To keep Java fern successfully you will need moderate illumination. Java moss is compatible with almost all species of fish. The Java Fern Microsorum pteroptus is an amphibious fern which lives with its rhizome attached to rocks or logs at the edge of mountain streams. You can add a slow-release fertilizer, or use a liquid houseplant fertilizer at about half-strength about once a month from early spring to mid-autumn. Light day … The plants are growing and making new leaves from the rhizome, but they dont look great. It needs minimal light and does not require extra nutrients or CO2, like some plants do. There are black spots on most of the leaves of the Java Fern and holes in a couple of the leaves. It is not commonly eaten by herbivorous fish because the leaves are so hard. I have a java fern that has a lot of brown spots, and even a couple of larger patches of brown on some leaves. I have several tiny java ferns sprinkled throughout my planted tank. If you have lots of fish, Java Fern is usually a safe choice, too. Although staghorn care is relatively straightforward once you understand what the plant needs, it might take some adjustment to understand a plant so different from what most of us are used to. A Java fern rhizome generally grows in one direction, and can reach about 6 inches (15 cm) wide. When I see a daughter plant, I just leave it alone. Java Fern is an excellent option for beginners because it doesn’t require a lot of technology or care to survive. They grow at a relatively slow to medium pace, therefore making this an easy plant to keep, and can reach a maxium height of 10 inches. In the aquarium the Java Fern should be tied with strings to a rock or log until they attach. I’ve pruned them back to just the newly emerging leaves and healthy rhizome. Maintenance. Java fern plant absorbs ammonia, nitrates, and phosphates from the water as food. My parameters are 0, 0, 30-40. You may have experience with growing herbs indoors and taking care of them, but the staghorn fern is a bit more challenging. I dose Easy Green twice a week and they get about 10 hours of light a day. The way it propagates is a work of art. Hi, I purchased a lot of java fern and most of the leaves have become tatty, browned, or developed black areas and slowly rotting away. That’s not all, live plants help to keep the aquarium stable. Maintenance is totally your choice. To trim you java moss, simply use a pair of scissors to keep … Sooner or later, the daughter plant will detach, float around the tank, and then you can attach it to something else in the tank. A little fertilizer once in a while will help your ferns keep up their green good looks. The Java fern forms a bush with its tall leaves when fully grown, this provides a shade/cover where smaller fish, shrimp, and fry can hide to keep away from predators and intense lighting conditions. Don't fertilize them during the winter months, because most ferns won't be actively growing then. Needle-Leaf Java Fern – The leaves of this plant are thinner in the shape of the needle and smaller than the regular Java Fern. Of course, the most favorable light for the plant is natural scattered one. Because of their size, Java ferns are best for tanks that hold at least 10 gallons (38 L). You can let your java moss grow wild, trimming only occasionally when it needs to be, or you can trim it regularly to very specific shapes. The plant can stand some shadowing for a long period of time, but at that its growth rate suffers at such conditions. How to care for staghorn fern. The leaves can grow to about 12 inches (30 cm) tall. It's got tons of small leaves about 2", but when I got it, it was about 4-5" tall, I gradually removed leaves as they stopped looking healthy. 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