Java Fern Care

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pcfiegen

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HI all,
I recently converted my tank from artificial to live plants. I took some sewing thread and tied some ferns to some objects in my tank. I was wondering if anyone had an idea on how long it usually takes for the ferns to take root on the item that they are attached to? If you have any advice on taking care of live plants, I would love to hear it! Thanks!

Pat
 

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I'd say maybe a month? Sorry, I didn't pay attention to my fern after I attached it to my driftwood! by the time the thread rots away, the plant'll be attached.

If you have easy/lowlight plants (Anubias, dwarf saggitarious, java fern, the mosses, I wanna say Anarchis, water wisteria, etc.) then all you need is a light and a form of food for the plant (i.e. a well fed fish or fertilizers/supplements such as Flourish Comp/excel and root tabs though they aren't really nessecary unless you can see the plants are starved). They're undemanding which is why they're easy and perfect for beginners

If you have, or plan on having more difficult plants, you'll be venturing into the world of CO2 and other supplements. tis fun, I'd suggest reading up on it, but start low now! you can always get harder plants later! ;D

So what all do you have besides the java ferns
 

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I just have 2 Java Ferns, so far. I tried getting some from a local fish keeper in my home town, but he never came through. I went to Petsmart and bought some Javas but it was kinda expensive. I'm looking at getting some Java Moss and some sort of Anubias, but I don't know what to get specifically. Any suggestions?

Also, can you explain how the fish benefit the plants? Thanks!

Pat
 
Since you are just getting into plants, its best to stay low tech, that way you don't need CO2, tons of lighting, or any other special needs. Planted tank has a plant profile tab, that lists most of the more common plants, the care needed for them, and users comments about ease of care, and other helpful tips.

As for where to get plants, the LFS is about the worst place to go. They don't take very good care of their stuff, and like you found out, they are super expensive. I would stick to the sales forums, like here on fishlore or plantedtank, or at least ebay. Plants are very easy to ship, and even with shipping, you will be saving money over the LFS and getting them from a fellow hobbyist that cares about them just like you do.

Fish benefit plants mostly in producing waste that the plants use as fertilizer but in other ways too. They produce CO2 which is used by plants. Many fish, like otocinclus, clean plants by eating any algae off of them. And of course the plants help out the fish, by "cleaning" the water a bit, providing oxygen, shelter/hiding places. So its a good symbiotic relationship. Good luck, hope this helps.
 

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Since you are just getting into plants, its best to stay low tech, that way you don't need CO2, tons of lighting, or any other special needs. Planted tank has a plant profile tab, that lists most of the more common plants, the care needed for them, and users comments about ease of care, and other helpful tips.

As for where to get plants, the LFS is about the worst place to go. They don't take very good care of their stuff, and like you found out, they are super expensive. I would stick to the sales forums, like here on fishlore or plantedtank, or at least ebay. Plants are very easy to ship, and even with shipping, you will be saving money over the LFS and getting them from a fellow hobbyist that cares about them just like you do.

Fish benefit plants mostly in producing waste that the plants use as fertilizer but in other ways too. They produce CO2 which is used by plants. Many fish, like otocinclus, clean plants by eating any algae off of them. And of course the plants help out the fish, by "cleaning" the water a bit, providing oxygen, shelter/hiding places. So its a good symbiotic relationship. Good luck, hope this helps.
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Thanks a ton! This helps a lot. Especially the advice on where to get them
 
HI I believe he was referring to the fish waste (poo) acting as a kind of fertiliser and plant food.
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Hit the nail on the head, my friend! (minus the gender Oh well! Not the first time!)

I agree with the above, I meander around forum sales areas along with aquabid and Peabodys paradisewhich is run by a member on here jetajockey

I got my anubias from PetSmart, and honestly, you should be ok with any variety of Anubias. I don't THINK any of them get big, but just like with fish stock, be sure yo research your plant stock so you know what's required and how big they get. Anubias is pretty basic, it's a slow grower, but it's hardy! my cichlids don't eat it and it's survived some abuse and still grown! and it's pretty versatile as far as species appearances go. has a good amount of info on plants.

There's Literally TONS of places to buy plants from online, I just google the species and look for a good deal.
 
I bought one of those plants about a month ago at petsmart that is in the plastic tube with the jell in the bottom. I washed off the jell like it said and planted it. It said cut all if the leaves off that are rotten, or have black on them. Every leaf had black on it though, so I planted it, but now I have small green leaves coming up. Sould I cut all of the black leaves off now? That will leave 3 small leaves. Also, should I be putting any sort of fertilizer in the tank?

LED Lights
20 gallon high tank (top fin starter kit)
106 Fluval canister filter
1 Java Fern
1 Moss Ball
2 Silver hatchet Fish
1 Orange Von Rio Tetra
1 Long Finned Black Skirt tetra
1 Long Finned Red Minor Tetra
1 Albino Cory Catfish
1 peppered Cory Catfish

And yes I know I am breaking the rules. I'm not taking any of my fish back and just focusing on 2 breeds.
 
