Dwarf Anubias (Nana Anubias) care

Light

Dwarf Anubias is a useful plant for the room nobody else likes — the north-facing hallway, the basement office, the windowless bathroom with the ceiling LED. One of the lowest light-requirement aquarium plants available. Thrives under 10–30 µmol PAR. Excess light encourages algae on its slowly renewing leaves; limit photoperiod to 6–8 hours under moderate aquarium lighting. Ideal for shaded foreground or midground positions. Expect slow growth and pale new leaves; that's the cost of low light, not a sign anything is wrong.

Watering

Aim for permanently aquatic or emersed in high-humidity environments; stable water conditions maintained with regular partial water changes for dwarf anubias, but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. Tolerates a broad range of water chemistry: pH 6.0–8.5, hardness 2–15 dGH, temperature 20–28°C. Weekly 25–30% water changes maintain quality. More forgiving than almost any other aquatic plant, surviving brief temperature swings and varied water chemistry.

Soil and pot

Dwarf Anubias grows best in hardscape attachment — driftwood, rock, or lava stone; rhizome must not be buried. Tie to driftwood or rock with cotton thread or use aquarium-safe superglue gel. Only the thread-like roots should contact substrate or hardscape surface. Burying the rhizome is the most common fatal mistake. Fine roots will anchor themselves naturally over time. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Dwarf Anubias sits happiest at around 70–100% for emersed; submerged in aquarium humidity and 20–28°C (68–82°F). In emersed terrarium or paludarium use, maintain humidity above 70% to prevent leaf edges browning. The compact form makes it ideal for nano terrariums. Aquarium cultivation requires no humidity management beyond a fitted lid. If you keep the room above 20–28°C year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed dwarf anubias sparingly. Very light feeder. A dilute all-in-one liquid aquarium fertiliser at half dose weekly is sufficient. CO2 injection is not required. In heavily planted aquariums, existing nutrient levels from fish bioload are often adequate without additional supplementation. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on dwarf anubias in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Green spot algae on leaves — Hard green spots on the slow-growing leaves are caused by excess light or phosphate imbalance. Reduce lighting duration, add nerite snails (effective grazers of this algae type), and ensure phosphate levels are balanced relative to nitrate.
• Rhizome rot from burial — The most common beginner error: burying the rhizome causes crown rot within weeks. The rhizome must remain fully exposed, attached above the substrate. Cut away any soft brown tissue back to firm growth and re-attach the healthy portion.
• Very slow or stalled growth — Anubias nana is naturally slow, producing one leaf every 2–4 weeks in good conditions. Extremely slow growth (one leaf per 2+ months) may indicate very low light, low temperature below 20°C, or nutrient deficiency. Add trace element fertiliser and check temperature.

Propagation

Divide the rhizome with a sterile blade ensuring each section has a minimum of 3 leaves and some roots. Sections as small as 2 cm of rhizome will grow given time. Re-attach to hardscape. Side shoots developing on the rhizome can be separated once 2–3 cm long with visible roots. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Dwarf Anubias is mildly toxic to pets. Anubias nana is an aroid (Araceae) and contains calcium oxalate crystals. ASPCA lists the Araceae family as causing oral irritation, excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing in cats and dogs when chewed. Mildly toxic — generally not life-threatening but pets that chew plants should be kept away from the aquarium. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Dwarf Anubias deep-dive guides

Every aspect of dwarf anubias care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Common dwarf anubias problems & fixes
• Dwarf Anubias watering schedule
• Dwarf Anubias light requirements
• Best soil mix for dwarf anubias
• Dwarf Anubias fertilizing guide
• When to repot dwarf anubias
• How to propagate dwarf anubias
• How to prune dwarf anubias
• What's eating my dwarf anubias?
• Dwarf Anubias growth rate & size
• Dwarf Anubias cold hardiness
• Dwarf Anubias temperature & humidity
• Is dwarf anubias toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is dwarf anubias toxic to cats?
• Is dwarf anubias toxic to dogs?
• All 9 Anubias varieties

Featured in these plant shortlists

Dwarf Anubias qualifies for 4 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best low-light houseplants — Houseplants that need no direct sun and cope with a north-facing room or a spot well back from a window.
• Best humidity-loving houseplants — Houseplants that thrive in a bathroom, kitchen, or by a humidifier — selected by documented humidity preference.
• Best bathroom plants — Humidity-loving houseplants that also cope with lower light — suited to the steamy, often-dim conditions of a typical bathroom.
• Best small & tabletop houseplants — Compact houseplants that stay under about 40 cm — desk, shelf and windowsill plants that never outgrow a small space.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Dwarf Anubias is also known as Dwarf Anubias, Anubias Nana, and Nana Anubias.

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• All 8452 plant care guides in the Growli library