Anubias Sizes Compared: Nana Petite vs. Frazeri Large vs. Hastifolia

Anubias Nana Petite fits nano tanks and desktop shrimp bowls with leaves rarely bigger than a thumbnail. Frazeri Large is the sweet spot for standard 20–29-gallon tanks, a lush jungle look without overwhelming the scape. Hastifolia is a background giant reserved for 55-gallon-plus setups, with massive spear-shaped leaves that can grow right out of the water. Picking the wrong size is the fastest way to throw off your entire aquascape's proportions.

We've all been there. You order a cool-sounding plant online, stick it in your tank, and suddenly your 10-gallon looks swallowed by a swamp monster — or you buy a "centerpiece" plant that turns out the size of a quarter. With Anubias, size is everything. It's arguably the most bulletproof plant in the hobby, but grabbing the wrong variety throws off your whole scale. Here's how the three most popular sizes compare.

Anubias Size Comparison

Variety	Leaf Size	Best Tank Size	Placement
Nana Petite	Thumbnail-sized	Nano, desktop bowls	Tucked into hardscape crevices
Frazeri Large	Long, narrow, elegant	20–29 gallon standard	Mid-ground focal point
Hastifolia	Massive, spear-shaped	55 gallon and up	Background, can grow emersed

Nana Petite: The Micro Detailing Master

Close-up of tiny Anubias Nana Petite leaves expertly tucked into Seiryu stone crevices and attached to spider wood in a nano planted aquarium.

Caption: Anubias Nana Petite is the ultimate micro-detailing plant. Its tiny leaves add a weathered, ancient look to hardscape without hiding the texture of your stone or wood.

If you have a nano tank or a desktop shrimp breeding setup, Anubias Nana Petite is your best friend. Leaves rarely get bigger than a thumbnail — wedge them into dragon stone crevices or glue them to spider wood tips for a weathered, ancient look without hiding the wood itself.

One heads-up: because it's so small and slow-growing, it's a magnet for green spot algae under high light. Keep it shaded.

Frazeri Large: The Goldilocks Mid-Ground

Lush green Anubias Frazeri Large acting as a beautiful mid-ground focal point in a standard 29-gallon planted freshwater aquarium setup.

Caption: Anubias Frazeri Large provides a dense, jungle aesthetic perfectly scaled for mid-sized tanks without blocking the light from your foreground plants.

Want that classic, lush jungle vibe in a standard 20 or 29-gallon tank? Anubias Frazeri Large — a hybrid of Anubias barteri and Anubias congensis — is usually the sweet spot.

Long, elegant stems and fairly large, narrow leaves make it big enough to act as a focal point tied to a central piece of driftwood, without blocking light for everything else.

A colorful cichlid swimming past a highly durable, large Anubias Frazeri plant firmly attached to driftwood in a freshwater aquarium.

Caption: If you keep destructive fish like cichlids, a heavy Frazeri rhizome glued to a piece of driftwood is virtually indestructible.

If you keep cichlids or goldfish that uproot delicate stem plants, a thick rhizome of Frazeri glued to a heavy rock is practically indestructible — they can yank on it all day and it won't budge.

Hastifolia: The Background Monster

Massive Anubias Hastifolia with giant spear-shaped leaves growing emersed out of the top of a large 55-gallon rimless planted aquarium.

Caption: Anubias Hastifolia is a true background monster. In open-top tanks, its massive spear-shaped leaves will happily break the surface and grow emersed.

Do not put Hastifolia in a 10-gallon tank. This plant is a beast — massive, spear-shaped leaves on incredibly long stems that look like they belong in a dinosaur movie.

If you have a 55-gallon or larger tank, this is the ultimate background epiphyte. Let the leaves reach the surface and it keeps growing right out of the water, making it a great fit for open-top tanks where you want that wild, overflowing jungle look. Like other Anubias, it needs to be attached to hardscape rather than buried, and it tolerates the same rough treatment from cichlids and goldfish that makes the whole genus so hobbyist-friendly.

Tips for Any Size Anubias

Macro shot showing an Anubias plant rhizome correctly glued above the substrate on driftwood, with long white roots trailing down to absorb nutrients.

Caption: The golden rule of Anubias care: Never bury the thick, green horizontal rhizome. Allow the stringy white roots to naturally find their way into the substrate or water column.

Never bury the rhizome. The thick, green horizontal root will rot into mush if buried in gravel or aquasoil. Always tie it to wood or glue it to a rock, and let the thinner, stringy roots find their own way down.

Embrace the shade. Put these slow-growers under bright, direct light and they become expensive algae farms. Tuck them under the shade of taller background plants instead.

FAQ

Q. How do I safely attach Anubias to rocks or wood?

A. A few dabs of cyanoacrylate super glue gel is easiest — standard aquarium-safe formulas cure completely inert underwater. You can also tie the rhizome down with dark cotton thread, which rots away naturally once the roots grip the surface.

Q. Why are the edges of my Anubias leaves turning black and fuzzy?

A. Usually Black Beard Algae. Because Anubias grows so slowly, older leaves become prime real estate for stubborn algae. Reduce daily lighting hours or move the plant to a dimmer spot.

Q. Which Anubias size is best for a 10-gallon tank?

A. Nana Petite. Its thumbnail-sized leaves stay proportional to a small footprint, while Frazeri and Hastifolia will quickly overwhelm a tank that size.

Q. Can I mix multiple Anubias sizes in one tank?

A. Yes, and it often looks great — Nana Petite for foreground detail, Frazeri as a mid-ground anchor, and a larger variety in the background creates natural depth in a single aquascape.

Picking the right Anubias isn't about which one looks coolest in a stock photo — it's about scale. Match the plant to your tank size, keep that rhizome breathing above the substrate, and you'll have a green centerpiece that will probably outlive the tank itself.

Browse Nana Petite, Frazeri Large, and the full Anubias lineup at PlantedPro.