mostly bottom posted but some comments
intersperced -

"Iain Miller" wrote in message
...
"Dick" wrote in message
...
I somehow got an annubia that has outgrown my 10 gallon
tank. It has
occupied a corner of the tank for over a year and has
just kept on
growing. The lower leaves are smaller than the top and
in perpetual
shade. New growth is all at the top and have reached
the water top.
I have roots coming out along the thick stem.

Can I cut off the bottom and replant the top? Should I
trim older
leaves with algae growth and leave only new growth?
Will both bottom
and top halves survive?

Probably. When I prune the top I usually pull
off the older leaves and leave the younger
ones attached and the whole mass floating in
the tank to form a new plant. Recently one of my
plants had that long stem growth you mentioned
but was growing baby leaves near the bottom.
I pruned the top 12" of the plant, leaving about
2" at the bottom.

I am amazed at the size of this plant. I have a large
anubia in my 75
gallon tank, but the one in the 10 is twice the size of
the one in the
75. My other Anubias are less than 6 inches in height.

What to do?


Annubias are very tough. I thin mine out by removing older
leaves quite
reguarly. I'd have no problem cutting the top off - just
look for a sensible
place to cut with some roots above so that the top half
will have roots
after you cut it off. They seem to thrive when you give
them a bit more
space to work with by thinning them out.

I.

I agree with Iain and will add I often drop the
pruned tops (sans roots) into the tank where they
eventually form roots and I can plant them. From
just one of these plants, I now have healthy plants
in 6 tanks (sizes from 10G to 40G). I'm getting to
the point where I'll probably have to start adding
the cuttings to my compost pile - but I prefer that
to a plant that never grows.

Gail