Almost all Anubias species grow slowly, so the increase in leaf mass remains rather modest. However, sometimes it is necessary to cut off parts of a plant. Be it that it protrudes too far or takes up a lot of space under water. When cutting, however, substances escape that are not good for the animal world.

The Anubia should be taken out of the aquarium for cutting

Anubia produces oxalic acid

The Anubia plant produces oxalic acid internally. This substance does not in itself pose a threat to the wildlife in the aquarium as long as the plant is undamaged. But when it is cut, open interfaces arise. Oxalic acid comes out of it. It spreads evenly in the water until it can be found throughout the aquarium. As a result, the animals living in the water come into contact with it.

danger to shrimp

Oxalic acid is not considered toxic, only harmful to health. However, this statement does not apply to such small and delicate water creatures as shrimp. You can go into it. Of course, the dose makes the poison here. Other animals seem to have fewer problems with this substance. At least no negative reports are known in this regard.

Notice:
There is also a risk of oxalic acid escaping and shortening the life of the shrimp when rhizomes are divided for the purpose of reproduction.

Possible solutions

For the sake of the shrimp, it is not a nice solution to do without cutting the Anubia or even without the plant altogether. But luckily nobody has to. It can be cut in such a way that no oxalic acid gets into the water or the amount is so small that shrimp survive unharmed. These are the two alternatives:

  • remove from the aquarium for cutting
  • Divide the scope of the cut into several times

Take out Anubia

If the Anubia can be easily removed from the aquarium, this procedure should be preferred when cutting.

  • remove plant
  • carry out the necessary cutting work
  • Rinse interfaces under running water
  • Put the plant back in the water

tips

It is even better to water the plant outside of the aquarium for several days before returning it to its original spot.

Divide the scope of the cut into several times

Shrimp can also cope with small amounts of oxalic acid. We can take advantage of this and cut the Anubia piece by piece. Ideally, each partial cut is connected to the water change. In this way, even the small amounts of poison are removed from the aquarium in a timely manner.

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Vegetable garden