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Dwarf sagittaria, Sagittaria subulata

Plant · Grass-like

Dwarf sagittaria

Sagittaria subulata · Eastern North America and South America · also Awl-leaf arrowhead, Narrow-leaved arrowhead

Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Plant single plants a few centimetres apart and the runners will fill in a grassy patch. It stays short in bright light but can shoot up much taller in some tanks, so move tall ones further back.

At a glance

Light

Low light

CO₂

CO₂ helps

Growth

Steady growth

Where it goes

Front

Temperature

18–28°C

pH

5–9

Height in a tank

5–30 cm 2–12 in

Difficulty

Easy

What it does for your tank

An easy grassy foreground that copes with harder water and gives small fish and shrimp cover.

Fish that eat or uproot it

Goldfish and digging cichlids uproot or chew it; most community fish ignore it.

Growing more

Sends out short runners with new plants; cut and replant them.

Grows well with

Same light and temperature, but a different spot in the tank, so they fill it out together.

Amazon frogbit

Amazon frogbit

Plant · FloatingEasy

  • Low light
  • No CO₂
  • Fast growth
  • Floats
  • 20–27°C

Long dangling roots shelter fry, bettas and gouramis, and the plant soaks up nitrate fast.

Central and South America

Amazon frogbit

Limnobium laevigatum

Central and South America

Temperature
20–27°C
pH
5–8
Height
2–6 in · 5–15 cm
Light
Low
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Fast
Goes
Floating
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Sends out runners with new plants that break off on their own.

Goldfish and some snails eat the spongy leaves; strong filter flow pushes it under and kills it.

Full care guide

Photo: Cardex, Public domain

Amazon sword

Amazon sword

Plant · RosetteEasy

  • Low light
  • No CO₂
  • Steady growth
  • Middle
  • 20–28°C

A big, classic centrepiece whose broad leaves give shade and are used by angelfish and other egg-layers for spawning.

Central and South America

Amazon sword

Echinodorus grisebachii 'Bleherae'

Central and South America

Temperature
20–28°C
pH
6–8
Height
8–20 in · 20–50 cm
Light
Low
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Medium
Goes
Middle
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Baby plants grow on long flower stems; let them root, then cut them free and plant them.

Goldfish, silver dollars and large cichlids tear or uproot it, and some plecos rasp holes in the leaves.

Full care guide

Photo: Salvatore vitale, Public domain

Anubias barteri

Anubias barteri

Plant · RhizomeEasy

  • Low light
  • No CO₂
  • Slow growth
  • On wood, rock
  • 22–26°C

Tough leaves give shade and spawning spots and survive plecos and cichlids.

West Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Bioko)

Anubias barteri

Anubias barteri var. barteri

West Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Bioko)

Temperature
22–26°C
pH
6–7.5
Height
10–18 in · 25–45 cm
Light
Low
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Slow
Goes
On wood or rock
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Cut the rhizome into pieces with a few leaves each.

Herbivorous fish leave its tough leaves alone; big cichlids may uproot it.

Full care guide

Photo: Tocekas, CC BY-SA 3.0

Anubias nana

Anubias nana

Plant · RhizomeEasy

  • Low light
  • No CO₂
  • Slow growth
  • On wood, rock
  • 22–28°C

Tough, low leaves that bottom fish and plecos rest on and that do well in shady corners.

West Africa (Cameroon)

Anubias nana

Anubias barteri var. nana

West Africa (Cameroon)

Temperature
22–28°C
pH
5–8
Height
2–6 in · 5–15 cm
Light
Low
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Slow
Goes
On wood or rock
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Cut the rhizome into pieces with a few leaves each.

Almost nothing eats it, so it is a top choice for cichlid, goldfish and pleco tanks.

Full care guide

Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0

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