Best Terrarium Aquatic Plants in 2026

Java Fern is one of the most popular aquarium plants and is loved by all skill levels due to its ease of care and its ability to instantly transform a normal aquarium into a captivating aquascape.

Bright green and pointed leaves will fill up space and complement driftwood and stones very well, and because Java Fern are epiphytic, they do best attached directly to these hardscapes using thread or aquarium glue.

Easy Care - It has low light requirements and does not require additional Co2 making it a great choice for beginners to live aquatic plants.

Java Fern is one of the most popular aquarium plants and is loved by all skill levels due to its ease of care and its ability to instantly transform a normal aquarium into a captivating aquascape.

Bright green and pointed leaves will fill up space and complement driftwood and stones very well, and because Java Fern are epiphytic, they can be attached directly to these hardscapes using thread or aquarium glue very easily.

Easy Care - It has low light requirements and does not require additional Co2 making it a great choice for beginners to live aquatic plants.

Anubias Barteri is one of the most popular Anubias and will give a bushy appearance that will instantly make your aquarium, terrarium, or paludarium look lush and natural.

Known for its long stems, rich green tone, and pointed leaves, this aquatic plant is great for filling up open space and can be placed in the midground or background of your tank.

Ships 4-6" tall rooted in wool which should be removed prior to planting. Gently squeeze the pot, peel back the wool, rinse, and plant! Keep the rhizomes above your substrate or the plant can begin to rot.

Anubias Nana is one of the most popular aquatic plants loved by both beginners and experts alike, and will instantly give your aquarium, paludarium, or terrarium a lush and natural appearance.

Known for its smaller stems, rich green tone, and pointed leaves, this aquatic plant is great for filling up open space and can be placed in the midground or background of your tank.

Ships 4-6" tall rooted in wool which should be removed prior to planting. Gently squeeze the pot, peel back the wool, rinse, and plant! Keep the rhizomes above your substrate or the plant can begin to rot.

Dwarf Baby Tears is one of the smallest aquatic plants available while also proving to be one of the most impressive for creating that lush foreground seen in many stunning aquascapes.

This plant can grow submerged or emersed in dry start aquariums, Wabi Kusa, and when grown in Iwagumi layouts, the vast fields of green creates a captivating effect on any audience.

Medium to hard difficulty - requires medium to high lighting, a regular nutrient schedule, and additional Co2 is required. Because this plant is small with tiny roots, it can prove difficult to keep planted into the substrate initially.

Staurogyne Repens is a low growing aquatic plant with each stem will only grow up a few inches in height, giving your tank a busy appearance.

S. Repens grows compactly and if given sufficient lighting and nutrients, it can grow into a thick bush of green foliage either submerged or emersed.

Medium to hard difficulty - High light and Co2 injection is necessary to keep this plant low growing.

Dwarf Hairgrass Eleocharis Parvula is very popular and can create a great looking lawn-like foreground for your aquarium.

This aquatic grass has thin stalks growing from roots that spread horizontally by sending out runners and can grow submerged or immersed.

Simply separate larger mats into small portions and plant each an inch or so apart half way into the substrate; the plant will send out runners all around and a lush foreground of grass can be created.

Mexican Rotala makes a great choice as a background plant and with proper trimming, it can form a great hedge effect even in the midground of the aquarium.

This long-leaved aquatic plant grows quickly and lushly with reddish stems, and is easy to propagate through cuttings.

Medium to hard difficulty - In order to thrive, it needs strong lighting and plenty of CO2, and macro and micronutrients. A low level of any of these factors will lead to blackening and stunted growth.

Bucephalandra is an epiphytic aquarium plant so it can be attached to aquarium hardscape, and looks great in many different aquariums or terrariums.

Bucephalandra can be grown either submerged or immersed in a humid environment, making it a very versatile plant that is great from beginners to experts alike.

The plant is very slow growing, with new leaves sprouting from long, thin rhizomes and can be propagated by cutting the rhizome and attached to driftwood and rocks using super glue gel or thread.

Rotala Rotundifolia Orange Juice adds intense color to the aquarium and has a dazzling effect as a thick reddish orange bush in your aquascape.

Perfect for background placement and will produce rounder leaves when grown in its immersed form. When submerged, it has more narrow leaves that pair extremely well against other green aquatic plants.

Small, round or pointed colorful leaves; High iron content along with additional nutrients will bring out more color in the plant.

Water Wisteria is a popular, fast-growing stem plant that is extremely easy to care for and suitable for beginners.

Creates a natural and wavy look and is suitable along the mid and background of your aquarium.

It can grow very tall but with frequent pruning, the plant can stay compact and low growing.

Monte Carlo is a perfect foreground plant known for its ability to grow quickly and spread readily, and can grow into a thick carpet of green foliage, giving your aquarium a neat, attractive appearance.

Beautiful, bright green coloration will nicely offset any neutral toned substrate, and can grow either submerged or emersed.

Medium difficulty - High light and Co2 injection is necessary to keep this plant low growing, along with a regular nutrient schedule.

Hemianthus Callitrichoides (aka Dwarf Baby Tears) or simply HC Cuba, is a perfect foreground plant known for its ability to spread quickly and producing thick carpets of green foliage giving your aquarium a neat, attractive appearance.

Beautiful, green coloration will nicely offset any neutral toned substrate, and can grow either submerged or emersed.

Moderate to hard difficulty - Medium to high light along with CO2 is required. It can be quite difficult to grow lush, thick carpets for sustained periods of time without Co2, and fertilization is recommended.

Dwarf Sagittaria is a popular choice as a foreground plant and can grow high enough to make an excellent mid- or background accent either submerged or emersed.

When clumped together, this plant looks like wide blades of aquatic grass that adds subtle depth to your aquascape.

Easy difficulty - It does not require CO2 in order to grow, but it does grow much faster with it.

Rotala Rotundifolia Macandra Mini adds great color and contrast to the usual green foliage and has a dazzling effect as a short reddish bush in your aquarium.

In its immersed state leaves, will grow prostrate and have a green color and the submerged version will grow upright and have a deep red color.

Perfect for back or mid-ground placement and requires high levels of lighting. Without sufficient lighting, the plant’s bottom leaves will shrivel and fall off.

Dwarf Hygrophila adds a very colorful bush-like appearance to your aquarium and is perfect for beginners trying to grow stem plants for the first time.

Under high light, the leaves will turn a beautiful red and orange tint and will compliment other green aquatic plants well.

Striking as a foreground or midground choice in larger aquariums can grow both immersed and submerged.