How to Care for Anubias Plants | The Rhizome Rule

Anubias care revolves around one rule: never bury the rhizome, keep light low to moderate, and attach the plant to hardscape.

If you’ve killed an Anubias before, the rhizome was probably buried. This slow-growing aquarium plant stores energy in that thick horizontal stem, and when it sits under substrate, it rots. The fix is simple: tie or glue the plant to rock or wood, keep it out of bright light, and let it grow at its own unhurried pace. That approach works for beginners and seasoned aquascapers alike.

What Water Parameters Does Anubias Need?

Anubias is one of the most forgiving plants in the hobby, tolerating a wide range of conditions. Current care guides recommend keeping pH between 6.0 and 8.0 and temperature between 72°F and 84°F, with most plants happiest in the 72°F–82°F sweet spot. This covers nearly every tropical community tank without special effort.

Water hardness matters less than stability. A slight current helps — one guide notes that Anubias naturally grows in rivers and streams, so a bit more flow from your filter keeps leaves clean and mimics its native habitat.

The Right Way To Plant Anubias

Forget substrate. Anubias is an epiphyte — it grows attached to surfaces in the wild, not rooted in mud. Burying the rhizome leads to rot and slow death no matter how good your water is.

Instead, mount the plant onto rocks, driftwood, slate, or aquarium décor using cotton thread, fishing line, wire, or gel-type cyanoacrylate glue made for aquarium use. Keep the rhizome fully exposed so it can absorb nutrients from the water column. If you do let roots reach into substrate, ensure the rhizome itself stays above the line.

• Attachment: Tie or glue firmly; the plant will anchor itself over time.
• Position: Rhizome above substrate, never buried.
• Hardscape: Wood, rock, slate, or any aquarium-safe décor works.

When your plant outgrows its spot, divide larger clumps — cut the rhizome into sections, each with leaves and roots, and remount them elsewhere. It’s the simplest way to propagate Anubias.

Light, Fertilizer, And Algae Management

Low to moderate light is all Anubias needs. Aim for 6–8 hours per day, though some guides stretch that to 10 hours. The real caution: too much direct light triggers algae on those slow-growing leaves, and once algae takes hold, it’s hard to remove without damaging the plant.

CO₂ injection is optional — skip it unless you’re running a high-tech setup. Liquid fertilizer or light water-column nutrients can help if growth looks weak, but over-fertilizing feeds algae faster than it feeds Anubias. When in doubt, dose less than the bottle says. If you’re shopping for the best Anubias varieties for your tank, this roundup of top Anubias for aquariums covers the most popular options.

For maintenance, remove dead, yellowing, or algae-covered leaves as they appear. Trim gradually — stripping many leaves at once shocks the plant. Occasionally clean older leaves by hand and check that your mounting holds firm. Even Anubias’ natural slowness is a feature: it rarely needs rescaping and stays put for years.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Most Anubias failures trace back to five avoidable errors:

• Burying the rhizome instead of keeping it exposed.
• Placing the plant in overly bright direct light, which invites algae.
• Expecting fast growth from a plant that’s slow by nature.
• Over-fertilizing in a mistaken attempt to speed things up.
• Leaving decaying leaves attached too long, which spreads rot.

Anubias rewards patience. Give it stable tropical water, modest light, and an exposed rhizome on hardscape, and it will reward you with years of low-maintenance green — the kind of plant that makes any tank look established without demanding constant attention.