Java fern

[motoman]

Hey folks, I got some java fern about 2.5 - 3 weeks ago and I'm not sure if it's growing or just sort of surviving? I've got a 20g with a 15w 6000k tropical sun bulb (Suppose to be good for plants) and they are planted in aquarium gravel with peat plates buried in the gravel. I have no CO2 yet, I'm contimplating that and my tank has fully cycled. Does Java fern get big or just sort of grow slowly? Also how do I care for the plants/prune them?

Motoman

[Ron]

Motoman,

Java fern is one of the easier plants to grow in your aquarium. It will get by with less light than many other plants, and certainly does not need either high light or CO2, though these will speed up their relatively slow growth. To answer your question, yes they will grow big, but they tend to do so slowly. Old, beat up leaves can be cut off close to the rhizome they emerge from.

The roots on your java fern should NOT be buried in the gravel. These roots are not used appreciably by the plant for the absorbtion of nutrients, but as a means of attachment to rocks or wood. If you bury the roots in your substrate, the rhizome and leaf stems will tend to rot.

I use green, plastic coated twist tie material that comes in long roles at garden supply centers to hold the plant to the rock or wood you want it to attach to until the plants get a grip. I've also used green plastic push pins from a cork board to tack them to a piece of wood until the roots take hold.

Hope this helps,  Ron

[cichlid_girl]

this may be a silly question, but if a good leaf acidentally comes off the rhizome will it grow new rhizome?

[Anubias]

Yes, allow it to float and it will form roots and eventually grow a new rhizome.