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Getting the best from Java Fern?

Dan Walter

Member
Joined
18 Mar 2009
Messages
166
Location
Salisbury, Wiltshire
Hi all,

Does anyone have any advice on getting the best out of the Java Fern varieties..Needle leaf in particular.
I'm curious about how to get it to thrive and look it's best. I'm sure I read somewhere that you can trim it right back for better growth..

Anyone?!

Cheers

Dan
 
Re: Getting the best from Jave Fern?

Needle I found to be extremely hardy. Trim it hard, regularly and make sure that there's good flow from underneath the leaves rather than across the top. ( I can't explain why but my Needle always trived much better where the flow went below the leaves rather than over them). It's extremely CO2 hungry so keep it high. If the leaves grow too long and strappy cut out about 2/3'ds of the older leaves and you'll get much more smaller leaves form and they will stay shorter and narrower.
 
Re: Getting the best from Jave Fern?

i have big problem with java do not look healty and the green colour is not the best looking
will try to get some better flow on it hope this help
 
Re: Getting the best from Jave Fern?

Hi Dan,
Ferns are extremely hardy plants and they do well in conditions that would annihilate most other plants. Having them look nice however can be as much of a challenge as that required to keep some delicate species alive. As Gareth mentions, nutrients, CO2/Excel and flow distribution deep into the plant bed is a must. No surprise there. Frequent pruning is helpful as this opens up spaces for flow/distribution. The leaves also have a tendency to collect detritus due to it's high friction surface, so the plants appreciates a good shake - frequently. When I do my water changes I'll shake the bush vigorously while siphoning off the dislodged "dust" and I'll stroke the fronds between my fingers like a rooster preening it's feathers. When the plant starts to increase in mass it also increases the mass of those stringy brown roots and there is a tendency for it to get messy down at the base (more flow blocking) so that needs to be kept trimmed as well. There's also a tendency for the leaves to form plantlets near the tips. My policy is to remove these immediately. They serve no purpose (unless you are propagating) and make the plant look rough overall, and of course they do contribute to blocked flow.

There is also a tendency for the frond tips to go translucent and on the wide leaf varieties, for black warts to form on the leaf surface. These are all high light/CO2 issues but unfortunately the level of CO2 required to eliminate these completely is impractical, so you typically wind up with a certain degree of translucent tips and a few black spots here and there. You just have to get over that I'm afraid, unless you tank is fishless, in which case you can then feel free to inject apocalyptic levels of CO2 to make it perfect. :wave: :thumbup:

Again, you don't need tons of light. Ferns seemingly have one of the lowest Light Compensation Points I've ever seen. It can virtually live in the dark. It seems to be optimized for low light, so when you throw megawatts at it, growth rates accelerate and you have to groom and preen it even more so than usual to keep it looking nice.

Cheers,
 
Re: Getting the best from Jave Fern?

Thanks Ceg4048,

I got a 3 year old Java Fern that has populated a 30cm long piece of wood, and it is indeed looking scraggy, it is strong and healthy, but looks scraggy, full of plantlets and really old long leaves.

I will follow your advice and prune it, allowing for space for new leaves to grow.
 
Re: Getting the best from Jave Fern?

Good stuff mate. Yeah, definitely take a hacksaw to it and get rid of the excess. It probably won't happen overnight but if you keep at it the the plant will glow. If you look at the tanks produced by guys like Viktor, G.Farmer and the rest of the Iwojima crowd you'll see spectacular Ferns. Really inspirational.

Cheers,
 
Re: Getting the best from Jave Fern?

I did see George's Java Fern, and that is what I am aiming at, so your advice has put me on the right direction.

I am not after overnight fixes, good things come for who will wait.

For example, EI took me close to a month to take affect, but when it took the change was so dramatic that it was scary. Many of the plants I had planted gave them away, they were just growing too fast.

The Java piece I got is big, but it is full of stuff between the leaves, lots of brown roots on it, the shrimp palace I call it, they all hide there.

Many thanks once again.
 
Ah, good ol' Java fern, one of my favourites along with crypts.

Ferns seem to soak up significant qtys. of NO3, IME.

