Anubias Nana Care Guide (Anubias barteri var. nana)
Anubias barteri var. nana is the classic small anubias, and one of the most useful plants in the whole hobby. It is a compact, slow-growing epiphyte (a plant that grows attached to wood or rock rather than rooted in the substrate), with small, rounded, deep-green and almost leathery leaves carried on a creeping stem. Like its larger cousins it asks for very little light, no added carbon dioxide and only ordinary, steady water, which is why it suits beginners, nano tanks, shrimp keepers and rougher tanks with cichlids or goldfish alike.
1. Species Overview
Anubias barteri var. nana belongs to the arum family (Araceae) and comes from shaded, shallow zones of forest rivers in West Africa, chiefly Cameroon, where it grows attached to rock and wood in flowing water. We list it simply as "Anubias Nana", but the accepted botanical name is Anubias barteri var. nana: the plant was first described as its own species, Anubias nana, and is now treated as a small-growing variety of the widespread Anubias barteri, so you will still see the older name on plenty of labels. It is the true dwarf of the group, and a distinct plant from the even tinier Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite', which we sell under its own guide. A creeping rhizome (the thick horizontal stem that anubias and ferns grow from) spreads the plant sideways, while the roots beneath serve mainly to grip surfaces rather than to feed it. Nurseries usually grow anubias emersed (with the leaves above the water), so a freshly bought plant often adapts its next few leaves to submersed life while the tough existing ones carry on unharmed.
2. Difficulty Level and Suitability
By any honest measure this is an easy plant, and the sources agree: Tropica rates it "easy", while the Flowgrow and Aquasabi databases both call it "very easy", and Aquarium Co-Op describes it as hardy and resistant to melting. It needs neither bright light nor injected carbon dioxide, and it shrugs off a wide spread of temperature and hardness. Its leaves are tough and, as Tropica notes, are generally left alone even by herbivorous fish, so it is one of the few plants that survives with African cichlids and goldfish. Only two things really catch people out, and neither is about water chemistry: the very slow growth means old leaves linger and can gather algae, and the rhizome will rot if it is buried. Master those two points and Anubias nana is close to foolproof, which makes it an ideal first plant, a reliable nano and shrimp-tank choice, and a mainstay of low-tech aquariums.
3. Water Parameters
Anubias nana cares far more about steady, clean water than about hitting exact figures, so treat these as comfortable targets rather than strict limits. The reputable databases quote very wide bands, which is a fair reflection of how adaptable the plant is.
| Parameter | Target range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 22–28 °C | Very adaptable and heat-tolerant. Flowgrow and Aquasabi list a tolerance of about 12–30 °C, with an optimum band of roughly 22–26 °C, so it copes with cooler unheated tanks and warm tropical ones alike; avoid sustained heat near 30 °C. |
| pH | 6.0–7.5 | Happy from soft and acidic to slightly alkaline; Flowgrow and Aquasabi both quote roughly 5.0–8.0. Stability matters more than the exact figure. |
| GH (general hardness) | 3–15 dGH | GH is the calcium and magnesium in the water. Exceptionally tolerant of soft or hard water — Aquasabi lists it across roughly 0–30 dGH, so in practice almost any tap water suits it. |
| KH (carbonate hardness) | 1–15 dKH | KH is the water's buffering capacity. Undemanding; Flowgrow and Aquasabi both list it happy across roughly 0–21 dKH. |
| Nutrients / substrate | Water-column / epiphyte feeder | Usually attached to hardscape, so it feeds through its leaves and rhizome from the water column. A light all-round liquid fertiliser is plenty; it is not a heavy root feeder, though it will grow sitting in substrate as long as the rhizome is left exposed. |
The main thing to watch is general water quality: keep it clean and well filtered, with a little nitrate present for the plant to feed on, and change water regularly rather than chasing precise numbers.
4. Lighting Requirements
Anubias nana is a low-light plant, which is one of its best features. On the same PAR framework (PAR is photosynthetically active radiation, a measure of usable light reaching the plant) used in our coral guides, low light for plants is roughly 30–50 PAR, medium 50–80 and high 80 or more. Tropica, Aquasabi and Green Aqua all rate its light demand as low, and it will, in Tropica's words, thrive in shady places where other plants will not. It tolerates brighter light — Flowgrow lists it as workable from low right through to high — but there is no benefit in pushing it: because the leaves grow so slowly, strong light mainly invites algae onto them rather than speeding the plant up. Give Anubias nana a shadier spot, tuck it under taller plants or hardscape, and if you do move it into a brighter tank, raise the light gradually over a week or two so it can acclimatise.
