Epiphyte aquarium plants

Epiphytes grow attached to hardscape instead of planted in substrate: tie or glue them to wood and rock and they take care of the rest. Anubias, java fern and bucephalandra all sit here, and most are fine in low light. Bury the rhizome and it rots. Profiles list light, CO2 and growth for each plant.

Height: 0.6–15.7 in; 0.6 in (1.5 cm) to 15.7 in (40 cm); half the list stays at 3.9 in (10 cm) or under
Temperature: 70–82°F; 21–28°C, most of the list
Light: 72 low light; 9 medium light
CO₂: 34 no CO₂ needed; 47 CO₂ beneficial
Growth: 75 slow growing; 6 medium growth
Difficulty: 66 easy; 13 medium · 2 difficult

54 plants and 27 varieties

What counts as an epiphyte

An epiphyte grows attached to something rather than rooted in substrate. In an aquarium that means five groups: the anubias, the java ferns and their many cultivars, the bucephalandra, the bolbitis or African water ferns, and the mosses. A handful of rarer Bornean aroids (Homalomena, Schismatoglottis, Piptospatha and Aridarum) grow the same way and are here too. What they share is a rhizome or a creeping stem that has to stay above the substrate, roots that mostly grip, and a habit of taking most of their nutrients from the water. This page is every plant in the catalog placed as an epiphyte.

Attaching them

Tie the rhizome to wood or rock with cotton thread, which rots away once the roots have gripped, or with fishing line, or put a dab of cyanoacrylate gel (super glue gel) on the rhizome and press it on for thirty seconds; the glue is safe once it sets. Wedging a rhizome into a crack in the wood works too. Roots take hold in a few weeks. Never bury the rhizome: roots may go into the substrate, but a rhizome under gravel rots and the plant dies from the middle out. The same rule covers a plant sold in a pot of rock wool, which should come out of the pot.

Low light, no CO2, slow growth

Nearly every plant here lists low light and no or beneficial CO2, which is why they are the plants for a low-tech tank. The price is slow growth, and slow growth means algae has time to settle on the leaves. Keep the light modest, put epiphytes in the shade of faster plants, and let shrimp, otocinclus and nerite snails clean the leaves. A new anubias or bucephalandra often melts its leaves in the first weeks after import, because many are grown out of water: leave a firm rhizome alone and new leaves come from it.

Small epiphytes for nano tanks

Several epiphytes stay under 2 inches (5 cm) and suit a shrimp tank or a bonsai-style scape. Anubias petite stops at 2 inches (5 cm), anubias micro at 1.2 inches (3 cm) and anubias pangolino at under an inch (2 cm). Bucephalandra mini coin stays at 1.6 inches (4 cm). The petite java fern stops at 3 inches (8 cm), against 12 inches (30 cm) for the standard form. Among the mosses, mini fissidens stays at half an inch (1.5 cm) and nano moss at 1.2 inches (3 cm). All of them grow slowly, so buy the size you want rather than waiting for it.

The ones that want more

A few epiphytes are marked medium or difficult. The white and variegated anubias (snow white, broad white) carry little chlorophyll and list medium light and beneficial CO2 to hold their colour. Bucephalandra godzilla lists medium light. Bolbitis heteroclita is marked difficult and wants a narrow 72–77°F (22–25°C) range. Fissidens nobilis is the difficult moss, wanting stable, cool water. The Bornean aroids (Homalomena, Piptospatha, Aridarum) are medium: slow, sensitive to change and best in a mature tank.

By the numbers

Smallest

Tallest

No CO₂ needed

FAQ

Common questions

What are epiphyte aquarium plants?

Plants that grow attached to wood and rock instead of rooted in substrate: anubias, java fern, bucephalandra, bolbitis and the mosses. The rhizome takes water and nutrients from the water column and the roots only grip.

How do you attach epiphytes?

Cotton thread, fishing line or super glue gel on the rhizome, pressed onto wood or rock. Roots take hold in a few weeks and the thread rots away.

Can you plant anubias in gravel?

Only if the rhizome stays above it. Roots can go into the substrate; a buried rhizome rots.

Do epiphytes need CO2?

No. Almost every plant here lists CO2 as none or beneficial. They grow slowly with or without it; CO2 speeds them up and helps the pale variegated cultivars.

Why are my anubias or bucephalandra leaves melting?

A change of conditions, most often the move from emersed growth to your tank. Trim mushy leaves and leave the rhizome; if it stays firm, new leaves follow.