# Anubias vs java fern for creating 'jungle vines'?



## JMN16150 (Jul 21, 2012)

You can try growing Anubias nana or Anubias nana 'petite'(an even way smaller anubias) on driftwood. When happy, these guys grow green roots like crazy!


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## HelplesslyHuman (Dec 19, 2013)

I'd never seen the petite version before... looks quite promising. Do the roots respond to trimming or should I just let it go free?


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## jrh (Sep 9, 2007)

You can sculpt them just the way you like or go au naturel. It's all good.


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

For reference -and yes, the tank is a mess, just finished moving some plants and grabbed the shot on the fly for this post. Tank is medium-low light, low ferts, no C02. 


Anubia Nana. Leaves are 1-1.5" long. 










Anubia Nana Petite. Leaves are fingernail sized; this piece was trimmed (no roots) and mounted from another tank just 3 1/2 weeks ago. 










Anubias also respond very well to clipping so it's easy to trim out any low hanging leaves that start to obscure the roots, or trim out excess roots if the plant gets a little crazy on you. You can also use a drop of super glue here and there--when you first mount it or later after it's grown a few roots if you start with a bare clipping--to fasten down the roots directly and coax them into the growth pattern you want.


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## JMN16150 (Jul 21, 2012)

Wow, awesome pics of Anubias roots!
These are my Anubias, they like to send roots all over the place.
Do you of you happen to know what it is? It's small and the leaves are as big as the horned nerite but no bigger...


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## cbachmann (Aug 6, 2013)

The cool thing about anubias is that the roots start to adhere to whatever theyre on after a while.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

The anubias roots will also eventually grow into the substrate.


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## HelplesslyHuman (Dec 19, 2013)

Whoa those are absolutely incredible! Thanks, really helped me to see the difference. What tank of yours are these pics from? I'm checking a couple of your albums out now and I'm very impressed, you do some really cool work. 
Is that a consistent growth rate with the nana petite? I thought anubias grew much more slowly than that.



Knotyoureality said:


> For reference -and yes, the tank is a mess, just finished moving some plants and grabbed the shot on the fly for this post. Tank is medium-low light, low ferts, no C02.
> 
> 
> Anubia Nana. Leaves are 1-1.5" long.
> ...


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## cbachmann (Aug 6, 2013)

Mine grow pretty quick, at least one leaf per week, more if they've been trimmed recently

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk


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## trailsnale (Dec 2, 2009)

my tank is new, but i'm trying for that 'jungle' feel as well.


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## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

trailsnale said:


> my tank is new, but i'm trying for that 'jungle' feel as well.


Neat looking tank, I've always enjoyed anubias "jungle tanks."


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## Italionstallion888 (Jun 29, 2013)




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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

I think this is really lovely. I float anarchris in my tanks all the time you could just tie it around the branches. It reminds me of orchids right now the way they grow in the trees.


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## jbig (Jul 13, 2012)

go with anubias for sure!

I've always planted my anubias on overhanging driftwood and the roots grow pretty quickly. always loved the look of the roots draping over the driftwood into the substrate.


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

HelplesslyHuman said:


> Whoa those are absolutely incredible! Thanks, really helped me to see the difference. What tank of yours are these pics from? I'm checking a couple of your albums out now and I'm very impressed, you do some really cool work.
> Is that a consistent growth rate with the nana petite? I thought anubias grew much more slowly than that.


Glad they helped, and thanks. These are in my 20g long--honestly can't remember if I've added it to my albums or not yet. All of my tanks are low tech. 

Lighting: T5 Nova
Ferts: 2x weekly liquid micro/macro mix with an occasional extra shot of potassium. No c02, no excel. 
Substrate: Sand with a scattering of surface fluorite 

Light levels have been reduced lately with a heavy coat of floaters. Before that, I was getting 2-3 leaves a week on the petite, with floaters (and somewhat reduced photo period) it's slowed down to just 1-2 a week. The 'mother' plants are in my 3g picotope (natural sunlight, 1x week micro/macro mix, shrimp and snail only for stock) and I'm seeing about 1/4" of rhizome growth a month on those. Root growth is *much* more unpreditable, though on average, roots that hang out over an empty area (such as under these branches) grow much faster than roots that lay on a broad surface like a large piece of driftwood or rock.


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