Keeping Anubias

[oscar]

Hi guys,

I have a question that may have a very simple explanation. Every time i purchase anubias plants they have nice shaped leave that are approx 4-5cm long, by 3-4cm wide. As they spend time in my tanks and develop new growth, the leaves maintain the proportions but get smaller and smaller until they are about 2-2.5cm long.

I suspect the plants can't be too unhappy as they often flower, and grow like crazy, but i prefer the look of the larger leaf.

Can anyone help?

[Woll]

Ok, this is a stab in the dark:
possibly they are getting loads of light and therefore do not have to produce such big leaves. This is only based on my horticultural experience. I could be wrong, anyone else?

[oscar]

I thought that may the the problem also, but this occurs on tanks where i'm running only one 10,000K fluoro tube on a 3x18x18 tank.

Maybe the problem is the opposite?

Maybe it needs to grow a thick blanket of smaller leaves in order to get the surface area required for its photosynthesis. The rapid growth and flowering is what confuses me most.

[Fishpimpin73]

Anubias are pretty simple to understand.

Low light = Large leaves.

High light ( and yeah even a single 10,000k bulb on a three foot tank is HIGH to an anubias ) = Smaller leaves.

The more light you give it the more it thinks it can propogate ( hence the smaller leaves and flowers ), whereas with less light it has broader leaves and will litterally grow towards the light.

You also prolly have alot of nutrients in your water column giving it all of the things that it needs to encourage its rapid growth.

HTH