- Common name
- Anubias nana petite
- Scientific name
- Anubias barteri 'Petite'
- Category
- Aquarium plant
- Group
- Anubias
- Environment
- Freshwater aquarium or paludarium
- Origin
- Cultivated mutation first reported from an aquarium-plant nursery in Singapore
- Care level
- Easy
- Adult size
- Approximately 3–5+ cm tall; creeping rhizome commonly reaches 5–10 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 5 cm height and 10 cm or more 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; high intensity readily coats the tiny slow leaves with algae
- Placement / zone
- Foreground and miniature hardscape, with 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
Applies specifically to the Petite cultivar. Do not use for every very small Anubias, because several independent miniature cultivars exist.
Search names: Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite', Anubias petite, Petite anubias
Environment and housing
Attach to small stones or wood and keep the rhizome fully exposed. Gentle flow should keep debris off the tiny leaves.
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 low-demand water-column nutrition
Feeding routine: Maintain balanced nutrients without heavy dosing. Remove algae manually before changing fertiliser.
Breeding, reproduction or spread
Divide only once the rhizome has several branches, retaining roots and leaves on each section.
Detailed care and app-ready planning
- Identity scope
- Applies specifically to the Petite cultivar. Do not use for every very small Anubias, because several independent miniature cultivars exist.
- Adult size and space
- Usually 3–5+ cm tall with a 5–10+ cm rhizome; branching clumps can spread wider over time.
- 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 without heavy dosing. Remove algae manually before changing fertiliser.
- Water stability
- Numeric temperature, pH and GH/KH limits remain Unknown. 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
- Avoid digging animals, coarse grazers and fast plants that permanently shade or bury the clump.
- Breeding or reproduction plan
- Divide only once the rhizome has several branches, retaining roots and leaves on each section.
- Quarantine
- Inspect tiny leaf clusters and rhizome gaps for snails, eggs, algae, pesticides and rot.
- Welfare checks
- Check new miniature leaves, rhizome firmness, burial, algae, holes and detachment from hardscape.
- 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
- Algae or burial overwhelming a very slow miniature clone.
- 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 cultivar presentation Anubias barteri 'Petite'. The older trade wording Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite' remains searchable.
- Environment
- Attach to small stones or wood and keep the rhizome fully exposed. Gentle flow should keep debris off the tiny leaves.
- Feeding
- Use restrained balanced fertilisation. Tiny size is genetic, not evidence of nutrient starvation.
- Breeding
- Propagate only by division of an established branching rhizome; cultivar identity is clonal.
- Adult size and space
- Usually 3–5+ cm tall with a 5–10+ cm rhizome; branching clumps can spread wider over time.
- Growth Rate
- Very slow. Algae and burial can overwhelm the small leaves and rhizome.
- Lighting Plan
- Low to moderate. Avoid intense direct light and use a controlled photoperiod.
- Carbon Plan
- Injected carbon dioxide is optional; stable low-demand conditions are adequate.
- Nutrient Plan
- Maintain balanced nutrients without heavy dosing. Remove algae manually before changing fertiliser.
- Substrate Plan
- Attach to fine hardscape or keep on the substrate surface. Never bury the rhizome.
- Propagation plan
- Divide only once the rhizome has several branches, retaining roots and leaves 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: Good for small aquascapes when it is not shaded by larger plants or buried by digging animals.
Welfare: Check new miniature leaves, rhizome firmness, burial, algae, holes and detachment from hardscape.
Main warning: Petite is a cultivated clone, not a wild species. Its tiny leaves do not justify burying the rhizome or exposing it to intense light.
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.