Death to the immortal java fern?

[Apocalypse_Gold]

How am I killing my java fern? I always felt they were easier than plastic plants, but recently, mine has started to fall apart. It had been growing fine for a long time. I recently switched to 100% RO water with RO Right and with baking soda for buffering. I also increased from .75 wpg to 1.4 wpg and started dosing with Flourish, but it started to fall apart before that. It develops holes through the leaves near the bottom and the holes expand until there is very little leaf left. On the larger leaves there are what look like clumps of spores on the underside in a regular pattern. Even my little baby that broke away a few months ago is dying. My anubias, wisteria, and hornwort are doing fine. What have I done to kill my Java Fern?

Almost forgot parameters:
Old (50% RO/50% tap water of death) pH 7.6, ammonia-0, nitrite-0, nitrate-40
New: pH 7.2, ammonia-0, nitrite-0, nitrate-30

 

[hashbaz]

Ha Ha! You suck!!! Can't you keep a java fern alive!?!?!?!? They are the easiest thing in the world.

The only thing I have heard people talk about is not to burry the rhizome - but you haven't. Hmm.... Did you forget to pay homage to the aquarium gods? I'm stumped.

The wisteria you gave me last week is not doing too well. I don't want to hijack your thread but it is funny that you can grow wisteria and I can't - and I can grow java ferns and you can't. Weird. Too bad one of us is not studying biology. How are your classes going?

Maybe someone else can help with the java fern thing.

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

I was afraid you might respond

 

[hashbaz]

I was afraid you might respond

That is not a very kind way to respond to your kind, loving brother.

 

[greenmaji]

you guys are related..
I felt like there was some strange conection there.. now it doesnt seem so strange..
Im a little clueless on the java fern problem.. it sounds like it might be some kind of parisite or fungual illness.. have you tried googling? At first I was thinking it might be a defecency of some sort..
what are you doing for potasium, iron and trace minerals?

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

I actaully got my java fern from hashbaz . Flourish contains potassium, iron, and most of the trace elements and RO right claims that it adds some too. I looked on Tropica.com and those spots are true sporangia just like land-locked ferns, so maybe it is just going through a post-reproductive cycle of wasting ( but that wouldn't explain what happened to Tiny). Another site said that higher light can cause transparent areas in the leaves but not the kind of rot that I saw (it did start after I put in a new aqua-glo bulb but still at .75 wpg). It still has a few whole, healthy leaves so I may wait and if it continues I will try adding more Flourish. It did great in tap water but that kept killing my fish so it is not an option.

 

[fish_4_all]

Don't feel bad, my java ferns were simply pathetic until I simply put them in a different tank. I use leaf zone simply because I just removed my undergravel and I wanted to provide them some extra nutrients since I sucked everything out of the tank. They seem to flourish now, growing well and getting new leaves. Before they were tiny and the leaves never grew larger than 1/2 inch. I still can't get it to take root but I think I need to get a piece of driftwood so they have something to anchor to.

 

[greenmaji]

It sounds like they need to adjust to the new lighting. 1.4 wpg is still low light so too much light really shouldnt be an issue.. HTH

 

[tiptoptank]

they like iron. Algea that attacks lava fern also attacks anubias just as bad. Try alittle more iron in there diet.

 

[sherry]

this happened to my java

this happened to mine when I first started to dose greg watson's stuff.. two drops a day.

i cut down to one drop a day and the holes stopped and new leaves quickly grew in to replace the old.

not sure WHY teh ferts would do that, but it was a pretty quick response and it stopped when I cut down, so I believe they did.