# Anubias in the terrarium



## Guest (Jun 20, 2006)

I'm as new as a newbie can be - just in the process of gathering info and learning, really, but I have to ask...

Why can I find no mention of anubias used in vivariums/terrariums, despite the fact that they should be an ideal plant for those applications? Surely someone has tried one or more of the anubias species in their tanks.

As I understand it, these West African natives are actually terrestrial in nature, despite the fact that they are among the most popular aquarium plants.

I'm considering the 30 gallon high aquarium in my bedroom and thinking it's time to remove the water and see if I can convert it to a frog tank.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

I did a search and came up with this in about 5 seconds...

http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewt ... ht=anubias

Edit: I hope that doesn't sound harsh. It wasn't meant to be.


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## sierraaquarium (Mar 4, 2006)

i use anubias in all of my tanks whether aquatic or terrestrial. 
i am also surprised that there aren't more people using it or atleast showing it being used.


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## Guest (Jun 21, 2006)

I use anubias in all my tanks, and it often blooms in there. I plant it on the waters edge never burying the stem/stolon.


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## Guest (Jun 21, 2006)

Thanks, it sounds like they DO work. 

No problem, Frogtofall,  I DID try a search, but must have mis-keyed anubias.


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## Guest (Jun 21, 2006)

Good luck. Further more, most if not all aroids like anubias do well in vivariums.


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

I’ve grown them in vivs as well, and they have done well for me. One of my friends said that he could not grow them in his green house, so it may be that they require high humidity. I think they are not among the most popular viv plants because they are not available at Home Depot, they are relatively expensive, and they grow terribly slowly.


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## Guest (Jun 21, 2006)

True. I got mine from aquarium stores. It was fully submersed, in bloom, and took well to the change of becoming emersed. But you are right Chris, they are expensive.


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## sierraaquarium (Mar 4, 2006)

expensive?? I sell mine for $2-8 each (mainly $2-5 range - but those pesky dwarfs are the pricey ones).


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## Guest (Jun 21, 2006)

Well considering most aquarium plants are 2-3 dollars, and then suddenly you see an anumbias for 6-8 dollars, yea its expensive.


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

Here in NY it is not uncommon to see Anubias sp. for $10 per plant, which is a lot of money for a little green plant. I realize that this genus has plants of many different sizes and shapes, but then again I’m one of the people who has kept them. There are probably more fish and frog people (like me) who use them in their vivs than just frog people who use them.


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## Guest (Jun 22, 2006)

Since they don't really like to have their roots buried in the substrate, I assume they could be grown epiphytically?

As can be seen from this photo, they are often grown on driftwood in aquaria. http://www.vectrapoint.com/main/photo/a ... -JPEG.html


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## sierraaquarium (Mar 4, 2006)

The roots can be planted, they just don't like the rhizome/tuber to be covered over.
Only problem I see with planting epiphytically is water and lighting. 
They want to have super wet feet and not a lot of light. 
I've used those 2" black mesh pots that most aquarium plants come in, with the fiber material (or peat moss) around the roots and hidden them into pockets around the tank. I'm planning on using a couple different varieties in my dart tank - probably a. barteri 'nana' and some a. congensis or hastifolia.


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

Sounds nice, please post pictures. I can imagine that barteri would look really nice after a few years (inches :wink: ) of growth, especially if it was climbing up a piece of drift wood.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Grassypeak said:


> Sounds nice, please post pictures. I can imagine that barteri would look really nice *after a few years **(inches :wink: ) *of growth, especially if it was climbing up a piece of drift wood.


Hahaha!! :lol: (Only us nerds will probably find that funny)


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

What about Echinodorus? I understand some of them grow underwater for only part of the year in the wild.


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## sierraaquarium (Mar 4, 2006)

Yeah, most commercial growers do them hydroponically (sp?) so the leaves and such are above water and the roots are submersed. There shouldn't really be any problem keeping them in a dart tank though.
I do notice the leaves will shrivel up if the humidity gets too low (or I forget to put them in a tank soon after getting a shipment)


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## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

Anubias generally grow faster in vivs than in aquariums for me. I am shortly going to do a 125 gallon tank that has a bog area that uses MANY of the plants commonly sold as aquarium plants. So many of them grow better in high humidity with just their feet wet.


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

Josh,

I grew several species above water under four 40 watt bulbs and four 20 watt bulbs (240 Watts total). They did not grow quickly :? . They were very nice looking though  .


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2006)

> expensive anubias


Why pay for them?  I bought one Anubias for one of my newt tanks about two years ago, and now I have around ten of them (total) spread throughout my tanks. Once they get going, I just snip off the end of the rhizome with a couple of new leaves on it and replant. 

Because free is good. 8)


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2006)

s1ren, how much light do you have. Mine grows about 1 leaf a month, blooms every two months. It seems happy, but even after a year of having it in my viv, it doesn't seem to grow enough propagate.


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2006)

Mine puts on about 2-3 leaves a month, but it only flowers once or twice a year. I don't have special lighting, just a regular old fluorescent tube in a standard aquarium hood. But the anubias gets mostly direct light, since I don't have many other plants in my tanks - just several of those, pothos clippings, an Amazon Sword or two, and some duckweed floating around.


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## Grassypeak (Jun 14, 2005)

Cesar,

As S1ren mentioned, you can clip the back end off (the branchy part that doesn’t have any leaves). Once it realizes that it doesn’t have any leaves to produce sugars and what not, it will sprout new plantlets. I doubt you’ll be going into business but you can produce a few extra plants this way.


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## Guest (Jun 28, 2006)

No business, damn. Oh well, thanks for the tips!!!!!! Maybe I will have enough to make a living when I retire :twisted: .


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