think of the rhizome like the trunk of a tree—it needs to be exposed to the water column to breathe and thrive.

Best Planting Methods: Attaching to Hardscape

The best practice for planting Anubias is to attach it to a piece of hardscape, like driftwood, lava rock, or slate. This mimics its natural growth habit and ensures the rhizome stays healthy. Here are two easy methods:

  1. The Super Glue Method (Our Favorite):
    • Pat the spot on your driftwood or rock dry with a paper towel. Also, gently pat the roots and rhizome of the Anubias dry.
    • Apply a few small dabs of gel-type super glue (cyanoacrylate) to the hardscape. Regular super glue is too runny.
    • Press the rhizome or a few of the tougher roots onto the glue spots and hold for 30-60 seconds until it bonds.
    • Don’t worry—cyanoacrylate glue is completely aquarium-safe once cured, which happens almost instantly in water.
  2. The Fishing Line or Thread Method:
    • Position your Anubias on the hardscape where you want it to grow.
    • Take a piece of dark-colored cotton thread or thin fishing line and wrap it around the rhizome and the hardscape a few times.
    • Tie it off securely but not so tightly that you damage the rhizome. Over time, the plant’s roots will grip the surface, and you can eventually remove the thread (or cotton thread will simply dissolve).

Can You Plant Anubias in Substrate?

Yes, but with a major caveat. You can place an Anubias in sand or gravel, but you must ensure the rhizome sits entirely on top of the substrate. You can bury the thin, wiry roots that grow down from the rhizome to help anchor it, but the thick, green rhizome itself must remain exposed.

The Ultimate Anubias Aquarium Plant Care Guide: Creating the Perfect Environment

With planting handled, the rest of your anubias aquarium plant care journey is incredibly simple. This plant is not demanding, but giving it a stable environment will ensure it looks its absolute best. This is where the anubias aquarium plant care best practices truly shine.

Lighting: Less is More

Anubias is a true low-light champion. It evolved under the dense canopy of rainforests, receiving only dappled sunlight. In the aquarium, it thrives in low to moderate lighting conditions.

In fact, too much light is the primary cause of the most common issue with Anubias: algae. Because it grows so slowly, its leaves become a perfect surface for algae to colonize under intense light. Aim for a photoperiod of 6-8 hours per day.

Water Parameters: A Forgiving Nature

This is another area where Anubias makes your life easy. It’s not fussy about water chemistry and will adapt to a wide range of conditions.

  • Temperature: 72-82°F (22-28°C) is the sweet spot, which covers the range for most tropical community fish.
  • pH: A pH between 6.0 and 7.5 is ideal, but it can tolerate conditions slightly outside this range.
  • Hardness: It isn’t picky about water hardness (GH/KH) and does well in both soft and hard water. Stability is more important than hitting a specific number.

Fertilization & CO2: Necessary or Optional?

Because Anubias is a slow grower and an epiphyte, it pulls most of its nutrients directly from the water column through its leaves and roots. It’s a very light feeder.

For most low-tech tanks, the nutrients from fish waste and regular water changes are often sufficient. However, for truly lush growth, a comprehensive liquid fertilizer dosed once or twice a week is beneficial. It ensures the plant gets all the micronutrients it needs.

What about CO2 injection? It’s completely optional. Adding CO2 will certainly boost its growth rate (from “very slow” to just “slow”), but it is absolutely not necessary for the plant to thrive.

Tackling Common Problems with Anubias Aquarium Plant Care

While Anubias is tough, it’s not invincible. Luckily, the common problems with anubias aquarium plant care are few and usually easy to fix. If you see an issue, don’t panic! Here’s your troubleshooting guide.

The Dreaded Anubias Algae

This is, by far, the most frequent issue. You might see Green Spot Algae (GSA) or Black Beard Algae (BBA) forming on the older leaves. This is almost always a sign of too much light for the plant’s slow growth rate.

  • The Fix: Reduce your lighting intensity or duration. If you can’t dim your light, try adding floating plants like Frogbit to diffuse the light. Introduce an algae-cleanup crew like Nerite snails or Amano shrimp—they love grazing on Anubias leaves without harming them.

