Anubias

Anubias is an epiphyte, so never bury it. Tie or glue the rhizome — the thick horizontal stem the leaves grow from — onto aquarium wood or rock, leaving the rhizome fully exposed above the substrate. Burying the rhizome causes it to rot. Attached this way, Anubias slowly spreads its roots over the hardscape and needs no aquarium soil.

No. Anubias is one of the easiest low-tech aquarium plants — it thrives in low to moderate lighting with no CO2 injection, which is exactly why it suits beginner community tanks. Strong light with no CO2 actually encourages algae to grow on its slow, tough leaves, so modest light and a general liquid fertiliser give the healthiest growth.

Anubias has thick, leathery leaves and a bitter taste, so most plant-nibbling fish — including many cichlids and goldfish — leave it alone where they would shred softer plants. Glued firmly to heavy wood or rock, it also resists being dug up, making it one of the few live plants that survives in boisterous or digging setups.

Split the rhizome. Once a plant has several leaves and a decent length of rhizome, cut it with a clean blade so each piece keeps at least three or four leaves and some roots, then attach each division to new wood or rock. Anubias grows slowly, so propagate patiently — a cut piece takes weeks to establish and push new leaves.