5. CO₂ and Fertilisation
Plants grow by photosynthesis, using light to turn carbon dioxide and nutrients into new tissue, so more available carbon usually means faster growth. With Anubias nana, extra carbon dioxide is firmly optional: Tropica rates its CO₂ demand low, while Aquasabi and Green Aqua both say it is simply not required, and Aquasabi notes that any injected CO₂ may be beneficial to growth rather than being a necessity. That is exactly why it is such a favourite in low-tech tanks. If you use a liquid carbon supplement, anubias is among the more tolerant plants and generally takes it well, but dose to the label rather than overdoing it. For feeding, a modest all-round liquid fertiliser in the water column suits it, and a little extra iron and trace element keeps the leaves a deep, healthy green.
6. Planting and Placement
Here is the single most important rule for anubias: never bury the rhizome. That thick horizontal green stem is where the leaves and roots grow from, and Tropica is explicit that if the plant is set on the bottom the rhizome must not be covered, because it tends to rot — and a rotting rhizome usually takes the whole plant with it. Instead, treat Anubias nana as the epiphyte it is and attach it to wood or rock, which is where Tropica says it gives its best results. Tie it on with cotton thread or fishing line until the roots grip, wedge it into a crevice, or fix the rhizome — never the roots — with a dab of aquarium-safe superglue gel. Resting it on the substrate is fine too, as long as the roots go down while the rhizome stays sitting on top, fully exposed. Because it stays small, at roughly 5–15 cm tall and spreading around 5–20 cm wide as the rhizome creeps, it is perfect for the foreground and midground, for softening the base of hardscape, for nano tanks and for planting in small clustered groups. Give each plant a little room to spread, keep it in a shadier position to keep the slow leaves clean, and note that it also grows happily emersed in paludariums and terrariums.
7. Growth Rate and Propagation
Anubias nana is a slow grower and there is no rushing it; it adds only a leaf every few weeks, so patience is the main requirement, but in return each leaf is tough and long-lived, lasting for years. Propagation is simple: once the rhizome has lengthened and carries several leaves, lift the plant and cut the rhizome into pieces with a clean, sharp blade, leaving each division at least three or four leaves and its own roots, then attach each piece to a fresh rock or branch. Mature plants sometimes push up a small arum-type flower (a spathe) even underwater, which is harmless and simply a sign of a thriving, settled plant.
8. Common Issues and Troubleshooting
The problem to know is anubias rot, sometimes called anubias melt. It shows as a rhizome that turns soft, mushy or squishy instead of firm and green, often with white, yellow, brown or black patches and leaves dropping away with soggy bases. The cause is still not fully understood — it is thought to be bacterial or fungal — and it resists almost all chemical treatments, but a buried rhizome, physical damage and the move from emersed to submersed growth all make it more likely. The fix is surgical, not chemical: cut well back into firm, green tissue with a sterile blade, discard everything soft, and reattach the sound sections with the rhizome exposed. The other common gripe is algae on the leaves, a direct result of the slow growth: because each leaf lasts so long, black beard algae and green spot algae have time to settle, especially under strong light or in the direct path of a filter outlet. Keep Anubias nana out of high flow, err towards lower light and shade, trim badly affected old leaves and let cleaner new growth take over. Finally, pale, yellowing or holed leaves usually signal a nutrient shortfall rather than disease and respond to modest dosing with an iron or trace supplement, while some melting of the oldest leaves just after purchase is simply the plant converting from emersed to submersed growth, and nothing to worry about.
A Note on the Ranges Above
The parameters and other figures in this guide are a general guideline only. Every planted aquarium is different, and the ideal balance for your Anubias nana depends on your lighting, your substrate, your other plants and whether you run CO₂. For help working out tank volume and the right dose of fertiliser, plant food and treatments for your system, have a look at our Aquarium Calculators.
Disclaimer
This guide is provided for general educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice, and we cannot guarantee outcomes. Individual plants vary, and the right conditions for your system depend on your lighting, your equipment and the other livestock and plants you keep. If you are unsure about anything, please get in touch with our team before proceeding.