Yellowing Leaves: Nutrient Deficiencies

If you notice older leaves turning yellow and eventually melting away, it could be a sign of a nutrient deficiency, typically nitrogen. If new leaves are coming in pale or yellow, it might point to an iron deficiency.

  • The Fix: Start dosing a comprehensive liquid fertilizer that contains both macronutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) and micronutrients (like Iron). This usually resolves the issue within a few weeks.

Rhizome Rot: The Silent Killer

If your plant looks like it’s falling apart at the base and the rhizome feels mushy, you’re dealing with rhizome rot. This is almost always caused by the rhizome being buried or damaged.

  • The Fix: Act quickly! Remove the plant from the tank. Using a sharp, clean razor blade or scissors, cut away any soft, brown, or mushy parts of the rhizome until you are left with only firm, healthy green tissue. You can then re-attach the healthy portion to your hardscape.

Propagating Anubias: How to Get More Plants for Free!

One of the most rewarding parts of keeping Anubias is how easy it is to propagate. This is the heart of sustainable anubias aquarium plant care. Instead of buying new plants, you can simply grow your own!

Over time, your Anubias rhizome will grow longer and sprout more leaves. Once the rhizome is a few inches long and has at least 6-8 healthy leaves, you can divide it.

  1. Remove the plant from the tank so you can work on it easily.
  2. Identify a cutting point. Find a spot on the rhizome to make your cut.
  3. Use a sharp, sterile blade. A clean cut is crucial to prevent infection.
  4. Cut the rhizome cleanly in two. Ensure that each new piece has at least 3-4 healthy leaves. A piece with fewer leaves may struggle to survive.
  5. That’s it! You now have two plants. You can attach them to new locations in your tank or share one with a friend. This is a fantastic example of eco-friendly anubias aquarium plant care in action.

Frequently Asked Questions About Anubias Care

Why are my Anubias leaves turning yellow?

Yellowing leaves on an Anubias plant are most commonly caused by a nutrient deficiency. If older leaves are turning yellow, it’s likely a lack of nitrogen. If new growth is pale, it could be an iron deficiency. The best solution is to start using a comprehensive liquid aquarium fertilizer.

Can Anubias grow while floating?

While it won’t thrive long-term, an Anubias can survive floating for some time. However, for proper growth, its roots need something to anchor to. It is much better to attach it to driftwood, rock, or an aquarium decoration where it can establish itself properly.

How fast does Anubias grow?

Anubias is a notoriously slow-growing plant. In a low-tech setup, you might only see one new leaf every month or two. This slow growth is part of its charm and what makes it so low-maintenance, as it rarely needs trimming. Adding CO2 and fertilizers can speed this up, but it will never be a “fast” grower.

What fish are safe to keep with Anubias?

Almost all of them! The tough, waxy leaves of Anubias make it unappealing to most fish, including many that are known plant-eaters. It’s an excellent choice for tanks with Goldfish, Mbuna cichlids, and Silver Dollars, which would otherwise demolish more delicate plants. Community fish like tetras, rasboras, and corydoras are, of course, perfectly safe as well.

Your Journey to a Lush Green Aquarium Starts Now

You now have a complete anubias aquarium plant care care guide at your fingertips. We’ve covered the golden rule (don’t bury the rhizome!), the ideal low-light environment, and how to troubleshoot the few problems you might face.

Anubias truly is the perfect plant for creating a beautiful, stable, and low-maintenance aquascape. It teaches patience and rewards consistency with unwavering beauty. It’s a plant that grows with you and your aquarium, becoming a foundational piece of your underwater world.

So go ahead, pick out a beautiful piece of driftwood, grab your first Anubias, and start creating. You’ve got this!

Howard Parker
Latest posts by Howard Parker (see all)
Related posts
  • Can Anubias Nana Petite Grow Out Of Water – A Complete Guide To
  • What Do Anubias Plants Do For Fish Tank – Your Ultimate Guide To A