What is the java Fern planted on or in?

These plants are generally best tied to a rock or driftwood. The rhizome must not be within the substrate....it will lead to death of the plant.
 
You can cut the dead leaves off or leave them. It doesn't matter much. It's just unsightly.

Like Ksuvet said, the rhizome should not be beneath the substrate, only the small roots should be buried. Or, as said above, you can tie it to some driftwood. Either way, as long as the rhizome is exposed, the plant will be fine.
 

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I personally would wait until the plantlets get bigger until you cut them off
 
Warning: I'm going
I have to say AmazonPassion, the fish in your picture is AWSOME looking! Gorgeous!!!
 
I would wait I got some java fern from petsmart in the same plastic tube and all of the leaves have black spots on them, just cut off the rotten ones the black spots won't hurt anything. its bean a month and I already have baby plants coming of the leaves with black on them, plants I wouldnt have if they would have bean cut. Also an easy way to grow more of these is to cut off unhealthy looking leaves and float them. the leaves will eventually give off a baby plant faster than they would naturally or at least that is what I have read.
 
So I’ve had this java fern for about a month now. When I first got it it looked pretty dead and hopeless but I gave it some time just in case there was hope
Little over a week ago I noticed some new growth and I was wondering...
Should I cut off the super dead leaf on the left (in pic) so that the plant isn’t wasting energy on it or should I leave it on so the plant can absorb nutrients through it
I don’t really know how this plant works so in put would be great. Image1568182938.580401.jpg
The roots also have something that looks like black beard algae all over them. I’ll add a pic of that so someone can tell me if I should cut it off Image1568183048.853443.jpg
 
Mine as black beard as well and I've left it alone it's only on the roots and looks ok, as for the leaf cut it off as close to its base as possible it's not helping the rest of the plant,
Edit you can spray the blackbeard with h2o2 if you want
 
Mine as black beard as well and I've left it alone it's only on the roots and looks ok, as for the leaf cut it off as close to its base as possible it's not helping the rest of the plant,
Edit you can spray the blackbeard with h2o2 if you want
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Thank you
 
I would trim the damaged leaf and also trim a couple of the root with the BBA on them ( not all of them ). If you spray with h202 go easy so you don't completely melt it. Are you adding any liquid ferts to the tank?
 
I'm having problems as well with my java fern. Same thing as you. I had bought mine at Petco and it was pretty much stems with no rhizome. Mayne yours was the same and the stems grew a rhizome. Maybe mine has hope still too.
 
I would trim the damaged leaf and also trim a couple of the root with the BBA on them ( not all of them ). If you spray with h202 go easy so you don't completely melt it. Are you adding any liquid ferts to the tank?
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I use flourish excel

I'm having problems as well with my java fern. Same thing as you. I had bought mine at Petco and it was pretty much stems with no rhizome. Mayne yours was the same and the stems grew a rhizome. Maybe mine has hope still too.
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Mine came in a ziplock bag in a paper thin envelope and was looking pretty drab. There was a slow improvement but I noticed the new growth after putting it in my new tank with lights, ferts and iron sand. I think those helped out.
Just wait it out and there should be a slow improvement. Encouraging growth might be good
 
I use flourish excel
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Excel is more of an algeacide rather than a form of liquid co2. If your planning or already have other plants in your tank a good investment would be a bottle of Nilog Trive c for low tech tanks. All your palnts would benefit much more than just using excel.
 

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Excel is more of an algeacide rather than a form of liquid co2. If your planning or already have other plants in your tank a good investment would be a bottle of Nilog Trive c for low tech tanks. All your palnts would benefit much more than just using excel.
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Oh ok I’ll look into that I had no idea
 
I just got a java fern yesterday and planted it in my tank and removed a plastic plant decor (slowly adding plants and removing fake plants). I tied the java fern against a rock with a fishing line and the rhizomes are not buried, they are either touching the substrate or very close to doing so. The roots are definitely touching the pebbles (substrate) or the rock. Any tips on how to keep this very magical Plant healthy and green?
 
Do not put it too close to your light. I had lush green ferns till I super glued them onto big ol piece of driftwood. Also, maybe avoid super glue, which it looks like you have.That's all I have. Java fern grows slow but rewards you with spectacular display if you take care of it.
 
I have found that superglue kills at least part of my java ferns... then I'm left with a bunch of super glue knobs. Instead, I'll tie it to an anchor using thread or most recently, let the ferns float around in the water. The latter has the benefit of always changing and my fish always have a new 'forest' to play in!
 
