My Java ferns

So I’m curious… I’ve bought several “clumps” of Java ferns for my tanks,several months ago… these are the ones sold on cocoa mats… a lot of the bigger leaves are dying back, but lots of those have babies plus lots of new growth from the runners… are those likely grown out of the water, and my plants are transitioning to under water??? All the newer growth looks healthy but looks like I’ve got a lot of hedge trimming to do, or just let the critters break them down

Hello Magnum. You won't find a better aquarium plant. You've made the best choice adding it to your fish tank. This is one of the few plants that fish can't damage. Even those fish that prefer plants as their main diet will leave the Java Fern alone. I keep one Java Fern, but it has covered the bottom of my 45 gallon, tall tank. I've attached it to a large piece of driftwood with some black, cotton sewing thread. The cotton thread works well. The thread eventually dissolved in the tank water, but by then the plant had attached itself to the wood. I never remove old or dying leaves as I do other aquarium plants. The small seed pods on the back of the leaves of the mother plant will eventually sprout and you'll have a new plant. This one is naturally a slow grower, but will respond to added CO2.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

Hi, Magnum. It's pretty common for newer plants to die back and regrow as they get used to your aquarium conditions. Crypts are notorious for this, but other plants do it too. As long as you're getting new growth, it's nothing to worry about. Pull off the dead leaves (they'll come off easily) and let the new ones take their places.

I'm sure you know this, but I'll say it anyway: Be sure not to bury the rhizome (the "root") of this plant. Keep it above the substrate so it doesn't rot. It's pretty common to attach them to rocks or wood with thread, as 10tanks described, or you can simply superglue them in place. Since yours are already attached to coconut fiber, you can probably just lay them where you want them.

the Java I bought was already attached to cocoa fiber mats... I typically cut a 4" piece of lead free solid core solder & thread it through the cocoa mat, & the fold the ends under, & just place them where I want them... in this case, it was on top of some stubby glass canning type jars that had some dirt in them covered in black aquarium gravel ( totally not need, I get that ) but I just placed them where I had some cork screw val planted... the fish kept nipping off the val, & rather than ripping everything apart, I used the glass jar rims, to target where I set the Java Ferns

when they detach with babies, I've been putting them in a tank I'm running, that doesn't have any fish in it, except a 7" common Pleco I didn't have any other place for him... so he's my canary & that tank is right now my "Java Nursery"

I would suggest there is something in the light/nutrients here. If you can provide some data, I might have suggestions.

I have 3 of these over that tank... one comes on early by timer at 4:30 AM, the others stay on manually when I turn them on, when I get up, & stay on until 9:30-10:00 PM, when I go to bed


and have started adding this, only one does so far...


& my water is hard, and softener water ( trying to rectify that right now as well )

do weekly 33% water changes, can give you my last readings if needed...

maybe the plants don't like my water, like some of my fish... tank temp is 78 degrees F

Comments on some issues I see. First, am I understanding correctly that the water runs through a "softener" before use? Depending how this works, it may be a major issue here, for fish and plants. What is the GH and pH of the source water on its own (pre-softener)? How does the softener "soften" the water, some use sodium.

Second issue, the plant fertilizers. I hope you are not using all of these. Just the Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium is OK, but none of the others.

On the light, they call it "full spectrum" and "sunlike grow light" but there is no spectrum data to tell us just what these terms mean. I think the light is on for much too long a photoperiod. Java Fern does not like bright light, and does best under shade from floating plants. I would get the light down to 8 hours a day, and using a timer so it is consistent (this does impact fish even more than plants).