Anubias nana
Anubias barteri var. nana
Also known asDwarf anubias · Anubias nana
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 dwarf variety of Anubias barteri, first described as Anubias nana by Engler in 1899 and later reduced to varietal rank, native to Cameroon and West tropical Africa. It is the most popular Anubias in the hobby thanks to its small size: thick, rounded, dark-green leaves of about 3–8 cm on a creeping rhizome, the whole plant reaching only 5–12 cm tall, which suits nano tanks and foregrounds in larger setups. Like other Anubias it is a rheophyte that grips rocks and submerged wood in streams. Tissue-culture (in vitro) plants are widely sold and preferred for being free of algae, snails and pests. Several cultivars exist beyond the standard form: 'Petite' (smaller still), 'Golden' (lime-green to golden leaves), 'Snow White' (pale variegated) and 'Pangolino' (miniature).
Care notes
Care is the same as Anubias barteri, with the smaller leaves making it more versatile in aquascaping. Attach it to hardscape with gel super glue or thread, and never bury the rhizome, which rots if covered. The small, rounded leaves are handy for clothing wood and stone with greenery in low-tech tanks where true carpeting plants like dwarf hairgrass or Monte Carlo would fail without CO2; a driftwood branch covered in nana is one of the most dependable low-tech aquascaping tricks. Growth is very slow, so a single plant takes months to creep noticeably across wood. Under strong light, algae settles on the slow leaves faster than the plant replaces them, so keep light moderate, or balance bright light with CO2, nutrients and a grazing cleanup crew. Trim dead or algae-covered leaves at the base with sharp scissors. Propagate by dividing the rhizome once it has a section with three or four leaves, or by separating side shoots; each piece grows on independently. In shrimp tanks it is a favourite, the leaves and roots giving biofilm grazing surface and cover for shrimplets. The in-vitro form is the cleanest and often most vigorous way to buy it. It is an ornamental epiphyte, not a crop, so it is unsuited to media-bed aquaponics or hydroponics.