Anubias Nangi Care Guide (Anubias 'Nangi')
Anubias 'Nangi' is a cultivated hybrid anubias, and like the rest of its clan it is a tough, slow-growing epiphyte (a plant that grows attached to wood or rock rather than rooted in the substrate). It carries longer, more pointed dark-green leaves than the familiar dwarf Anubias nana, which makes it a handsome, slightly taller accent for the midground. Like all anubias it asks for very little light, no added carbon dioxide and only ordinary, steady water, so it suits beginners, shrimp keepers and rougher tanks with cichlids or goldfish alike.
1. Species Overview
Anubias 'Nangi' belongs to the arum family (Araceae), but it is not a wild species — it is a man-made hybrid, so it carries no true species name and is correctly written Anubias 'Nangi' (you will also see Anubias sp. 'Nangi' or Anubias cv. 'Nangi'). We list it simply as "Anubias Nangi". It was raised in cultivation by the American aquatic-plant grower Robert A. "Bob" Gasser (1922–2002, of Quality Aquarium Plants in Florida) by crossing Anubias barteri var. nana with the larger Anubias gilletii, and according to Aquasabi it has been in the trade since about 1986. Both parent species come from shaded streams and river margins in West and Central Africa. The result is intermediate between the two: broad-lanceolate, long and pointed dark-green leaves — slightly larger and more elongated than nana, but far more compact than gilletii — carried on a creeping rhizome (the thick horizontal stem that anubias and ferns grow from). Nurseries usually grow it emersed (with its leaves above the water), so a new plant often adapts its next few leaves to submersed life while the tough existing ones carry on unharmed, and the roots beneath serve mainly to grip surfaces rather than to feed the plant.
2. Difficulty Level and Suitability
By any honest measure this is an easy plant, and the sources agree closely: Flowgrow and Aquasabi both rate it "very easy", while Florida Aquatic Nurseries and Aquatic Arts call it an easy, beginner plant. 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 slightly leathery, so even cichlids and goldfish tend to leave them alone, and it is equally at home in a peaceful shrimp or nano tank. As with every anubias, 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 Nangi is close to foolproof.
3. Water Parameters
Nangi 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 wide bands, which simply reflects how adaptable the plant is.
| Parameter | Target range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 22–28 °C | Very adaptable. Flowgrow and Aquasabi list tolerance from about 12 °C to 30 °C (Flowgrow gives an optimum of 24–28 °C) and Aquatic Arts quotes 22–27 °C, so it copes with cooler unheated tanks and warm tropical ones alike; avoid sustained heat near 30 °C. |
| pH | 6.0–7.5 (tolerates ~5–8) | Happy anywhere from soft and acidic to slightly alkaline; Flowgrow and Aquasabi both list 5–8, and Aquatic Arts stretches this to 9. Stability matters more than the exact figure. |
| GH (general hardness) | Soft to hard | GH is the calcium and magnesium in the water. Exceptionally tolerant: Aquasabi lists the full 0–30 dGH span, and Flowgrow publishes no fixed GH at all, so ordinary community hardness is fine. |
| KH (carbonate hardness) | 0–15 dKH | KH is the water's buffering capacity. Undemanding; both Flowgrow and Aquasabi list it happy across roughly 0–15 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; Florida Aquatic Nurseries notes it thrives even in low-nutrient tanks, and it is not a heavy root feeder. |
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.
4. Lighting Requirements
Nangi 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. Nangi thrives at the bottom of that scale: Aquasabi rates its light demand simply "low", Florida Aquatic Nurseries "low to medium", and Aquatic Arts "low to moderate", noting that excessive light only encourages algae. Flowgrow lists it as workable from low right through to high, so it tolerates brighter tanks, 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. Place Nangi in shadier spots, and if you 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 Nangi, extra carbon dioxide is firmly optional: Aquasabi states plainly that CO₂ is not required, Aquatic Arts notes the plant does not respond significantly to supplementation, and Flowgrow lists a broad tolerance of roughly 5–40 mg/l, meaning it is perfectly content whether or not you inject — which is exactly why anubias are a mainstay of low-tech tanks. If you use a liquid carbon supplement, anubias are among the more tolerant plants and Nangi 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 Nangi, and it is the same one that governs every anubias: never bury the rhizome. That thick horizontal green stem is where the leaves and roots grow from, and if you cover it with substrate it will almost always rot and take the plant with it. Only the white roots may go down into gravel or sand; the rhizome must stay fully exposed. Instead, treat Nangi as the epiphyte it is and attach it to wood or rock — 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 sits on top. Its elongated leaves make it a slightly taller, more upright accent than nana, so it works beautifully in the midground or foreground and for softening hardscape. Most sources give a submersed height of about 5–15 cm, though it can grow taller in good conditions: Florida Aquatic Nurseries, who raise it, quote up to around 30 cm, and Aquasabi notes that emersed nursery plants reach a similar size, so give it a little room. The same plants also grow happily emersed in paludariums and terrariums.
7. Growth Rate and Propagation
Nangi is a slow grower — every source agrees on this — and there is no rushing it, so patience is the main requirement. Propagation is simple and is done by rhizome division: 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 anubias 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 not fully understood — probably bacterial or fungal — and it resists almost all chemical treatments, though 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 replant only the sound sections with the rhizome exposed. The other common gripe is algae on the leaves, a direct result of that slow growth: because each leaf lasts so long, black beard algae and green spot algae have time to settle on it, especially under strong light or in the direct path of a filter outlet. Keep Nangi 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 a little 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 'Nangi' 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.