Anubias Coffeefolia - Potted

Anubias Coffeefolia (Anubias barteri var. coffeefolia) is the most texturally interesting plant in the Anubias family. Its leaves are deeply corrugated, puckered between the veins like a coffee plant leaf, and each new one unfurls a coppery bronze-red before hardening to deep green. You get that on top of everything Anubias is known for: no CO2, no special substrate, thrives in low light, and thick enough leaves that most fish leave it alone. Browse the rest of our live freshwater plants to build out the tank.

Care Guide

• The one rule: never bury the rhizome. The thick horizontal stem the leaves grow from must stay above the substrate or it rots. Glue it to rock or driftwood with super glue gel, tie it with thread, or wedge it into the hardscape. Burying only the thin roots is fine.
• Light: Low to moderate, and low is genuinely better here. Because the leaves sit still for months, bright light mostly grows algae in the corrugated grooves where it is hard to clean off.
• CO2 and fertilizer: Neither is required. It feeds from the water column, so occasional Seachem Flourish is all it wants. Root tabs do nothing for it.
• Water: 72 to 82F, pH 6.0 to 8.0, soft or hard. Stability matters far more than any particular number.
• Growth: Slow, about a leaf a month. Coffeefolia stays compact, which is why it works so well in nano and midground positions.
• Propagation: Once the rhizome has length, cut it into pieces with three or four leaves each. Every piece grows on as a new plant.

Specifications

Placement and Companions

Coffeefolia earns a spot where people will actually look at it. Glue it to driftwood at eye level, set it at the mouth of a cave, or use it as the single textured feature in an otherwise plain low-tech tank. The puckered leaves catch light in a way flat-leaved plants do not, and the bronze new growth gives you a slow drip of color without any of the demands a red stem plant makes. It is completely shrimp safe, a favorite resting plant for bettas, and tough enough for goldfish, large cichlids, and turtles.

For other Anubias in the same family, see Anubias Barteri for broad flat leaves, Anubias Afzelii for tall lance-shaped ones, or Anubias Nana for a low compact mound. Pair any of them with Java Moss on the hardscape below.

Recommended Supplies

• Seachem Flourish, the water-column fertilizer this plant actually uses.
• Batman Nerite Snail to keep algae out of the leaf grooves.
• CaribSea PyroFlora Substrate for the rest of your planted layout.

FAQ

Why are the new leaves reddish brown?
That is the variety doing exactly what it should. Coffeefolia pushes new leaves in a coppery bronze-red that darkens to green over a few weeks. It is a sign of healthy new growth, not a problem.

Can I plant it in gravel or sand?
Only with the rhizome sitting on top and just the thin roots buried. Bury the rhizome itself and the plant rots from the middle out. Attaching to wood or rock is safer and shows the leaves off better.

How is it different from regular Anubias Barteri?
Same species, different cultivated variety. Coffeefolia is more compact with heavily corrugated leaves and bronze new growth. Barteri is larger with broad, flat, plain green leaves. Care is identical.

Why is it growing so slowly?
Normal for Anubias. A leaf a month is healthy. In return you get a plant that never needs trimming, never melts, and tolerates nearly any water.

Is it safe with fish and shrimp?
Yes, completely. The textured leaves are excellent grazing surface for shrimp and resting pads for bettas.