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Is Anubias Good for Aquarium? (Everything you need to know!)

If you’ve ever researched live aquarium plants to keep in your aquarium then you may have come across Anubias a lot of times.

This is because Anubias is a very popular plant in the aquarium hobby.

But is it really a good plant for your aquarium?

Well, this is the question I am going to answer in this article. So keep reading.

Is Anubias Good for Aquarium? (Everything you need to know!) image

Is Anubias good for an aquarium?

Anubias is very a hardy and easy to care for plant so it is a very good plant for aquarium especially if you are a beginner.

Anubias can tolerate a wide range of water conditions so you can keep it in any aquarium.

As anubias is a very popular plant in the aquarium hobby, it is widely available in local fish stores as well as online.

Why Anubias is good for an aquarium?

There are several good reasons to keep anubias in your aquarium.

1. Easy to care

Anubias is one of the hardiest plants in the aquarium hobby. And this is the reason it is a very good choice for beginners. 

Anubias can survive most of the water conditions so it will most likely survive and thrive in your aquarium. 

2. Low maintenance

Anubias is a slow-growing plant, so it requires very little maintenance.

You just have to trim the plant now and then.

3. Deep green color

Anubias has thick deep green leaves that look very attractive in the aquarium.

4. Placements

One of the reasons Anubias is very popular among aquascapers is that there are several places you can keep Anubias in your tank.

Either you can plant it into the substrate of your tank or you can tie it to any ornament like driftwood, rock, or any other ornament in your tank.

5. Keeps aquarium clean

Anubias or any live aquarium plant requires nutrients for its growth.

Aquatic plants get nutrients from the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite produced by the fish in your aquarium.

This ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and nitrite are harmful to the fish but they’re fertilizers for Anubias.

So anubias absorbs these by-products and help to keep your tank clean and safe for the fish.

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How to buy Anubias?

Check price of this anubias at Amazon here

So now you know the benefits of keeping Anubias in your aquarium and you’re excited to get anubias for your aquarium.

But before you get out and get some anubias for your tank let me share with you a few things that you should look for while buying anubias for your tank.

Because the last thing you want is to get Anubias which is already suffering from deficiencies.

1. Color

As mentioned earlier, Anubias has deep green color so while buying Anubias make sure that the plant has a deep green color on its leaves. And the leaves are not fade green or yellow or brown.

Also, avoid the plants that have holes on its leaves.

Usually, the yellow and brown colors of the leaves suggest some kind of deficiency. So you should avoid such plants.

2. Stem

Anubias has thick and heavy leaves. So it has to have a very thick and healthy stem to support the leaves.

So while buying Anubias make sure that the plant has a thick and healthy stem that supports the leaves.

3. Damage

Lastly, look for any general damage like ripped leaves or damaged stem.

Also, stay away from the plants that have algae on its leaves.

Overall, choose a plant that looks healthy and vibrant.

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How to keep Anubias in aquarium?

As mentioned earlier, you can keep Anubias in several places in your tank.

Besides, anubias can tolerate a wide range of water parameters so you can keep it in most of aquariums.

No matter where you put Anubias in your tank just make sure that you are not putting it in a shaded area. 

Because this plant does require good light for photosynthesis. So if you keep it in a shaded area then it will not be able to make its own food by the process of photosynthesis.

Planting anubias into the substrate

In its natural habitat, Anubias is usually found in riverbanks where the substrate is muddy and nutrient-rich.

So you should try to emulate the same in your aquarium and plant it in a nutrient-rich substrate.

Planting anubias in a nutrient-rich substrate will also speed up its growth.

However, if you don’t already have a nutrient-rich substrate in your tank then you can also plant it in sand or even fine-grained gravel substrate.

But then you will have to supplement the plant with root tabs to provide the nutrients.

For planting anubias into the substrate just bury its roots into the substrate. And make sure that the rhizome of the plant is out of the substrate.

If you bury the rhizome into the substrate then after some time it will rot which we don’t want.

Besides, if you’re planting multiple anubias plants in your tank then make sure to keep at least two to three inch distance between them so that they will not compete for nutrients with each other.

Here’s a video that shows how to plant anubias in substrate

Planting anubias on ornaments

The reason aquascapers love Anubias because you can literally tie it to any ornament in your tank whether that is driftwood, rock, or any other ornament.

Also, attaching anubias to any ornament is a very simple and straightforward process.

You just have to put the plant on the ornament and tie its rhizome to the ornament using a fishing line or cotton string.

