Anubias Masterclass: Every Variety Ranked for Your Aquascape

Anubias is the plant you recommend to everyone. The friend who just got a betta. The coworker who bought a 10-gallon on impulse. The family member who killed every houseplant they ever owned. You tell them all the same thing: get Anubias, glue it to a rock, and forget about it. And you are right, Anubias is the most forgiving aquarium plant in existence. But reducing it to the beginner plant misses the point entirely. The genus contains over a dozen commonly available varieties ranging from half-inch nano jewels to foot-long background monsters, and a thoughtful Anubias-focused aquascape is one of the most elegant layouts in the hobby.

Why Anubias Works

Before we rank varieties, understand what makes every Anubias tick:

• Epiphyte: Grows attached to hardscape, not buried in substrate. Roots anchor and absorb nutrients but do not need to be in soil.
• Rhizome grower: The thick horizontal stem produces leaves above and roots below. New leaves emerge from the growing tip of the rhizome.
• Extremely slow: One new leaf every 1 to 3 weeks depending on species and conditions. Each leaf is thick, durable, and persists for months.
• Low demand: Thrives at 15-40 PAR. No CO2 required. Minimal fertilization needed. Tolerates a wide pH and hardness range.
• Flowers underwater: Produces small white spadix flowers while fully submerged, a charming bonus few other aquatic plants offer.

Nano Varieties (Tanks Under 10 Gallons)

Anubias nana 'Petite'

Leaves barely half an inch long on a rhizome the diameter of a toothpick. Petite is the smallest Anubias and the premium choice for nano tanks where standard nana looks like a tree. Growth is glacial, a petite cluster takes 8 to 12 months to become impressive. But the result is a miniature, dense, dark-green mat on hardscape that looks like it has been growing undisturbed for decades. In aquascaping competitions, petite on branch tips of spiderwood creates a canopy effect that no other plant achieves at this scale.

Anubias nana 'Pangolino'

Even smaller than petite, if that seems possible. Pangolino leaves rarely exceed a quarter inch. This is a collector's variety that is genuinely tiny, difficult to find, and expensive relative to its size. In a nano tank under 5 gallons, pangolino creates a sense of scale that makes small tanks look like vast landscapes. The plant is rare enough that many aquascapers never encounter it in stores.

Small Varieties (10-30 Gallon Tanks)

Anubias nana

The default Anubias and the variety you picture when someone says the name. Rounded, dark green leaves 1 to 2 inches wide on a moderately compact rhizome. Nana is versatile enough for any tank size but shines in the 10 to 30 gallon range where it serves as a midground anchor attached to central hardscape pieces. A single nana on a piece of driftwood creates an instant focal point. A dozen nana covering an elaborate branch structure creates an underwater jungle.

Anubias nana 'Golden'

Same plant, different color. Golden nana produces lime-green to yellowish-green leaves that brighten any layout dominated by the typical dark greens of standard nana. New leaves emerge bright yellow-green and mature to a lighter green. The color contrast when golden and standard nana grow side by side on the same hardscape piece is striking and requires zero additional effort.

Anubias nana 'Snow White'

A variegated variety with leaves that range from pale green to white. Snow White is dramatic but finicky, the white portions lack chlorophyll and contribute nothing to the plant's energy production, making it inherently weaker than green varieties. Strong light bleaches the leaves further. Moderate, indirect light maintains the best variegation pattern. An expensive collector's variety that draws attention in any tank but requires more thoughtful placement than standard nana.

Medium Varieties (30-55 Gallon Tanks)

Anubias barteri

The step up from nana with heart-shaped leaves reaching 3 to 5 inches. Barteri provides visual weight that smaller varieties cannot, a mature specimen attached to a large piece of driftwood anchors a layout with a sense of permanence and age. The leaves are thicker and more leathery than nana with prominent veining that catches directional light beautifully.

Anubias barteri 'Coffeefolia'

The most visually distinctive commonly available Anubias. Coffeefolia produces deeply ribbed, corrugated leaves that resemble coffee plant foliage. New growth emerges reddish-brown before maturing to deep green. The leaf texture creates shadows and depth that flat-leaved varieties cannot match. Coffeefolia is a conversation starter, visitors notice the unusual texture immediately.

Anubias barteri 'Broad Leaf'

Wider leaves than standard barteri, reaching 4 to 6 inches across. Broad leaf creates a fuller, more tropical appearance and covers more hardscape surface per leaf. In the midground of a 40 to 55 gallon tank, broad leaf provides lush canopy cover that shades lower-light plants and creates zones of visual depth.

Large Varieties (55+ Gallon Tanks)

Anubias barteri var. barteri (Full Size)

Leaves 6 to 10 inches long on a robust, woody rhizome. Full-size barteri is a statement plant that demands a large tank. Attached to a central driftwood piece in a 75-gallon tank, a mature specimen becomes the visual anchor that everything else plays around. The dark green, leathery leaves create a lush tropical atmosphere that stem plants cannot replicate, there is a permanence and weight to Anubias foliage that fast-growing stems simply lack.

Anubias hastifolia

Arrow-shaped (hastate) leaves that are immediately recognizable as different from any other Anubias. Hastifolia grows leaves 8 to 12 inches long with a distinctive pointed shape that provides textural contrast in background plantings. Less commonly stocked than barteri but available from specialty sellers. Worth seeking out for large-tank aquascapers who want something beyond the standard rounded leaf silhouette.

Anubias gigantea

The largest commonly available Anubias. Leaves exceed 12 inches in good conditions. Gigantea is purely a large-tank plant, in anything under 75 gallons, a single mature specimen dominates the entire layout. In a 120-gallon or larger tank, gigantea attached to a massive piece of wood creates a canopy that shades the entire lower level, enabling shade-tolerant species below while creating dramatic light-and-shadow patterns throughout the aquascape.

Propagation

All Anubias propagate through rhizome division. When the rhizome has grown long enough to show multiple leaf clusters separated by bare rhizome, cut between them with a clean, sharp blade. Each division needs at least 3 to 4 healthy leaves and some roots. Attach the new piece to hardscape and it continues growing independently. Propagation is slow because Anubias grows slowly, expect to divide a plant once or twice per year at most.

Common Problems and Solutions

Yellow Leaves

Old leaves naturally yellow and die, this is normal senescence. If new leaves are yellow, suspect iron deficiency. Dose a comprehensive micronutrient fertilizer containing chelated iron.

Holes in Leaves

Potassium deficiency. Small holes appear in older leaves first as the plant redirects limited potassium to new growth. Add a potassium supplement weekly.

Mushy Rhizome

Rhizome rot from burial in substrate or poor water circulation around the rhizome. Cut away all soft, mushy sections with a clean blade until you reach firm, healthy tissue. Reattach to hardscape with good water flow. If caught early, the plant recovers fully.

Match your Anubias variety choices to your tank dimensions, petite for nanos, nana for mid-size, barteri and gigantea for the large displays. Our tank size calculator helps you determine the right scale, and if you are running CO2 (not required but helpful), the CO2 dosing calculator dials in the right amount for your volume.