Spade-Leaf Anubias
Anubias gracilis
Araceae
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About
Anubias gracilis is the odd one out in a genus of rounded foliage: its blades are triangular to hastate, almost arrowhead-shaped, and they ride on long petioles that lift the plant to roughly 25-30 cm submersed. That makes it two to three times the height of Anubias barteri var. nana and clearly taller and airier than plain A. barteri, whose leaves are broad ovals on short stalks. Care is pure Anubias otherwise: a creeping rhizome from shaded West African stream banks in Guinea and Sierra Leone, happy in low light with no CO2, growing very slowly and taking months to settle in before it looks like the picture on the pot.
Care
Tie or glue the rhizome to wood or rock and leave it fully exposed - buried in substrate it rots and the plant dies. Keep light low and flow gentle so algae cannot colonise the long-lived leaves, skip CO2, and dose a light liquid fertiliser. Be patient: new leaves come weeks apart.
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Frequently asked questions
- What water parameters does a Spade-Leaf Anubias need?
- Spade-Leaf Anubias does best at 18–30 °C (64.4–86 °F), pH 5.5–8 and a general hardness of 2–18 °dGH.
- Where should Spade-Leaf Anubias be placed in the aquarium?
- Spade-Leaf Anubias works best attached to wood or rock, not planted in the substrate and reaches around 30 cm.
- Is the Spade-Leaf Anubias suitable for beginners?
- Yes — Spade-Leaf Anubias is one of the easier species to keep and forgives typical first-tank mistakes, as long as the aquarium is cycled and maintained.