- Common name
- Anubias coffeifolia
- Scientific name
- Anubias barteri 'Coffeifolia'
- Category
- Aquarium plant
- Group
- Anubias
- Environment
- Freshwater aquarium or paludarium
- Origin
- Cultivated form of the tropical African species Anubias barteri
- Care level
- Easy
- Adult size
- Approximately 15–30 cm tall; creeping rhizome commonly reaches 10–15 cm or more
- Expected lifespan
- Long-lived perennial clone under suitable conditions; exact lifespan is unknown
- Minimum housing
- No fixed litre minimum; allow at least 30 cm height and 15–20 cm or more horizontal spread
- Temperature
- Unknown — no dependable cultivar-specific numeric aquarium range was found
- pH
- Unknown — no dependable cultivar-specific numeric aquarium range was found
- Hardness / minerals
- Unknown — generally reported as adaptable from soft to hard freshwater, but no dependable numeric GH/KH range was found
- Salinity
- Freshwater; not a brackish plant
- Lighting
- Low to moderate; excessive light commonly encourages algae on slow leaves
- Placement / zone
- Midground on wood or rock, with the rhizome fully exposed
- Filtration
- Use gentle circulation and fine mechanical capture to keep detritus from settling on slow leaves and around the rhizome. Do not aim a harsh jet at new growth, and guard intakes after division or attachment work.
- Aeration
- Maintain ordinary whole-aquarium gas exchange. In low-flow hardscape pockets, ensure water still exchanges around the rhizome; in carbon-injected systems protect night-time oxygen.
- Maintenance
- Keep the rhizome exposed, remove failing leaves at the petiole base, clean persistent algae and sediment gently, inspect attachments, and divide only established branching growth with clean tools.
Identity and search names
Applies to the cultivated Coffeifolia form of Anubias barteri. Do not use it for every bullate-leaved Anubias without provenance.
Search names: Anubias coffeefolia, Anubias barteri var. coffeifolia, Coffee-leaf anubias
Environment and housing
Attach to hardscape or allow only roots to enter substrate. Keep the rhizome exposed and leaves in gentle circulation.
Social structure: One clump or a spaced group of clonal divisions; no animal social structure applies. Leave room for the mature rhizome and species-specific leaf spread.
Feeding and nutrition
Feeding ecology: Balanced water-column nutrients; optional root access without burying the rhizome
Feeding routine: Maintain balanced non-zero nutrients and diagnose new growth before changing fertiliser.
Breeding, reproduction or spread
Divide a firm branching rhizome with clean tools, keeping leaves and roots on each section.
Detailed care and app-ready planning
- Identity scope
- Applies to the cultivated Coffeifolia form of Anubias barteri. Do not use it for every bullate-leaved Anubias without provenance.
- Adult size and space
- Allow 15–30 cm height and at least 15–20 cm spread as the rhizome branches.
- Social structure
- One clump or a spaced group of clonal divisions; no animal social structure applies. Leave room for the mature rhizome and species-specific leaf spread.
- Swimming zone or placement
- Attached foreground, midground or emersed hardscape according to the identified species or cultivar; no animal swimming zone applies.
- Feeding ecology
- Slow-growing photosynthetic rhizome plant using light, dissolved carbon and restrained water-column nutrition.
- Feeding plan
- Maintain balanced non-zero nutrients and diagnose new growth before changing fertiliser.
- Water stability
- Numeric temperature, pH and GH/KH limits are Unknown for the cultivar. Maintain stable dechlorinated freshwater.
- Habitat structure
- Rhizome exposed on rock or wood, or roots placed in substrate while the rhizome remains above it, with gentle debris-clearing flow.
- Compatibility plan
- Protect from digging fish, rough grazing and locations where debris settles between the ribbed leaves.
- Breeding or reproduction plan
- Divide a firm branching rhizome with clean tools, keeping leaves and roots on each section.
- Quarantine
- Inspect ribbed leaves and rhizome crevices closely for snails, eggs, algae, pesticides and rot.
- Welfare checks
- Check new-leaf colour progression, rhizome firmness, root growth, algae, holes and soft tissue.
- Biosecurity and release
- Never release aquarium plants, fragments, substrate or wastewater into drains, ponds, dams or waterways. Check current Australian import conditions and state weed rules using the accepted botanical identity and all known synonyms.
- Main risk
- Mislabelled identity, rhizome burial and algae accumulation.
- Adult projected load
- Projected load is slow perennial leaf and rhizome biomass, shading, trapped detritus and viable divisions. Biological waste is low, but neglected leaves can become long-term algae and debris surfaces.
- Filtration
- Use gentle circulation and fine mechanical capture to keep detritus from settling on slow leaves and around the rhizome. Do not aim a harsh jet at new growth, and guard intakes after division or attachment work.
- Aeration
- Maintain ordinary whole-aquarium gas exchange. In low-flow hardscape pockets, ensure water still exchanges around the rhizome; in carbon-injected systems protect night-time oxygen.
- Maintenance
- Keep the rhizome exposed, remove failing leaves at the petiole base, clean persistent algae and sediment gently, inspect attachments, and divide only established branching growth with clean tools.
- Overridable warnings
- Non-overridable: never bury the rhizome or release viable divisions, leaves with growing tissue, substrate or aquarium water. Light, fertiliser and attachment methods may vary only while the rhizome remains firm, exposed and free of persistent algae or rot.
- Identity
- Accepted aquarium cultivar presentation: Anubias barteri 'Coffeifolia'. The former botanical variety name and the common misspelling “Coffeefolia” remain useful search aliases.
- Environment
- Attach to hardscape or allow only roots to enter substrate. Keep the rhizome exposed and leaves in gentle circulation.
- Feeding
- Use balanced low-demand fertilisation. Do not force red-brown new growth with excess iron or light.
- Breeding
- Propagate vegetatively by dividing a healthy rhizome; cultivar identity is retained clonally.
- Adult size and space
- Allow 15–30 cm height and at least 15–20 cm spread as the rhizome branches.
- Growth Rate
- Slow. New leaves may emerge reddish-brown before becoming green.
- Lighting Plan
- Low to moderate light. Shade or reduce duration if slow leaves accumulate persistent algae.
- Carbon Plan
- Injected carbon dioxide is optional; consistency is more important than a high target.
- Nutrient Plan
- Maintain balanced non-zero nutrients and diagnose new growth before changing fertiliser.
- Substrate Plan
- Secure to wood or rock, or keep rhizome on top of substrate. Never cover it.
- Propagation plan
- Divide a firm branching rhizome with clean tools, keeping leaves and roots on each section.
- Biosecurity and release
- Never release aquarium plants, fragments, substrate or wastewater into drains, ponds, dams or waterways. Check current Australian import conditions and state weed rules using the accepted botanical identity and all known synonyms.
Compatibility, welfare and risk
Compatibility: Suitable for peaceful planted aquaria when its slow leaves are protected from sediment, algae and digging fish.
Welfare: Check new-leaf colour progression, rhizome firmness, root growth, algae, holes and soft tissue.
Main warning: The correct cultivar spelling is Coffeifolia, not Coffeefolia. It is a cultivated Anubias barteri form, not a separate wild species.
Biosecurity and release
Never release aquarium plants, fragments, substrate or wastewater into drains, ponds, dams or waterways. Check current Australian import conditions and state weed rules using the accepted botanical identity and all known synonyms.