{"product_id":"anubias-hastifolia-aquatic-plant","title":"Anubias Hastifolia","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c!-- obsidian --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-heading=\"Anubias Hastifolia on the Surface:\"\u003eAnubias Hastifolia on the Surface:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnubias Hastifolia (\u003cem\u003eAnubias hastifolia\u003c\/em\u003e) is a rhizome-forming epiphyte native to West and Central Africa, where it is found on rocks and in mud along the banks of small forest streams. Its leathery leaves grow on tall stems, providing surfaces where biofilm forms and shaded cover for fish and shrimp in the Botanical Method Aquarium and in blackwater and biotope aquariums. Please do not plant the rhizome in the substrate, as this will cause it to rot. Roots are fine to venture down into the substrate and leaf litter as the plant establishes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-heading=\"Essential Details\"\u003eEssential Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCare Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e Easy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Habit:\u003c\/strong\u003e Slow growth via rhizomes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Low\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCO2:\u003c\/strong\u003e Not Necessary\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePropagation:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rhizome division, leaving 3 to 4 leaves per section\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTint Tolerance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Low to High\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHabitat Location:\u003c\/strong\u003e West and Central Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOptimal For:\u003c\/strong\u003e Betta fish, dwarf shrimp, and West African cichlids such as kribensis, and other species suited to low-light blackwater and biotope aquariums\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUse with Caution:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rinse before introducing; may carry beneficial hitchhiking snails, snail eggs, or duckweed from the grow-out ponds\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize Range:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mature plants reach 8 to 16 inches tall\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQuantities:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 count medium potted \u003cem\u003eA. hastifolia\u003c\/em\u003e plant\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-heading=\"Anubias Hastifolia for Planted Aquariums \u0026amp; Blackwater Biotopes\"\u003eAnubias Hastifolia for Planted Aquariums \u0026amp; Blackwater Biotopes\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBiofilm colonizes the leaves and rhizome of Anubias Hastifolia, and that microbial layer becomes a grazing resource for shrimp, snails, and fry, part of what we call supplemental nutrition. Its tall stems hold the leaves up in the water column, providing resting surfaces for betta fish and shaded cover beneath for kribensis. We like to tie or glue the rhizome to wood or rock with cotton thread, clear fishing line, or a small bead of cyanoacrylate gel, and over a few weeks it attaches on its own via new roots. Covering the rhizome with substrate causes it to rot, so we keep it exposed. The roots that grow from it are free to reach into the substrate or wrap around hardscape to anchor the plant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnubias Hastifolia is considered a low-light plant, which suits the tinted water of a Botanical Method Aquarium. The amount of tint you have in your aquarium reduces how much light reaches the plant, and light dictates its growth rate, so deeper tint slows it further. CO2 injection is not necessary, and adding it can produce slightly larger leaves and faster growth. Roots that stay on the hardscape take up nutrients from the water column, so a light dose of liquid fertilizer supports them. Where the roots reach the substrate, a root tab placed beside them does the same. Slow growth can allow algae more time to establish on older leaves, so we check them regularly and gently rub any covered leaf between our fingers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts tall stems and broad leaves suit the back of mid-sized and larger aquariums. New leaves emerge from growing points along the rhizome every few weeks. To propagate, we cut the rhizome with clean scissors or a blade, leave three to four leaves on each section, and attach each section to its own piece of hardscape. Anubias Hastifolia can also be grown on emersed hardscape in a riparium or paludarium. We compost any excess and never release aquarium plants into local waterways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-heading=\"Beneath the Leaves: *Anubias hastifolia* in the Wild\"\u003eBeneath the Leaves: \u003cem\u003eAnubias hastifolia\u003c\/em\u003e in the Wild\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdolf Engler described \u003cem\u003eAnubias hastifolia\u003c\/em\u003e in 1893. Its name joins the Latin \u003cem\u003ehasta\u003c\/em\u003e, spear, and \u003cem\u003efolium\u003c\/em\u003e, leaf. Wild plants carry a wide range of leaf shapes, from oval to lance-shaped to the spearhead form the name describes, with pointed lobes at the base. They flower year-round on a spadix, a spike of tiny flowers wrapped in a leaf-like spathe, and set fruit from September to January.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere a botanical contributes as it breaks down, an aquatic plant is living and contributes as it grows. So let them grow. Mother Nature leads the way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-heading=\"Sustainability Note:\"\u003eSustainability Note:\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease select a heat\/cold pack if necessary. Check your local weather before ordering to avoid any shipment holds or cancellations. All Plants may contain snails or snail eggs. We keep them in all of our aquariums for the benefits they provide. Our blackwater aquarium plants are provided in cooperation with PNW Bettas in adherence to their Shipping and DOA Policies. Your curated selection will arrive in their packaging separate from your botanical, wood \u0026amp; merch orders.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PNW Bettas","offers":[{"title":"Potted","offer_id":45619896058032,"sku":"sku-45937816567987","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0598\/7948\/9712\/files\/Anubias-hastifolia-Blackwater-Aquarium-Plants_8f166409-cbcb-4790-8ecc-f280ebb2e052.jpg?v=1755790491","url":"https:\/\/bettabotanicals.com\/products\/anubias-hastifolia-aquatic-plant","provider":"Betta Botanicals | Natural Aquarium Products","version":"1.0","type":"link"}