- Common name
- Anubias gracilis
- Scientific name
- Anubias gracilis
- Category
- Aquarium plant
- Group
- Anubias
- Environment
- Freshwater aquarium or humid paludarium
- Origin
- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa; wet places and river beds
- Care level
- Easy to intermediate
- Adult size
- Usually 10–20+ cm in aquarium cultivation; botanical leaf height can approach about 45 cm and the plant becomes substantially larger emersed
- Expected lifespan
- Long-lived perennial under suitable conditions; exact lifespan is unknown
- Minimum housing
- No fixed litre minimum; allow at least 45 cm height and additional emersed room if grown in a paludarium
- Temperature
- Unknown — no dependable species-specific numeric aquarium range was found
- pH
- Unknown — no dependable species-specific numeric aquarium range was found
- Hardness / minerals
- Unknown — general aquarium reports describe adaptability, but no dependable numeric GH/KH range was found
- Salinity
- Freshwater; not a brackish plant
- Lighting
- Low to moderate
- Placement / zone
- Midground to background on hardscape or with roots in substrate and rhizome 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
Species-level profile for Anubias gracilis only. Do not apply it to superficially triangular leaves of A. hastifolia or other Anubias.
Search names: Graceful anubias, Triangle-leaf anubias
Environment and housing
Natural records place it in wet sites and sometimes river beds. In cultivation, provide stable humidity for emersed leaves and keep the rhizome exposed.
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 nutrition; optional root access
Feeding routine: Maintain balanced nutrients and check roots, rhizome and new leaves before increasing dose.
Breeding, reproduction or spread
Divide only a mature healthy rhizome; keep multiple leaves and established roots on each section.
Detailed care and app-ready planning
- Identity scope
- Species-level profile for Anubias gracilis only. Do not apply it to superficially triangular leaves of A. hastifolia or other Anubias.
- Adult size and space
- Allow 10–20+ cm submerged aquarium height, but plan for botanical leaf height approaching 45 cm and larger emersed growth.
- 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 nutrients and check roots, rhizome and new leaves before increasing dose.
- Water stability
- Numeric temperature, pH and GH/KH limits remain Unknown. Prevent abrupt temperature and mineral shifts.
- 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
- Give long petioles room and protect the plant from digging, crushing and persistent leaf sediment.
- Breeding or reproduction plan
- Divide only a mature healthy rhizome; keep multiple leaves and established roots on each section.
- Quarantine
- Inspect for snails, eggs, algae, pesticides, rot and terrestrial hitchhikers on emersed stock.
- Welfare checks
- Check petiole strength, triangular leaf shape, rhizome firmness, root growth, rot and algae.
- 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
- Underestimating its emersed size or confusing it with another triangular-leaved species.
- 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 species Anubias gracilis, recognised by its triangular-cordate leaf form and restricted West African range.
- Environment
- Natural records place it in wet sites and sometimes river beds. In cultivation, provide stable humidity for emersed leaves and keep the rhizome exposed.
- Feeding
- Use balanced low-demand fertilisation and clean leaves rather than high light or excessive dosing.
- Breeding
- Propagate by rhizome division. Seed production is not required for aquarium maintenance and should not be assumed from submerged flowering.
- Adult size and space
- Allow 10–20+ cm submerged aquarium height, but plan for botanical leaf height approaching 45 cm and larger emersed growth.
- Growth Rate
- Slow in aquaria; emersed growth may be larger and structurally different.
- Lighting Plan
- Low to moderate light; avoid intense unshaded exposure that encourages algae.
- Carbon Plan
- Injected carbon dioxide is optional. Keep transitions between submerged and emersed conditions gradual.
- Nutrient Plan
- Maintain balanced nutrients and check roots, rhizome and new leaves before increasing dose.
- Substrate Plan
- Attach to wood or rock or place roots in substrate. Keep the rhizome above the substrate.
- Propagation plan
- Divide only a mature healthy rhizome; keep multiple leaves and established 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 tall planted aquaria and paludaria; it can shade compact plants as petioles lengthen.
Welfare: Check petiole strength, triangular leaf shape, rhizome firmness, root growth, rot and algae.
Main warning: This is not a nana-sized plant. It can become large when allowed to grow emersed, and the rhizome must remain exposed.
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.