Not sure is it's a species thing, or just because I've had massive ferns, or both.

Presumably, as they obtain all of their nutrients from the water column, and none from the substrate, it's important to supply ample nutrients, especially in well-lit and CO2 injected aquaria. EI or similar is worth considering to ensure macros don't go deficient in higher energy set-ups.

It's worth re-iterating that it's important to regularly remove old and tatty leaves and try to ensure some circulation around the rhizome. The leaves can be tough to remove from the rhizome, so try using a scapel. If you can't supply high levels of circulation then consider lowering lighting, and possibly CO2.

Clive's advice about removing detritus from the leaves etc. is also very worthwhile. Just wave your hand about around the plant during a water change and siphon the floating debris.
 
Many thanks George,

I will prune the Java Fern I have today, never took a single leaf from it since I placed it on the tank, almost three years ago. It makes sense that pruning it will ensure that there are no dead spots on the rhyzome.

I got the outlet of a filter right above it, so it should have enough circulation, and nutrients reaching it, as I use the EI method I can dose right on top of it, ensuring that it has what it needs.

I got 20W of light right above it as well, using Led's, and 150W on the tank as whole, so light should not be a problem, thankfully the leaves are free of algae.

Thanks
 
Hi all,
If you don't mind very slow growth it is a plant that is amazingly tolerant of low nutrient levels. I've used it extensively in tanks for dwarf cichlids, with a silica sand substrate, 90% de-ionised water and no fertiliser addition, where the conductivity will never have exceeded 80microS and the pH will have remained well below pH7.
cheers Darrel
 
Thanks to everyone for your detailed responses! That's exactly the kind of information I was after. The java ferns that Amano uses in his tanks look amazing and I would really like something similar for my next 'scape.. To be honest I would be more that happy with some looking half as good!

Thanks again all

Dan
 
Following the tips and advice of many users here, such as George and Ceg, amongst many others, my Java Fern is finally looking good with very bright leaves.

On top left of tank, under floating island:
4474037165_a3c3f5a364_b.jpg


Some leafs still old looking, but soon it will be pruned:
4473993685_4116154d84_b.jpg


On centre, under floating island:
4474761924_264bbb7d93_b.jpg


It is due a very drastic pruning, as Ceg advised, so hopefully it will look better.

Also, I have been dosing right on top of it, ensuring that nutrients get to the roots.
 
Question for the Java Fern guru's if I trim all leaves off will I get new growth or does the plant need some leaves to draw energy?
 
Question for the Java Fern guru's if I trim all leaves off will I get new growth or does the plant need some leaves to draw energy?

A green rhizome without leaves also has some photosynthetic propperties, hence it is green. All tho it will do it very slowly but if put under the proper conditions a rhizome only will develop some new leaves eventualy and grow on.. But it's questionable if it will, chances it dies are present. I had leavless pieces of rhizome stay green and alive for months and developing new leaflets but also had a few just fauling away. Tho i never striped a complete plant from its leaves, it where all little pieces of rhizomes coming off with trimming a plant. :)
 
A green rhizome without leaves also has some photosynthetic propperties, hence it is green. All tho it will do it very slowly but if put under the proper conditions a rhizome only will develop some new leaves eventualy and grow on.. But it's questionable if it will, chances it dies are present. I had leavless pieces of rhizome stay green and alive for months and developing new leaflets but also had a few just fauling away. Tho i never striped a complete plant from its leaves, it where all little pieces of rhizomes coming off with trimming a plant. :)

Cheers for the info! I had a heap of nice green JF grown in doors in a high tech tank, moved it all out doors to a low tech tank and it has all melted, some rhizomes have no good leaves left... I will leave them and hope they start some new growth.
 
Cheers for the info! I had a heap of nice green JF grown in doors in a high tech tank, moved it all out doors to a low tech tank and it has all melted, some rhizomes have no good leaves left... I will leave them and hope they start some new growth.
I did the same this year but it was still to early in march and to cold and all leaves got brown an dead.. Java can't stand temps bellow 10°C, in my case the night temps where very low with temps around 5°C and it all died.. No idea if it comes back, but rhizomes are still green.
 
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