Some people also use glue to attach Anubias to the ornament.

After a few weeks, the roots of the Anubias will automatically get attached to the surface of the ornament. And then you can remove the fishing line from the plant.

If you use a cotton string to attach the plant then the cotton string will automatically get dissolved after a few weeks.

Besides, planting anubias on driftwood or porous rock is recommended because as the surface is rough the roots of the plants will easily get attached to the surface.

Here’s a video that shows how to tie anubias to rock

Here’s a video that shows how to attach anubias to driftwood using glue

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How to take care of Anubias in your aquarium?

PARAMETERSVALUES
PLANTAnubias Nana Petite
COMMON NAMESdwarf Anubias
SCIENTIFIC NAMEAnubias
FAMILYAraceae
CARE LEVELEasy
LIGHT REQUIREMENTLow-Moderate
GROWTH RATESlow
TEMPERATURE72-82°F
pH6.5 – 7.8
HARDNESS60- 160 ppm
PLACEMENTMid-background
MAXIMUM SIZE8 inches
MINIMUM TANK SIZE5 Gallons
PROPAGATIONRhizome Division

Anubias is a slow-growing plant so you don’t need to pay a lot of attention to this plant. You’ll just have to trim it now and then.

Besides, anubias is a very hardy plant. And it can survive most of the water conditions so it is very easy to care for.

That being said, it is always a good idea to provide the ideal environment to the plant so it can thrive in your tank and to avoid any issues in the future. And this is what we’re going to talk now.

1. Light requirements

Anubias can do well in almost any lighting condition.

You can keep it on the low light as well as in a higher lighting environment.

Under highlighting it will grow faster compared to the low light. However, keeping anubias under high lighting also makes it susceptible to algae growth.

That’s why it is recommended to provide low light to Anubias of anywhere between 1 to 2 Watts per gallon if you are using fluorescent light. Or light between 15 to 30 micromoles if you are using an LED light.

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2. Ideal water conditions

Anubias can tolerate a wide range of water parameters.

The ideal temperature range for Anubias is between 72° to 82° Fahrenheit.

However, people have successfully kept Anubias in lower temperatures as well.

And you can easily keep anubias in a tropical aquarium where the temperature is slightly warmer.

The pH tolerance range of anubias is between 6.5 to 7.8. And the water hardness tolerance range is between 3-8 KH.

3. Substrate requirements for Anubias

You can plant anubias in soil, sand, or even fine-grained gravel substrate.

Ideally, you should plant anubias in a nutrient-rich substrate because it will help it to grow faster. Though it is not necessary.

If you are going to plant it in sand or gravel substrate, just make sure to supplement it with fertilizers in the form of root tabs to provide the nutrients.

4. Fertilization requirements

Anubias require nutrients for its growth. As anubias is a pretty hardy and undemanding plant, you may not need to supplement the plant with additional fertilizers.

It will take whatever nutrients are present in the tank and grow.

However, if you think the anubias in your tank is not growing fast enough or don’t look healthy and vibrant then you can supplement the plant with nutrient supplements.

I recommend Seachem flourish. It is an all-in-one fertilizer which basically means that it has all the nutrients that a plant requires for its growth in a balanced amount. 

You can check its reviews and latest price at Amazon here.

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5. Propagation

Anubias propagates by rhizome division.

To propagate Anubias, just take the plant out of your tank and then using a sterile sharp scissor cut the rhizome of the fully grown anubias.

Make sure not to take too many cuttings out of the plant because then it will struggle to survive when you put it back into the tank.

Also, make sure that there are at least three leaves on each cutting so that it can photosynthesize and grow on its own.

After taking the cuttings put the cuttings into the tank. And after a few weeks, it will start producing more and more leaves and grow.

Here is a quick video that shows how to propagate an anubias plant.

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Conclusion

Overall, anubias is a very good plant for any aquarium. 

It is especially a very good plant to keep in your aquarium if you are a beginner. Because it is very hardy and easy to care for plant. And it can survive almost any water conditions.

I hope you found this article helpful.

If you do, please share it.

Happy fishkeeping!

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Author
Prathmesh Gawai
He is the main author and editor at Aquagoodness.com. And he loves to share helpful information on aquarium and/or fishkeeping hobby. Prathmesh has over five years of aquarium and/or fishkeeping experience. Currently, he has a Betta fish tank. He has written hundreds of articles on various aquarium fish species and on fish tank maintenance over the last five years. Connect with him on YouTube here. Learn more about him here.

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