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HELP............My Java Fern is dying

bobbdd

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
24
I have three tanks that have java Fern and anubas and amazon swords. I started using Kent Freshwater Plantfood about 3 weeks ago according to directions. My Java ferns are dying in patches. The only thing I can think of is the plantfood. My ph is 6.0 - 5.5, water changes 30% per week, GH/KH 3 (soft huh) and everything else is happy.........

Thoughts? :roll: :cry: :roll:

If it could be the plantfood, should I do another water change? I just did one yesterday?

Thanks folks!
 

farm41

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5 Year Member
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1,191
Location
monroe, or
It's not the fertilizer.

How long have you had the plants? How much light do you have? How many hours are the lights on?
 

bobbdd

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5 Year Member
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24
HUMM, let's see, I have had them about 3-4 months, they get about 8-10 hours of fluorescent lighting a day......they seem to be dying in patches from the root up the leaf, if that makes scense.

Thanks for your help.

Oh, one other question, should I cut the dying clumps out?
 

farm41

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5 Year Member
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1,191
Location
monroe, or
Do you have these java ferns planted in the gravel?

Java fern must not get the rizhome buried, it's best to attach it to a rock or some wood. I use a rubber band, after a couple weeks the rubber band will pull right off and the java fern will be firmly attached on it's own.

Trim the dead plant matter too.

HTH
 

bobbdd

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
24
Thanks...it is attached to wood and has attached itself to it. I will trim the dying part and watch it I guess.

Thanks for your help, any other thoughts?
 

farm41

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5 Year Member
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1,191
Location
monroe, or
OK,

What color are the dying parts turning? If it's black then leave it alone, the black area's on the leaves will produce plantlets.
 

bobbdd

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5 Year Member
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24
it's a translucent brown, not the type or color that the plant turns as it produces babies. And as I mentioned, it starts to turn at the place that the stem meets the root, verses starting at the tip.
 

bobbdd

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5 Year Member
Messages
24
R-S, great question....what do the experts think? I had read that the Java Ferns could take just about anything you can throw out them.....
 

Neil

New Member
Messages
1,583
Location
Sacramento, Ca.
bobbdd and R-S,
Java fern can handle extremely low pH. I have had it growing well in tank with a sustained pH in the low 4s. No addition of fert. and fairly low levels of light!
Neil
 

Discus Man

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
125
Java fern will get melted spots due to direct light on the leaves- I equate it to a sunburn. Usually this is the case if the fern was in shade and suddenly gets exposed. The other factor is the presence of heavy metals. Heavy metals will burn the leaves leaving the rhizome unaffected. Pull off the leaves if heavy metals are the cause and wait for the plant to recover.
Also add a dechlorinator that has heavy metal chelating properties to the tank immediately.
HTH
 

Woodsy

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
44
Location
Melbourne, Australia
It's pretty tuff stuff. I used to keep it in a tank with ornatus and transcriptus (pH 7.6, GH 200ppm), and the loved the white rock that grafted them to (CaCO3). The main thing about them is that they seem to do best under subdued lighting. So using older globes (for fluorescent lights) or covering them with floating plants (for halides) can induce lush, lime-green growth.
 

ButtNekkid

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
315
Location
Finland
Hi,

Can Java Fern die if it does not attach to anything?
I´ve had a piece fern that I roped into a wood about 2 months ago.
For some reason it has not attached it self into the wood. Now I superglued it into the wood. :mad:
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
Can Java Fern die if it does not attach to anything?
No, it is fine unattached. Most of the ferns in my tanks aren't attached to anything solid anymore.

This is a Bolbitis heudelotii plant that has grown unattached for ~5 years.
bolbitis_feb2016_web_zpsbqqmfvrr-jpg.82928


cheers Darrel
 

gerald

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
I've had them turn brown inexplicably too, sometimes after years of growing happily in a tank. Some of the possible reasons that have crossed my mind include chemical "warfare" among different plant/algae species, or plant pathogens (viral, bacterial, nematodes, ...??) that may occasionally "bloom". Just pure speculation, when nothing else seems like an obvious change.
 

Happyfins

Member
Messages
93
Location
Sydney
As mentioned Java Fern is generally tough and does not need any fertiliser although a bit of CO2 in gaseous or liquid form always helps. It does not need much light. Mine has died off when I
1. had it in putrid conditions like in a bucket for weeks
2. had it out of the water for too long with redecorating a tank
I also suspect it doesn't like pitch black conditions. It is pretty much like crypt melt in that the fern will generally recover fully (eventually)
 

Happyfins

Member
Messages
93
Location
Sydney
PS: With your plants I don't think you need to use plant food which probably contains nitrates. They should be ok without. I get good results with low light/no fertiliser for anubias, moderate light/no fertiliser for anubias and good light/some CO2/clay ball ground fertiliser to the roots of sword plants
 

ButtNekkid

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
315
Location
Finland
Hi,

Thanks for the responses guys!
Here´s all that I managed to save. Any hope left?

Also my Limnobium laevigatum is just surviving. I thought it was a foolproof plant.
Does it make a difference that the tank is glass covered. Sponge filter so not much current.
 

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Happyfins

Member
Messages
93
Location
Sydney
Fern doesn't look too bad at all. I would definitely not throw it out. I've had much worse and they eventually recovered. Frogbit needs quite a bit of light for good growth and too much cover on top can cause issues with floating plants due to lack of air circulation. If you put frogbit out in summer in a bucket you will be amazed what it looks like in nature compared with aquarium conditions.
 

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