The Genus Anubias is filled with many species and subspecies, many of which adapt readily to life in an aquarium. One of the more commonly encountered varieties is Anubias barteri variety nana, frequently labeled as Anubias nana. As the word nana (Greek from nano: one billions of a part) implies this plant is a "dwarf" among its relatives, seldom growing taller then 4" and keeping leaves less then 2" wide and 3" long.

Anubias barteri variety nana differs from its base plant A. barteri with its smaller size and more delicate form. Anubias barteri var. barteri is a large robust plant with leaves in excess of 3" by 5" and its rhizome, woody stem like structure, has a tendency to grow upward making it a plant only well suited for a larger tank or a paladarium setting.

Paladariums, part water part land set-ups, are almost ideal environments for Anubias. In nature Anubias plants are found growing along stream edges and waterfalls staying in place with thick well anchored roots sprouting from the lower half of the rhizome. As seasons change the plants end up completely under water during the rainy season and almost completely high and dry when the waters evaporate and rain is months away.

In addition to growing extremely well in a paladarium setting A. var. nana makes a wonderful foreground plant in medium to larger aquariums and a great addition clinging to a log or rocks in a smaller tank. Anubias are also shade tolerant, meaning they will survive in lower light levels such as those found at the bottom of a large tank or in a under lit small one. Despite its reputation for being a slow growing plant Anubias will grow surprisingly quick in brightly illuminated tanks in the presence of a nutrient rich substrate. Slow growth is generally noticed with lower light levels, which are found in many non-plant set-ups. Even under low light conditions, 1-2 watts of light per gallon, a healthy plant will add ½" of growth to its rhizome every 2-3 months.

Anubias barteri variety nana is an ideal addition to any beginner’s aquarium. After the tank has been established and fast growing plants have gotten any algae issues under control Anubias can be added. Since the plants thrive in a wide range of seasonal conditions in the wild they can tolerate a large amount of abuse in the aquarium. The only hindrance for many people is the slightly higher price tag associated with plant that the plant farms can’t produce rapidly. When compared to "bunch plants" Anubias start at a price 2-3 times higher.

With most aquatic plants the pinnacle of success is often measured with the creation of new plants started from seeds collect from flowers grown under artificial light. Our own HAP confirms this with awarding extra points for both flowers and seedling produced by the aquarist’s plants, additional points are even awarded for producing flowers under artificial light as opposed to sun light.

One of the easiest plants to coax into bloom is Anubias barteri variety nana. Actually, this plant doesn’t even need coaxing; it throws up flowers almost any time that it’s happy. In my small planted tank the A. barteri var. nana are constantly pushing up flowers through the dense mass of leaves. The flowers themselves aren’t much to look at though. I actually trim most of the flowers and stems out when pruning the other plants in the tank. Unlike most Anubias, var. nana will produce flowers underwater. The bloom consists of a white oblong cup with a faint yellow inflorescence or flower structure. In whole the flower resembles a miniature peace lily flower.

Most of the other species of Anubias will only flower with the majority of their leaves emerged. These flowers maintain a similar cup shape or even resemble a cornhusk with a flower protruding out perpendicularly. Other Anubias flowers range in color from bright yellow to dark purple with many shades in-between. Unfortunately none of the flowers are spectacular. To get a knock out bloom you need to look toward plants like lilies or Lobelia (cardinal plant). With those plants you get gorgeous in your face reds and delicate pale pinks and lavenders.

While having had the pleasure of seeing several species of Anubias flower I have never gotten to the next step of seeds and plantlets. I’ll assume that to actually reproduce via sexual means Anubias barteri variety nana would actually have to have its flowers out of water. Something I plan on working on in the near future.

As with some fish, some aquatic plants can be common or they can be hard to come by. One such plant used to be Anubias barteri variety coffeefolia. About 10 years ago while attending an MAS meeting featuring a plant talk I saw my first picture of Anubias coffeefolia and I had to have one, the plant, not the picture.

It wasn’t until several years latter that I was able to track several specimens down, but the price tag was high. Small plants with a 2" rhizome were selling for $25-$35 each! At the time a lot more then I could afford to spend on a little green weed. As time went on availability increased a little and the price tag crawled down a tad. I finally broke down and purchased the gorgeous dark green oblong-leafed plant. It made a great addition to my Anubias species tank.

In contrast to the more common Anubias barteri and A. nana, A. coffeeflia is a much more striking plant. It’s much darker leaf color and ribbed leaves create a vivid contrast when planted in a tank with bright green or even red plants. The leaves almost have a waxy cast to them, like the fruit found in most grocery stores.

Propagation for this and any of the other Anubias species is very simple and straightforward. In many cases the plants themselves will create new growth tips from the rhizome resulting in a full dense cluster of leaves and one large plant. This new growth tips and be cut off or broken free from the original woody stem when several leaves have developed which can provide enough light catching ability to make food for the plant. Several techniques can be employed to speed up reproduction or used just to reduce the size of one large plant. To create new growth tips or to just trim a large plant break off a section of the rhizome that has several healthy leaves on it. The portion of plant that did not have the new growth tip will produce a growth tip, assuming that it has several leaves of its own to begin with. To create a fuller single specimen take a sharp knife or razor blade and nick a small cut into the rhizome of a healthy plant. This will encourage a new growth tip to form. In these ways you can end up with multiple plants to share or a monster show piece plant.

Now days, Anubias barteri variety coffeefolia can by found for around the same price as other "common" Anubias, but this dark handsome plant will always be in a class of itself for me.