Anubias Nana vs Petite: Size, Growth and Best Uses Compared

Walk into any aquarium shop in Singapore and you will find both Anubias Nana and Anubias Petite on the shelves — often side by side, sometimes with little explanation of what distinguishes them. This Anubias Nana vs Petite comparison lays out the practical differences so you can choose the right plant for your tank size, layout style, and intended position. At Gensou Aquascaping in Everton Park, we use both forms extensively — they are genuinely different tools in the planted tank toolkit, not interchangeable alternatives.

Species Background

Both plants are forms of Anubias barteri var. nana. Standard Anubias Nana has been in the hobby for decades and is widely considered the foundational small-Anubias. Anubias Petite — sometimes labelled Anubias barteri var. nana “Petite” — is a naturally occurring dwarf mutation of Nana first identified in cultivated stock in the early 2000s. Petite plants propagate true from rhizome divisions, meaning the dwarf characteristics are stable across generations rather than being a temporary growing condition.

Leaf Size and Overall Plant Dimensions

Anubias Nana produces leaves 3–5 cm long and 2–3 cm wide on a rhizome that can reach 10–15 cm length in a mature specimen. A healthy established Nana plant attached to wood or stone creates a compact but visually substantial rosette of eight to twelve leaves. Anubias Petite is dramatically smaller: individual leaves measure 1–2 cm in length and under 1 cm in width. A mature Petite plant on a piece of hardscape rarely exceeds 5 cm total spread. This difference in scale is significant for aquascape proportioning — Petite reads as a true foreground or detail plant, while Nana sits comfortably in the midground even in tanks as small as 30 litres.

Growth Rate and Maintenance

Both forms grow slowly — a characteristic of all Anubias species. Nana produces a new leaf approximately every 3–4 weeks under moderate to high light with CO2 supplementation; without CO2, one leaf every 6–8 weeks is more typical. Petite grows even more slowly: expect a new leaf every 4–6 weeks in good conditions. This slow growth is an advantage in low-maintenance tanks, as neither plant requires trimming more than two to three times a year. Remove old, yellowing leaves by cutting them cleanly at the petiole — pulling risks rhizome damage.

Planting Method and Placement

Neither form should be buried in substrate. The rhizome — the horizontal stem from which both leaves and roots emerge — must remain above the substrate surface or it will rot. Attach both plants to driftwood or stone using fine cotton thread, fishing line, or aquarium-safe cyanoacrylate gel (superglue). Roots establish onto the hardscape surface within four to eight weeks, after which the thread can be removed. Nana works well mid-hardscape on larger stones or driftwood trunks. Petite excels on small pebbles, bonsai driftwood structures, or as detail planting on the fine branches of wood where larger leaf species look disproportionate.

Light Requirements

Anubias is famously shade-tolerant. Both Nana and Petite survive and grow in low light — 15–20 PAR at substrate level — making them reliable choices for the shaded zones of a planted tank that receive little light. They also tolerate moderate and high light without complaint, though high light on Anubias promotes algae growth on the older, slower-growing leaves. Position both plants in shaded spots beneath other plants or on the side of hardscape away from the primary light source to minimise this problem. In Singapore’s high-temperature ambient environments, Anubias plants are particularly robust — they handle 28–30°C without the melting response seen in many stem plants at those temperatures.

Best Uses in Aquascape Layouts

Anubias Nana is the workhorse: reliable, available everywhere (typically $3–8 per pot in Singapore shops), and versatile enough for background, midground, or as a feature plant on large driftwood. Petite is the detail artist: at $5–12 per portion, it costs slightly more but creates a scale effect in the foreground or on intricate wood structures that larger-leafed plants cannot match. In a nature aquascape layout — particularly the Iwagumi style where scale relationships between stones and plants matter greatly — Petite’s small leaf format can make midground stones appear genuinely massive by comparison. Both plants are available from Gensou Aquascaping and can be combined in the same layout to create textural interest across different depth zones.

Related Reading

• How to Propagate Anubias Nana Petite: Rhizome Division Guide
• Anubias Nana Flowering Underwater: Why It Happens and What to Do
• Anubias Nana Golden Care Guide: Yellow-Green Accent Plant
• Anubias Barteri Round Leaf Care Guide: Broad Circular Foliage
• Anubias Barteri var. Glabra Care Guide: Narrow Lance-Shaped Leaves