I just got a java fern yesterday and planted it in my tank and removed a plastic plant decor (slowly adding plants and removing fake plants). I tied the java fern against a rock with a fishing line and the rhizomes are not buried, they are either touching the substrate or very close to doing so. The roots are definitely touching the pebbles (substrate) or the rock. Any tips on how to keep this very magical Plant healthy and green?
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Java fern is one of the easiest plants to care for, as in, it thrives on neglect. It can live under the cheapest light, or no light at all if you have a reasonably bright room. I've kept them in bowls, under cheap fluorescent tubes, under LED's that would barely grow algae, and as long as it is in low light and not overfertilized it will grow beautifully. The biggest mistake I see is people loving them to death. They are the succulent of aquatic plants. Put it somewhere, let it get its roots attached to whatever, and then leave it alone except to trim off old leaves. Once it starts producing plantlets under a leaf the leaf will die and should be removed. Other than that you should be good!
 
Java fern is one of the easiest plants to care for, as in, it thrives on neglect. It can live under the cheapest light, or no light at all if you have a reasonably bright room. I've kept them in bowls, under cheap fluorescent tubes, under LED's that would barely grow algae, and as long as it is in low light and not overfertilized it will grow beautifully. The biggest mistake I see is people loving them to death. They are the succulent of aquatic plants. Put it somewhere, let it get its roots attached to whatever, and then leave it alone except to trim off old leaves. Once it starts producing plantlets under a leaf the leaf will die and should be removed. Other than that you should be good!
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Would you trim the plant if the top tip starts turning brown and if so how would you trim it?
 
Would you trim the plant if the top tip starts turning brown and if so how would you trim it?
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I don't, but I'm not a huge aquatic gardener. It's part of the reason I like java fern. I only remove the leaves when they turn all the way brown or it is obvious that particular leaf is on its way out. In my experience, brown tips often come from being in too bright light. My most beautiful ferns are in the worst-lit tanks.
 
My java fern is placed in the corner of my tank where less light shines there. Only one leaf has a little brown at the tip, probably from being in the pet store light. I bought it out of the tank, meaning it was in a little plastic case not in a fish tank.
 
My java fern is placed in the corner of my tank where less light shines there. Only one leaf has a little brown at the tip, probably from being in the pet store light. I bought it out of the tank, meaning it was in a little plastic case not in a fish tank.
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OK I see what you're saying. Those little plastic tube plants are not grown underwater so sometimes they take a while to adjust to aquatic life. Just keep an eye on it and if that leaf starts to look bad you can just snip it off close to the base. It might take a month or so for the plant to adjust and start growing right. It sounds like you have it placed well, so I would just leave it alone for a bit. If it bothers you, you can just snip off the brown part.
 

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I guess my lighting might be too bright. I can grow java fern in an aquarium, but it doesn’t do quite as well as my other stuff. I’ve actually had great success growing it emersed in my dart frog vivarium, which I didn’t expect at all. It grows fairly fast mounted on the background and creeping along the bottom of my P. terribilis dart frog tank. I have it there next to some anubias, crypts, and baby tears too. Some aquarium plants are just easier to grow on land, especially baby tears. Although anubias is the same and crypts are harder.
 
Here is the biggest fern I have. It's in my daughter's ten gallon tank with some crypts and java moss. It has a cheapo LED strip light and heaven knows when the lid was last cleaned. As you can see it is extremely shady in the front, and this room is very limited in light since she's away at college and I only go in to take care of the tank. By comparison, the java fern in my 75 gallon with plenty of light, regular large water changes and occasional fertilizing are stunted, spindly, and just don't look near as good as this one. Just for an example.
 

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Here is the biggest fern I have. It's in my daughter's ten gallon tank with some crypts and java moss. It has a cheapo LED strip light and heaven knows when the lid was last cleaned. As you can see it is extremely shady in the front, and this room is very limited in light since she's away at college and I only go in to take care of the tank. By comparison, the java fern in my 75 gallon with plenty of light, regular large water changes and occasional fertilizing are stunted, spindly, and just don't look near as good as this one. Just for an example.
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Wow, I wish mine looked like that! That’s also a nice crypt back behind it.
 
That's an interesting thought. Our water is naturally soft where I live so it never occurred to me!
 
Following this great thread - thank you! I'm just restarting a tropical community tank (which used to house 2 rescue goldfish won in a fair by my granddaughter) and also "upgrading" to live plants. Bought a Java Fern since it seems to be one of the easiest to grow. But - rookie mistake, maybe - I tied it to a piece of Cholla Wood, and I've learned that this wood may disintegrate rather quickly. Do I need to start over, using a rock - or maybe one of my little decor items?
 
Okay, Java fern update: Doing very good, roots look like they are starting to dig through the substrate And trying to root itself.

Following this great thread - thank you! I'm just restarting a tropical community tank (which used to house 2 rescue goldfish won in a fair by my granddaughter) and also "upgrading" to live plants. Bought a Java Fern since it seems to be one of the easiest to grow. But - rookie mistake, maybe - I tied it to a piece of Cholla Wood, and I've learned that this wood may disintegrate rather quickly. Do I need to start over, using a rock - or maybe one of my little decor items?
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I used a rock and tied the java fern to it with a fishing line.
 

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