Anubias is a very beautiful and popular aquatic plant among the pet fish lovers due to its hardiness and deep green colouration. It is naïve to Africa where it occurs in rivers, streams, and swamps. This plant has dark green and very thick leaves that can be elliptical, triangular, round or heart-shaped. It prefers to grow in immersed condition and makes it an ideal for either aquarium or terrariums.
Anubias is one of the most favourite aquatic plants among aquarium enthusiasts due to its unique growth and ease of maintenance. It grows well in low light tanks and it can survive without additional CO2 supplementation. It can grow in a different substrate such as gravel and sand. It is suitable for aquariums with low lighting with 0.25W per liter of water. Micronutrients should be supplied for proper growth. If there is a lack of micronutrients the plant will be affected and the leaves become pale. In this case, phosphate levels should be offered up to 2 mg per liter of water. The tank should have suitable water parameters with pH of 5.5-9.0, the hardness of 3.0-7.0 and temperature of 68-860F (20-30 0 C). It is naturally slow-growing plants and it does well in either immersed or submerged condition. It prefers to be tied to a piece of driftwood or stone. The rhizome should not be buried in the substrate otherwise it becomes rots or dies off. It can be used in both large and small aquariums. It can produce flower frequently in water and its tough leaves are not suitable to eat for herbivorous fishes. Waste vegetable matters, dead plants material should be removed from the aquarium daily basis to make the aquarium environment healthy. To avoid algae growths, check the plants' daily basis over the leaves. In this case, water changes should be recommended daily.
