How to Attach Anubias and Java Fern

Anubias and Java fern are among the most forgiving plants you can grow. Tropica rates both as easy, with low light and low CO2 needs. Most problems with them come from how they are planted, not from water or light. Once you understand the rhizome, the rest is simple.

Why can't you bury an Anubias or Java fern rhizome?

The rhizome is the thick, horizontal stem that the leaves and roots grow from. On Anubias it is green and firm; on Java fern it is darker and often hairy with fine roots. In nature, these plants grow attached to rocks and wood along streams, with the rhizome exposed to moving water.

Tropica's planting guide is direct about this: do not cover the rhizome or the plant will rot. Its pages for both Anubias barteri var. nana and Microsorum pteropus repeat the same warning. Rot often starts slowly, with a soft, mushy section of rhizome and leaves that yellow or detach, so the damage can be well advanced before you notice.

Roots are different. The fine roots hanging from the rhizome can go into the substrate, into gaps in rock, or over wood. Only the rhizome itself needs to stay above the surface.

Preparing the plant

1. Remove the pot and any rock wool or gel around the roots. Rock wool trapped against the rhizome holds debris and encourages rot.
2. Trim any dead, mushy roots with sharp scissors. Healthy roots are firm.
3. Look for natural division points. Pots of Java fern sometimes contain two or three separate plants that you can separate by hand.
4. Keep the plant damp while you work. These are aquatic plants and their leaves dry out quickly in air.

Method 1: tying with thread or fishing line

Tropica suggests fishing line to hold both plants against a stone or root until they take hold. Cotton thread works in the same way and slowly breaks down in water, often around the time the roots have gripped.

• Hold the rhizome against the wood or rock with the roots touching the surface.
• Wrap the thread or line around the rhizome and the hardscape several times, firm enough to stop movement but not so tight that it cuts into the rhizome.
• Tie off with a knot on the underside where it will not show.
• Trim loose ends.

Fishing line does not break down, so plan to cut it away once the roots have attached, usually after a few weeks to a couple of months depending on the plant. Dark thread is less visible than white.

Method 2: can you superglue aquarium plants?

Gel cyanoacrylate glue, the thick form of superglue, is widely used to attach rhizome plants because it does not run like liquid glue. It sets on contact with water.

• Dry the attachment spot on the hardscape and the underside of the rhizome by blotting with a paper towel.
• Apply a small dab of glue to the hardscape or the base of the roots.
• Press the plant in place and hold it for the time the product's directions give.
• Avoid coating the rhizome itself. A guide on attaching these plants warns that covering the rhizome in glue can harm the plant.

Glue usually turns white underwater. Placing it on the underside of the plant, or under roots, keeps it hidden.

Method 3: wedging into crevices

The simplest method needs no materials at all. According to Tropica, rhizome plants can be squeezed between stones or roots. Look for a gap in the hardscape slightly narrower than the rhizome, and press the rhizome in so the roots can reach the surfaces on either side. This works well for Java fern, whose roots attach readily, and it leaves no thread or glue to hide.

A caution on plant weights

Plants are often sold with soft metal strips wrapped around the base. These are meant for transport and display, not as a permanent way to anchor a plant. They can crush the rhizome if wrapped tightly, and they may hold the plant in a position where the rhizome is partly buried. Remove them before planting. If you want to anchor a plant temporarily on open substrate, rest a small stone beside the rhizome rather than on top of it.

Where should you place Anubias and Java fern?

• On wood and rock. Both plants look natural on driftwood branches and along the base of rocks. Position them so water can move around the rhizome.
• In shade. Both are slow growers, and Tropica notes Anubias does well in shady places where other plants struggle. In bright light their old leaves often collect algae. Tucking them under overhanging wood or taller plants keeps them cleaner. The planted tank algae troubleshooting guide covers this further.
• On the substrate surface. If you want them low in the scape, set the rhizome on top of the substrate with the roots pushed in, never covered.
• Where you can reach them. Pieces of wood with plants attached can be lifted out for trimming, which is easier than working in the tank.

Because they need low light and no CO2, they suit low-tech tanks and tanks with plant-eating or digging fish, where rooted plants struggle.

How do you propagate Anubias and Java fern?

Division

Both plants spread by extending the rhizome. Tropica describes Java fern as easy to propagate by splitting the horizontal rhizome. When a plant grows larger than you want, cut the rhizome between groups of leaves. Use sharp scissors or a blade, make sure each piece has several leaves and some roots, and attach each piece as you would a new plant. Anubias divides the same way, though it grows slowly, so divisions take longer to fill out.

Java fern plantlets

Java fern often produces small new plants on its leaves, especially on older leaves. Tropica's page for Java fern 'Trident' says these can carefully be pulled off and planted. Wait until a plantlet has a few leaves and its own roots, then detach it and tie or wedge it onto hardscape. Leaves that are producing plantlets often look tired or brown; that is normal for older leaves.

Dark spots or rows of brown dots under Java fern leaves are usually spore structures, not disease.

Common mistakes

• Burying the rhizome. The most common reason these plants fail.
• Leaving rock wool on. It traps debris against the rhizome.
• Tying too tightly. Thread or line that cuts into the rhizome damages it.
• Using too much glue. A thick coating over the rhizome can harm the plant. A small dab is enough.
• Using the wrong adhesive. Only cyanoacrylate glue, used according to its directions.
• Leaving lead or metal weights in place. Remove them before planting.
• Too much light. Slow leaves in strong light collect algae. Partial shade helps.
• Never removing fishing line. Once the roots hold, cut it away so it does not constrict growth.

Next steps

• See which other plants suit a forgiving tank in easy aquarium plants for beginners.
• Choose scissors and tweezers for dividing and placing plants with essential aquascaping tools, browse the aquascaping tools hub, or compare planting tweezers and maintenance tools.
• Keep slow leaves clean with planted tank algae troubleshooting.
• Match plants and equipment to your tank with the setup finder.