Anubias congensis
Anubias heterophylla
Also known asCongo anubias · Anubias congensis (synonym) · Heart-leaf anubias
Water parameters
Light and nutrients
Substrate type: epiphyte. Propagation: rhizome division.
Substrate compatibility
| Substrate | pH effect | Nutrient load |
|---|---|---|
| Wood and rock mounts (Hardscape mount) | varies | none |
| Inert sand (Pool filter sand) | neutral / inert | none |
| Inert gravel (Aquarium gravel) | neutral / inert | none |
| Limestone gravel (Crushed coral) | raises pH | none |
| Bare bottom (no substrate) (Bare bottom) | n/a | none |
| Aquasoil (ADA Amazonia) | lowers pH | very high |
| Mineralized clay substrate (Seachem Fluorite) | neutral / inert | moderate |
With fish
Origin and habitat
A large African aroid (family Araceae) of the genus Anubias. The accepted name is Anubias heterophylla, described by Engler in 1879; the trade name Anubias congensis (N.E.Br., 1901) is a synonym, as are A. affinis, A. engleri, A. bequaertii and the trade name A. undulata. It is native across West-Central Africa, from Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea through Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Angola, growing on rocks and submerged wood in forest streams. Its leaves are much larger than those of A. barteri or A. nana, lance-shaped and a lighter, brighter green, reaching roughly 15–30 cm long, and the plant builds bulky rosette-like clusters from a thick rhizome. It is less common in the trade than barteri or nana but stocked by specialist aquatic-plant sellers.
Care notes
Care is the same as other Anubias and just as forgiving: low light, no CO2 needed, a wide temperature span of about 20°C to 30°C, and soft or hard water. What sets it apart is size, a large plant with leaves of 15–30 cm that wants a tank of 150 litres or more; in a small tank it outgrows the space within months. Attach the thick rhizome to a sizeable piece of driftwood or rock with cyanoacrylate gel, cable ties or heavy thread, and never bury the rhizome, which rots if covered, so keep at least half of it exposed. Growth is slow like all Anubias, and it responds less to CO2 than most plants, though each new leaf adds real visual weight. Keep light low to medium, around eight hours a day; strong light mainly feeds algae, and green spot algae in particular settles on the broad leaves, where nerite snails graze it off well. Propagate by cutting the rhizome into sections with three or four leaves once the plant is large enough. The big leaves double as spawning surfaces for angelfish, discus and dwarf cichlids and as resting platforms for catfish and loaches. It is an ornamental epiphyte, not a crop, so it is unsuited to media-bed aquaponics or hydroponics.