Asian water fern question

[Amaunet]

So the other day I went to one of the LFS for some fish flakes and while I was there I looked at the plants they sell in a tube and got literally the only one not rotting away. It was marked as an Asian water fern (Bolbitis heteroclita). When I got it home and opened I noticed it had some new plants sprouting on the leaves similar to how Java fern does.

Here’s a pic sorry for the glare



So my question is would removing them from the leaves - given how rooted it is - damage both the new plant as well as the old? Or should I just leave it as is and let it do it’s own thing?

 

[Autumnsky]

The leaves growing under water will look frilly and lacy much different than the wide leaves.

I would leave them until the plant is larger and maybe have some roots...

Here is a pic of one I had growing over the spiderwood. You can see the ferny leaves well on the left side about the green and red leaf Crytocorynes.

The green with green stem with brown nodes (can get browner) across the spiderwood is the rhyzome which should not be buried but put atop a rock or wood. Their roots coming from the rhyzome will often go into the substrate and that is okay /good.

oops forgot to add the pic! here it is

 

[Amaunet]

I thought waiting would be a better idea. But all my google searches was coming up with was places to buy some or someone saying it was an uncommon plant. And then there were some arguments as to whether it was truly aquatic or not. I’m glad I asked before doing anything unfortunate. Sounds like I need to get me some driftwood to add to the tank. Is there anything I should be aware of concerning driftwood in a tank?

 

[Aiken Drum]

Driftwood might lower pH a little.

It will likely float if you dont presoak it. Possibly needs presoaking for several months. Boiling the wood should help with sinking the wood.

It will likely release tannins into the water for a time making your water tea like. Some people like the look of it, its certainly of benefit to fishes health. Again presoaking and boiling driftwood will help reduce tannins. Alternatively if you dont like the look of tea coloured water, then activated carbon in your filter will soak it up until your wood stops discharging tannins.

Ive never presoaked or boiled wood. Just washed it down, dropped it in the water, weighed it down and used carbon for a couple of months. Maybe not great advice, but ive never had an issue. I do get shop bought wood though rather than collecting it from the wild.

 

[Amaunet]

Thanks for the info Aiken,, I can always count on this forum for help.

My ph currently is holding steady at 7.6 so hopefully there won’t be any problems on that regard ? Tea colored water won’t bother me, especially since it’s good for fish.

I do have some carbon in the HOB filter, but honestly I haven’t changed the filter media in it as it’s a relatively new (4 moths or so).

Is it true that I can use super glue to secure the rhizome to the driftwood, and if so will it work if the wood and plant is wet? How long would I need to wait to sink it afterwards if I did use glue? Or do you guys prefer fishing line or zip strips?

 

[Aiken Drum]

The pH wont suddenly drop, so if it does go down it wont stress anything out. Depending on other things going on might drop 0.2 or 0.3.

Carbon gets used up and needs changing every couple of weeks. So if its been in your filter a few months it wont be effective any more. If you find you dont like the tannins then swap it for new carbon, and replace every 2 or 3 weeks until it no longer needed.

Superglue is aquarium safe. Look for cyanoacrylate on the packet, but i think all superglues are cyanoacrylate. Just make sure its dried before putting it in the water. Ive fixed using superglue and put it the water after 15 minutes with no problems. Maybe 30 minutes to be safe. If the wood or plant is wet just pad it dry with a paper towel.

I dont use glue anymore. I just zip tie rhyzome plants to plant weights and drop them in the water and hide the weight behind a rock or something. Makes it easier to lift the plant out for trimming. Fishing line or cotton is fine for attaching to wood though. Whatever is your preference.

 

[Autumnsky]

About the superglue gel is great. The type mentioned by Aiken Drum.

It can get a white film so you can use a little sand on top of it and you won't see it.

The info for zip ties is great. I have found that fishing line can come off and fish can get stuck in it.

The Fern will attach to the wood with little roots eventually. They like to be a bit sheltered from bright light. They are a bit slow growing till established but the leaves are long lived and they can tend to get algae. But they also get kind of big. And can be clipped off at the rhizome, a few inches or more, with roots and leaves to move to another location or share.

And the leaves grown in air will likely melt back, so don't worry if that starts to happen. If it does, you can grab that baby plant and the leaf to attach to something or could float if it doesn't get sucked up in the filter.