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Hi guys, I have a problem with my Java fern. The leaves turn either brown or black then die off. Then it takes several months for them to start to regrow. Growth takes off then it repeats the brown or black dieing thing. Any Ideas?

Thanks Logan

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Can you give a little more detail about the tank?

Do you dose fertilizers for the plants?
Is it heavily stocked with fish?
How much light do you have?
Is the rhizome buried in the substrate?

Those kinds of things.

My experience with Java fern is that it just grows continually. I get the occasional dead leaf but the new growth is constant and not in spurts.


Rick
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The tank is ten gallons, I use both tablet nd Liquid Fertilizers, it is heavily planted, a varity of fish and plants every thing else is doing goodI use two incandescent plant bulbs, the rhizome is partially buried otherwise my fish will move it around. Yea heavily stocked to.

Any help will be welcome. I hate losing plants as much as fish.

Logan

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If it would help for you to see whats there, here is a link to my photobucket account.

http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o89/LogansLeathers/Aquarium/

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I have a java fern and I get the same problem. I think that it is a lack of a certain nutrient. On the other hand, your tank has rainbows, and a chinese algae eater in it which will both get two big for that tank.

-Vincent

Don't know for sure. I did find an article on Java Fern melt. You may want to give it a read.

http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/detail.aspx?aid=21838&cid=4204&search=

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Yea I am working on a 30 gallon Rainbow community tank, The Rainbows and the Chinese will be transferred to the new tank, and Cory's will be added to this one. Thanks for the article. It just might help. Do you use a fertilizer tablet close to your Java Fern? I have an Anubias Nana close by, I am thinking that the tablet might have something to do with it. If you are using the tablet then that might explain it.

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The biggest problem I see is that you are using incandecent bulbs for your plants. These just don't grow plants well. Try finding 2 screw in compact fluorescent bulbs with a kelvin rating of around 6500K.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Thanks None of the LFS has any but maybe Doc Fosters & Smith does. I'll check it out.

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Hi,
Looks like the low K rating of lights to me too...Try to get 6500~6700K bulbs and ur Java ferns would be rocking.
Are the rest of the plants doing fine?

In all the years i've had planted tanks, i've never been able to grow java fern or moss, it was quite frustratating at first because everyone said it was quite easy, it just does not grow for me, i've been able to grow almost any plant on my tant but java fern.

i've also noticed that the only tank that has the windelov, and it thrives there, once i change it to any other tank, it dies off. Even if they have the same care, gravel, light, water quality, etc.

yea the rest of them are doing fine, I am about to add a DIY Co2 system to help all of them as the growth is slow. but other than that no problems.


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do not have the rhizome in the substrate. Tie it to a rock or driftwood, then allow the roots to naturally enter the substrate. Use fishing line or brown thread to tie it down, they are near invisible. Otherwise, everything is ok. It is natural for a leaf to die off sometimes. And it is a relatively slow growing plant, so it does not replace lost leaves very quickly.

Nothing green (on the jabva fern) should be under your substraste.

good luck.

I'll try that, although as far as slow growing, once it got started a new leaf was there every other day.


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Thanks None of the LFS has any but maybe Doc Fosters & Smith does. I'll check it out.

I got my compact flourescent at Home Depot.

Its been two weeks and my java fern is starting to grow tiny babies.

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

Nice, Katie. I thought that would help.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I've shown definitely that varying the CO2 down will cause Java fern as well as moss to die back and the fern will turn black.

If you add more CO2 later, the new leaves will form.
If you have a lot of other pklants in there and do not add enough CO2 for the fern, then the other plants will outcompete the fern for CO2.

As plants and ferns grow, they demand more nutrients as their biomass increases, clearly a tank with 2-3x the biomass requires more nutrients to maintain and particular growth rates/biomass.

I used progresssively more CO2 as the biomass in a larger tanks filled in over several months.

Regards,
Tom Barr

So by adding CO2 It should help the Java Fern. As well as the other plants. Thanks.


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java fern is considered generally an easy plant to grow. It is a great beginner plant, and generally does not need any additional effort to thrive. They are renowned for being "low tech", they do well in low light, and without added CO2. I would think you are wasting money to provide for this plant. It thrives for me in a 29 gallon with 20 watts of flourescent lights, and in a 55 gallon with 40 watts of flourescent lights. The rhizomes are not buried. The substrate is simple aquarium gravel. I occasionally supply a bit of Flourish to the tank, but went for years without it.

Do all the leafs on the plants die, or just a couple at a time?

Everything I wrote comes from years of personal experience with this plant. It is in fact the very first live plant I ever tried, and is a staple in my tanks.

One other note is that many sites say the leaves only reach 8 inches. Mine are much closer to a foot in length.

Look at the following web sites:

http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/e_javafern.php

http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/freshref/javafern.html

Also, one member on this site has helped me a great deal with low tech planting, and that is FRANK. You may try to send him a message through this website. He always seems very knowledgable and willing to help.

First one turns brown or black then dies and then like dominos the rest follow from a nice healthy plant to just the rhizome in 4 days. As far as adding CO2 I also have a lot of other plants that will benefit from it I have an Amazon Broadsword that needs the co2 as well. Although I am going to be setting up a 1.5 gallon for a betta, and I am considering moving the Java fern into it. Allowing it to be the only plants in the tank. I took some cuttings of the rhyzomes and they are sprouting leaves. So I have several small Java Ferns as well. Do you think putting them in thier own tank would help?

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