Plant Dying Rhizome

[Platyarelife]

So people were freaking out and telling me to not bury my plants Rhizome cuz it would rot and the plant would die. Well... got some news here. I moved the plant and exposed it's Rhizome now it's dead.
I have the same plant in my Betta tank for MONTHS now with a buried Rhizome and it's growing and looking amazing and my Betta loves it. So can someone please explain this to me...
The plants is a Java Fern "Lace". I also have an Anubis that is going down hill since exposing the Rhizome.

 

[Aquaphobia]

Got a picture? What kind of substrate? How deep was it buried before?

 

[Platyarelife]

Got a picture? What kind of substrate? How deep was it buried before?

My Betta tank, the plants are burried under normal gravel. The Big tank has Fluorite gravel.They were buried so just the leaves poked up.

 

[Samuel97]

It’s far more likely to be unlucky timing with another issue rather than pulling the rhizome out.

Or it may be that the shock change is causing the rot/melt from incorrectly burying it in the first place

 

[Platyarelife]

It’s far more likely to be unlucky timing with another issue rather than pulling the rhizome out.

Or it may be that the shock change is causing the rot/melt from incorrectly burying it in the first place

Then how my buried plants are doing better than the ones no buried.

 

[Aquaphobia]

Many reasons. Perhaps being disturbed again is what set them back.

Can you post a picture?

 

[Paradise fish]

I think being in normal aquarium gravel allowed the rhizome to still breathe. But moving it probably just disturbed it. If there's new growth happening, the plant is just adjusting.

 

[THE HABITAT]

My Anubias did the exact opposite I had it buried then one day tied it to a piece of driftwood and it has already grown a few new leafs and it looks greener than ever...just my .02

 

[Jocelyn Adelman]

Quick question... what is it that led you to post a picture for people to comment on the rhizome? Were you already worried about a deficiency?

Agree with most of above, rhizome should be exposed and the plant will do better. Left in substrate it will rot. Likely this had already started to happen and you are now seeing the results... remember javas are slow growers, which also means they are slow to show the issues they are currently having.
As to the rhizome rotting after it was removed, it was either damaged during removal, or already rotting. It would not begin to rot from being exposed.

Would love to help you get to the bottom of this.

 

[Platyarelife]

Quick question... what is it that led you to post a picture for people to comment on the rhizome? Were you already worried about a deficiency?

Agree with most of above, rhizome should be exposed and the plant will do better. Left in substrate it will rot. Likely this had already started to happen and you are now seeing the results... remember javas are slow growers, which also means they are slow to show the issues they are currently having.
As to the rhizome rotting after it was removed, it was either damaged during removal, or already rotting. It would not begin to rot from being exposed.

Would love to help you get to the bottom of this.

It was buried for less than a week so I doubt it rotted THAT fast. How come the plants in my Betta tank aren't rotting. I checked them out today and no signs of rot. I placed a root tab under them and they've been doing great for months. The other one (in the big tank) started to die the day after I took it out of the gravel. Most the Anubis seems to be fine but that Java Lace died almost right away. I looked at the thing posted on here about plants and the Lace seems to be the opposite. I'm not saying I disagree about having plant Rhizomes exposed but the Java Lace seem to do better buried with a root tab.

 

[Jocelyn Adelman]

Java ferns are epiphytes. Their roots and rhizomes are meant to be exposed and they reed from the water column, not from root tabs.
But hey, there are always exceptions to every rule... if it works for you and you are happy with it that way then just do it. Worst that will happen is the plant will die and you replace it with a new one. Best case it will work out fine.

If you had it for less then a week likely something was wrong before you got it, nothing to do with being in substrate or not.

 

[Platyarelife]

Java ferns are epiphytes. Their roots and rhizomes are meant to be exposed and they reed from the water column, not from root tabs.
But hey, there are always exceptions to every rule... if it works for you and you are happy with it that way then just do it. Worst that will happen is the plant will die and you replace it with a new one. Best case it will work out fine.

If you had it for less then a week likely something was wrong before you got it, nothing to do with being in substrate or not.

Well, I want to know what I should do with it before I get another. It never looked to be rotting. All the leaves just turned brown and died.

 

[Aquaphobia]

Java fern leaves also turn brown when they're getting ready to propagate themselves. Baby ferns grow from the leaves!

As said above, java ferns are extremely slow growing so the fact that you saw changes so soon after getting them suggests that whatever was going on had started well before you got them and only showed symptoms after they were in your tank.