Anubias barteri var. nana
Almost impossible to kill. Tie or glue to hardscape, never bury the rhizome. Susceptible to Anubias rot if rhizome is damaged; trim brown leaves at the base.
Anubias Barteri Nana (Anubias barteri var. nana) is a rhizome / epiphyte aquatic plant for the foreground to midground of a planted tank. It reaches 10–15 cm under good conditions and grows at a slow rate. Light: low to medium. CO₂: none to optional. Target 22–28 °C, pH 6.0–7.5, and 2–15 dGH. Substrate: Attach to wood or stone, never bury rhizome. Propagate via rhizome division.
Care at a glance
Almost impossible to kill. Tie or glue to hardscape, never bury the rhizome. Susceptible to Anubias rot if rhizome is damaged; trim brown leaves at the base.
By Mike ElmiraUpdated 2 min read
Part of our complete guide to the planted aquarium.
The parameters that decide whether anubias barteri nana fits in your tank.
Araceae
Rhizome / Epiphyte
Foreground to Midground
Attach to wood or stone, never bury rhizome
Rhizome division
Rocky margins of West African forest streams
West Africa (Cameroon)
Tank-mate safety and the species this one is documented to thrive (or fail) alongside.
Hard-won lessons from the tank.
Glue rhizome with cyanoacrylate (super glue gel) to wood/stone — fastest, most secure attachment. Position with leaves angled upward toward light. Don't move it after attachment; it sulks for weeks.
What can go wrong and how to spot it.
Failure modes, in order of how dramatic the fix is.
Yellowing leaves: nitrogen deficiency or insufficient light. Pinholes: potassium deficiency. Black spots: rhizome rot (terminal — trim infected sections aggressively).
Notoriously slow growth = magnet for spot algae (GSA) and black beard algae on leaves. The cure: more flow, less light, more competition from fast-growing plants nearby. Don't bury the rhizome trying to escape it.
The practical routine, read top to bottom.
Light water-column dosing (potassium, iron, trace) is enough. Root tabs unnecessary since it doesn't use the substrate. Liquid carbon (Excel) is tolerated but not required.
Trim brown/damaged leaves at the base with sharp scissors. To propagate, slice the rhizome at a node with at least 3 leaves on each side; replant both halves.
Where it comes from, how it behaves, and the variants you'll see at retail.
Where it lived before it came home.
Streams and rivers in Cameroon and West Africa, often growing semi-submerged on rocks and roots at the water's edge. Emersed in dry season; submerged in wet season.
Grows faster emersed with brighter, slightly thicker leaves and white spadix flowers. Many garden centres sell emersed-grown Anubias — they convert easily to submerged form.
Produces white spadix flowers that can pollinate underwater (rare). Emersed flowering is more common. Cutting the flower does not harm the plant.
The named cultivars and the lookalikes worth flagging.
var. nana 'Petite' (smallest, slow), 'Pinto' (white-variegated, premium), 'Stardust' (white spotted), 'Golden' (yellow-green new growth), 'Coin Leaf', 'Snow White'. All same care.
Often confused with var. 'Coffeefolia' (corrugated leaves, larger) and var. 'Petite' (much smaller, very slow). True nana sits in the middle.
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
CO₂ requirement: none to optional. Light requirement: low to medium. Under low-tech conditions the plant grows at a slow rate.
Anubias Barteri Nana (Anubias barteri var. nana) needs low to medium light. Run a photoperiod of 6–8 hours; longer photoperiods invite algae unless CO₂ and dosing are dialled in.
Position: foreground to midground. Substrate: Attach to wood or stone, never bury rhizome It typically reaches 10–15 cm.
Propagation method: Rhizome division. Anubias Barteri Nana is a rhizome / epiphyte plant.
Target 22–28 °C, pH 6.0–7.5, and 2–15 dGH. Flow tolerance: low to high.
Difficulty: 1/5. Almost unkillable, a solid first-tank choice.
A planted tank is a system. Pair this plant with one entry from each other pillar to plan the whole scape.
