Anubias barteri
A slow, tough, low-light rhizome plant attached to wood or rock. Almost indestructible, provided the rhizome is never buried.
Requirements
- Scientific name
- Anubias barteri
- Family
- Araceae
- Light
- Low
- CO₂
- Not required
- Nutrients
- low
- Growth rate
- Very slow
- Placement
- Epiphyte
- Feeding
- water column
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 6–8
- Hardness
- 2–20 °dGH
- Height
- 15–40 cm
Identity
- Common name
- Anubias barteri
- Scientific name
- Anubias barteri
- Family
- Araceae
- Also sold as
- anubias
How to plant it
The commonest way to kill an aquarium plant is to install it wrongly. This is the first thing to get right.
Rhizome must stay above the substrate
Nutrition reaches this plant mainly through the water column, so liquid fertiliser matters more than substrate nutrition.
Growing conditions
| Input | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Low | Match plants to the light you have rather than raising light to suit the plant — that grows algae. |
| CO₂ | Not required | Not a requirement, though growth is faster with it. |
| Nutrients | low | Dose a complete liquid fertiliser. |
| Temperature | 22–28 °C | |
| pH | 6–8 | |
| Hardness | 2–20 °dGH | |
| Growth rate | Very slow |
Propagation
Cut the rhizome into sections, each keeping several leaves and roots.
Emersed growth and melting
Usually grown emersed and converts without dramatic melting, unlike cryptocorynes.
Common problems
- rhizome rot from burial
- black brush algae on old leaves
Work from the observation: melting, yellow leaves, holes in leaves and poor growth.
Fish and invertebrate compatibility
- Resists grazing
- excellent
- Resists digging
- excellent
Worth knowing
- The commonest way to kill Anubias is to plant the rhizome in substrate, where it rots. Tie or glue it to hardscape instead.
- Because the leaves are slow-growing and long-lived, they accumulate algae — usually a sign of excess light for the growth rate rather than a plant problem.
Evidence
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Anubias barteri | Observed / measured | high confidence | Plants of the World Online |
| temperature | 22–28 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| light requirement | low | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| co2 requirement | not-required | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| growth rate | very-slow | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| placement | epiphyte | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 6–8 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 2–20 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| height | 15–40 cm | Aquarium-literature consensus | high confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one. Light and CO2 categories are aquarium conventions rather than measurements, and are labelled as such — AquariumHQ has taken no PAR readings and does not publish figures it has not taken.
scientific nameOne sourceBased on a verified authoritative source.1 citation, 1 independent origin
Checked against gbif on 2026-08-11 and confirmed accepted.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted botanical name — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-11. One botanical authority is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Corroborate against a second, independent source.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
light requirementAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
co2 requirementAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
growth rateAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
placementAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
heightAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: size a well-kept specimen reaches — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.