Anubias Ceratopteris Thalictroides

The relatively easy to maintain Ceratopteris thalictroides, commercially available as fine-leafed horn fern, Sumatran fern or filigree fern, comes from Southeast Asia and tolerates soft to hard water. The rosette plant, which grows to a size of 15 to approx. 70 cm, really comes into its own in the background of the aquarium.

The Sumatran fern from Southeast Asia grows in the biotope in rice fields and other muddy waters. The rosette plant grows very quickly and grows quite large. As a result, the Sumatran fern deprives algae of their nutrient base. You can plant Ceratopteris thalictroides or allow it to float in the water.

Fine-leaved horn fern copes very well in soft to hard water, with medium-light and without CO2 fertilisation and it still grows incredibly quickly. Its fine leaves are light green and can vary greatly in shape.

The fern creates daughter plants where the leaf rosette comes from the ground. You can simply separate them and plant them again.

Our expert Oliver Knott recommends:

You don't need to plant Sumatran fern at all. In the warm-up phase in the fresh aquarium, I like to recommend fast-growing aquarium plants that take away the basis of algae growth. For example, you could let a handful of Sumatran fern swim in the aquarium, which you simply remove as soon as your other aquarium plants have grown. So you don't have to pluck anything out and the layout remains undisturbed.