Anubias in Aquariums: A Guide to Care, Planting, and Benefits

Posted by Artur Wlazlo on 10 Dec 2025

Key Takeaways

Easy & Low-Maintenance Care: Anubias are hardy, adaptable plants that thrive in low to moderate light and a wide range of water parameters, making them ideal for both beginner and experienced tank owners.
Versatile Planting Options: They can be anchored to driftwood, rocks, or planted in substrate, allowing flexible placement in the foreground, midground, or background of your aquarium.
Aquarium Benefits: Anubias enhance tank aesthetics with their lush green leaves, provide oxygenation, help control algae growth, and offer shelter for fish.

Simple Anubias Care

Anubias plants, with their vibrant green leaves and hardy nature, have become a favorite among aquarium enthusiasts. Whether you're a seasoned aquarist or a beginner, incorporating Anubias into your aquatic setup can be a rewarding experience. In this blog, we'll explore what these plants are, how to create an Anubias plant aquarium care routine, where to place them in your aquarium, and the numerous benefits these aquarium plants bring to your underwater world and their inhabitants.

Follow along for essential Anubias care tips!

What are Anubias Aquarium Plants?

Anubias is a genus of aquatic plants native to tropical regions in Africa. These beautiful aquatic plants have found their way into aquariums worldwide and are prized additions due to their adaptability and striking appearance. Anubias plants are highly sought after for their sturdy, dark green, broad leaves.

Depending on the variant, Anubias’ leaves can be round, oval, or lanceolate in shape. There are many different variants available in our online store, including:

Our store even offers Anubias already attached to a piece of driftwood or lava rock, making Anubias plant care and installation much easier.

Anubias Care: How to Plant Anubias

In addition to their beauty, Anubias are known for their low maintenance—one of the key reasons Anubias plants became a favorite among aquarium hobbyists. Check out this overview of Anubias care to ensure they thrive:

1. Lighting

Anubias plants are known for their tolerance to low light conditions, making them ideal for aquariums with low-tech setups and varying lighting conditions. However, Anubias display more vibrant colors and more robust growth when provided with moderate to high lighting.

2. Water Parameters

While Anubias care dictates slightly acidic to neutral water, they will readily adapt to a wide range of water parameters and should thrive with a pH range of 6.0 to 8.0. The water temperature is not critical but should be maintained between 72°F and 82°F (22°C to 28°C). Good water quality and regular water changes will help the plants thrive.

3. Substrate

Anubias plant care doesn't require a nutrient-rich substrate like some other aquatic plants. Instead, it can be anchored to aquarium decor, driftwood, or rocks. How you plant Anubias on hardscape is by using dark thread or super glue to secure it. Over time, the plant will naturally root into the hardscape. However, Anubias can be planted in a substrate as long as their rhizome (the thick part of the root) is not buried.

4. Fertilization

While Anubias can thrive without additional fertilization, Anubias care with liquid fertilizers rich in essential nutrients like potassium and iron can enhance growth. If planted in the substrate, you can insert root tabs near their roots to provide supplemental fertilization.

5. Propagation

Anubias can be propagated by dividing the rhizome. For proper Anubias plant aquarium care, carefully separate the plant into smaller sections, ensuring each section has a portion of the rhizome and a few leaves. Plant these sections in your desired locations within the aquarium.

6. Placement

Anubias are versatile plants, and given their tolerance for low light conditions, can be placed just about anywhere in an aquarium. Generally, it is your aesthetic tastes that will determine where they should be placed. How you plant Anubias is completely up to you!

Anubias care won’t be affected, whether you place it in the background, midground, or foreground.

Benefits of Anubias in Aquariums

Incorporating Anubias, like any other live aquarium plant, into your aquarium offers several advantages.

1. Aesthetic Appeal

Anubias' lush, dark-green leaves add an attractive, natural look to your aquatic environment. Their sturdy texture and vibrant green color can provide interesting visual contrast when planted among or next to other aquatic plants, including stem plants with leaves in various shapes and colors.

2. Oxygenation

Like all aquatic plants, Anubias plants oxygenate the water during photosynthesis, removing CO2 from the water and releasing oxygen, creating a healthier environment for your fish.

3. Algae Control

Proper Anubias care can help combat algae growth by competing for nutrients and shading the aquarium substrate. This can lead to a cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing tank. However, since Anubias are slow-growing plants, it is advisable to incorporate other fast-growing plants, like Wisteria, Red Root Floater, or Duckweed, as they will be much more efficient in absorbing excess nutrients from the water column.

Regardless of your Anubias plant care routine, you can also add a few algae-eating snails to control algae growth as well.

4. Fish Habitat

Anubias' sturdy leaves provide shelter for small fish and fry, offering them a safe refuge from larger tankmates. They can also provide a surface for fish to lay their eggs on. Angelfish and Discus fish are known to spawn on the Anubias' broad and sturdy leaves. As long as you maintain proper Anubias care, these plants will benefit all tank inhabitants.

5. Natural Behavior

Fish are known to graze on the microorganisms and algae that can develop on Anubias leaves. This encourages their natural foraging behavior. And there is nothing more enthralling than watching fish behave naturally in their aquatic environment. What’s more, fish that behave naturally are happy fish and more likely to spawn and live long and healthy lives.

You won’t have to devote as much time to Anubias plant aquarium care when you have fish that help keep these plants healthy!

Start An Anubias Care Routine

Now that you know how to plant Anubias and how to create an essential Anubias plant care routine, you can install this beautiful and versatile addition to any aquarium. Their ease of care, adaptability, and aesthetic benefits make them a popular choice among aquarists. Choose Anubias for your aquarium to contribute to the overall health and beauty of your underwater world.