August Plant of the Month - Anubias nana

[reiverix]

Anubias barteri var. nana

Other Names : Anubias nana

Origin : Africa

Growth Rate : Slow

Planting Area : All

Lighting Level: Very low - Medium

Propagation: Rhizome division and sideshoots

Difficulty: Easy

Temperature: 70-82 F

Size: 4 - 6 inches high, but rhizome can grow long if left alone

Availability: Very common


Anubias nana is a very hardy plant that grows even without giving it much attention. It has dark green leaves that have a slight ribbed appearance. This gives the plant a very attractive look when a small colony is arranged. Because of its very slow growth it often becomes the target of algae, especially around the leave edges.

To get the best out of anubias nana, it should be attached to rocks or driftwood. It can be planted in the substrate but care must be taken not to bury the rhizome or else it is in danger of rotting. There are many ways to attach it to hardscape. Fishing line, dark thread and rubber bands are all suitable. A large piece of driftwood covered in anubias is a really stunning sight.

All my freshwater tanks have anubias nana in them. It's a great plant as a filler for a shaded spot or a showpiece in its own right. It really does grow at a snails pace compared to stem plants. However, like any other plant it does grow. I was really caught off guard by a piece of driftwood I had with anubias attached. I let it go mostly unattended for almost a year and the half dozen plants had turned into over fifty. They were growing on top of each other, with the bottom ones starting to rot. After I pulled them, it was amazing how small my original wood looked.

A curious trait I've found with this plant is how it can quickly react to nutrient deficiencies. Yellowing or pinholed leaves are a sure sign that you are not giving the plant all the fertilizers it requires. This is also one of the few plants I know that will flower underwater. Anubias can also grow either emersed (in high humid environments) or submersed.

A dwarf form, 'petite' exists and is a bit rarer in the hobby. It has leaves about the size of a dime and makes for a very different foreground plant.

[RTR]

I have to disagree on the 'best handling' advice on A.b. nana. IME, it grows better and faster with its roots in the substrate. I use it as ground cover in multiple tanks. the nana petite cultivar is great, but really slow, I still don't have enough to carpet a tank, but it did take me a long time to get enough of the regular nana.

[reiverix]

I can't say for sure if it grows any better in that state because I've had it raised to just beneath the water level and it looked just as healthy, even under high light. I have noticed that anubias raised from the substrate does tend to grow long roots that could be trying to reach for the floor. As a plant, I prefer it off the substrate, but that's just personal preference of course.

For the petite species, I'm using it as ground cover but I'd love a large rock or odd shaped piece of wood with an even spread around it. With my current rate of growth, that'll take the rest of the decade and the next

[joephys]

Every thing I have ever heard, and every picture i have seen, the anubias has dark leaves. My nana has light leaves for some reason. As was mentioned, mine got GSA on one leaf almost instantly. I have only ever tried to grow it in the substrate so I can't offer an opinion on what is best, but it did grow well in the substrate. It does grow slow, but it was growing faster than my anubias barteri var. barteri.

It is a great plant for the beginner and low light tanks.

[Lobo.]

i love how this plant works in my aquarium with the drift wood... i just wish it grew a little faster

[tetramoon13]

A very nice plant, but one does need the patience of a saint to keep it, I love how the dark green leaves provide contrast with the lighter plants in my tank. I have some nana petites too, and if they weren't so expensive, I would probably use them as more of a ground cover, I think in another month or two, they will have grown enough to separate. I have one of the petites attatched to some java moss, which is bound to a piece of driftwood, and all the others are in the substrate, and doing quite well. The otos take care of any algae that develops on the foliage.

[IceH2O]

From what I've read, since I've gotten my anubias, is to prevent GSA put the anubias in a high flow area.

Mine had GSA when I received it. I placed it in a spot where the spraybar flow and the HOB flow both pass over it.

I'll let you know what happens. Its not shaded a bit, getting a full dose of 1.75 wpg lol.

[crazy loaches]

I had some bad GSA and some other algea on a few of my nana's, I took them out of my big tank and threw it in my 20g 'overflow' tank full of snails and surprisingly in about 2-3 days time the leaves were completely void of any algea, leaves looked like brand new growth again, and back in the main tank it went. Going to try dry ferts for the first time (they are in the mail) so hopefully I can better elliminate the source of the problem as well, although I am not sure how much that will do for GSA in particular.

[Lobo.]

here you go, my anubias is flowering, i thoght that this would be a good place to post it

[Naps]

very nice!!