Anubias barteri is a flowering plant that hails from the west of Africa. In the wild, it can be found growing in streams, rivers and marshes.
Anubias barteri has a lush green coloration and large, flat individual arrow-shaped leaves located at the end of sturdy stems. The plant can grow to as much as a foot across and a foot tall.
Caring for Anubias barteri plants
As well as being an attractive and decorative plant to include within the goldfish tank, Anubias barteri is also one of the easiest plants to care for.
It lives equally happily fully submerged or partially submerged, and only requires a moderate amount of light. It is therefore ideal for the shadier corners of the tank. More light causes the plant to grow larger and faster, so tanks that are illuminated will generally produce the most impressive specimens!
Anubias barteri grows well within the goldfish tank, but is not prone to taking over the tank if left unchecked.
Anubias barteri is at its happiest when allowed to attach itself to bogwood or driftwood, but it can also be found rooted in gravel and other substrates.
While any good quality substrate fertilizer is sufficient to take care of your plant’s nutritional needs, the addition of a Co2 fertilizer will really make your plant thrive. A glut of hair algae growing on the leaves of your Anubias barteri can indicate low Co2 levels within the tank.
A neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.5 is ideal for the Anubias barteri, making it perfectly at home in the well cared for goldfish tank.
A single plant that is not propagated will generally live and thrive for around a year in the goldfish tank, but under optimum conditions, the plant can live for as long as three years.
You can always take cuttings and grow additional plants within your tank to perpetuate the lifecycle without buying a whole new specimen!
Keeping Anubias barteri with goldfish
This plant is one of the most commonly seen plants within goldfish tanks, and for good reason. Goldfish are much less likely to nibble on the leaves than they are with most other plants, and the same temperature, water quality and care regime that works for goldfish is also suitable for Anubias barteri.
Where to buy Anubias barteri
Anubias barteri is also one of the most readily available plants to buy, and can be ordered online or picked up from most pet shops that stock aquatic plants, and even many garden centres that keep fish.
Anubias barteri comes in towards the lower end of the price spectrum, with small rooted specimens available from around $5 per plant.