Java Fern won't grow!?

[ceratophyllum]

I have tried to grow java fern for years in many different aquaria and it just seems to produce a lot of teeny plants on the end of its leaves as they (the leaves) turn black and fall off. The teeny plants usually don't grow much and just fall apart. The rhizome does not grow at all. I do not try to bury or tie the java fern to anything. I just let it sit on top of my fluorite gravel with a few pieces of gravel holding it down.

I have varied the light, rate at which the water flows, I have tried growing it in tap water when i lived in the city, I tried well water now that I live in the country. (Anubias Coffeefolia seems to really like iron-rich well water-it stopped growing for almost 2 months when I lived in the city.)

I have no trouble with other "easy" plants such as cryptocoryne and various anubias. Anubias nana grows at a rate of about 1 leaf per 2 weeks and coffeefolia at about half that rate.

All of my tanks have been low light (1-2 wpg of fluorescent light with a little indirect daylight.) The water flows slowly-I use external Whisper pumps intended for smaller tanks. (5 gal pump in 10 gal., 10 gal pump in my 20 gal.)

 

[Jchillin]

Those little tiny plants on the ends of the leaves are plantlets, which are actually new plants. You can carefully remove them and plant these as well. They need to be anchored so they can grow.

If they are not removed, they will fall off as you describe.

 

[ceratophyllum]

I know that the java fern is reproducing, but the little plants just die, whether I anchor them or leave them to drift. 6-8 weeks after the little plants appear they're still tiny and they just kind of slowly fall apart. Is it possible too much light harms them?

 

[krap101]

i dont know. i bought a pretty good sized clump of java fern and i put the babies in a breeding thingy so tehy wouldnt get into the filter. theyve about.. doubled size in a month or 2. kinda slow imo from |--------| to |--------------|

 

[Jchillin]

That is interesting. I have success with new plantlets, at least with the ones I caught. Any chance that your tanks inhabitants are causing the problem?

 

[travis simonson]

I've heard some claim that Java fern requires adequate levels of calcium (Ca) in the water column to grow well. What are your KH and GH? Just guessing here since everything else seems to be in line, but could it be that your water is too soft/low in Ca?

 

[workfortheman]

ceratophyllum,
I've had somewhat of the same experience with Java Ferns. It's not as bad as leaves going black and dying off, but the plantlets do not thrive no matter the conditions. Also, my ferns used to have nice, long leaves when I bought them and now they are all much shorter and thinner.

Out of curiosity, what other plants do you have with the ferns? Any stem or weed plants? I have grown suspect of a limnophila species in my tank that could be stealing all the nutrients from the ferns (also from the anubias which are experiencing stunted growth as well).

Another interesting point: lately, the leaf tips don't produce plantlets, but rather have just been turning dark (seems like rotting). But it's only the tips that turn a darker, dead looking hue.

Interesting plant species to say the least!!