Many people tend to use black tapes, fishing lines, strings, or threads to tie the roots since the roots themselves are near-black and so the tie wouldn’t be visible.īut that’s a matter of style - you can use whatever you have at hand to tie down your Java Fern, be it a rubber band or zip ties. You then tie the roots of the plant to the object so that they don’t float away in the water. The object should weigh the plant down, that is. Whatever object you choose should be able to remain immobile if you do not want to see your Java Fern floating all over the place. Smooth surfaces can also do but it will take a longer time for the roots of the Java Fern to pick up. When growing Java Fern, simply attach it to an aquarium rock, driftwood, or some stable decorations using super glue or fishing line.Īnyway here is a step-by-step guide on how to plant Java Fern:įind an object like driftwood, rock, shell, or any other aquarium décor but make sure whatever you go for is rough-surfaced so it can provide the roots of the plant with attachments. If you bury its rhizome in the aquarium substrate, the roots are going to rot which can destroy your Java Fern all the way up. It absorbs food primarily through its leaves. This type of plant is called an epiphyte. How to Plant it Properly?Īs I explained, the Java Fern uses its brushy roots mainly to get a foothold or anchorage, not for food absorption. Here’s how to look after your Java Fern plants: 1. The Java Fern plant is easy to care for and is not going to demand special requirements in your planted tank. That said, let’s dig deep into the level of care that a Java Fern would require to thrive instead of just survive. Here’s a photograph of a dense Java Fern growth from West Peninsular Malaysia: This means that the Java Fern plant can naturally adapt to survive these conditions and is a good fit for aquariums with brackish water.Īquanswers Suggests: List of Aquarium Fish for Brackish Aquariums The salty water is present in the region where the river meets the ocean, which is up to 12 km or 7.5 miles away from the coast. Typically, Brackish water is categorized as any water with a salinity of between 0.3 to 25 ppt. The salinity in these rivers varies between 0 and 34.7 ppt (parts per thousand) which equals up to 1.0256 SG (specific gravity). In the wild, the plant mostly grows in wetland areas around the coastal rivers of West Peninsular Malaysia. Note that Java Fern will not only survive but actually do well in brackish aquariums. Here are the common Java Fern variety types: The leaves of Microsorum Pteropus are dark green but their shape and size depend on the origin or on each specific variety.įor instance, a particular plant variety may have twisted, forked, narrow, or broad leaves. The moment the roots have established themselves around an object and the anchorage is dependable, the rhizome of the plant then grows until it covers the object. The Rhizome of a Java Fern is thick and stem-like but it grows horizontally, unlike the typical stems. The role of absorbing and storing nutrients is for its rhizome, the fleshy part at the base of the plant. They are designed to cling and attach themselves to surfaces as opposed to absorbing and transporting nutrients, as usually is the case with other plant roots. These roots will always be growing until they find a surface to tangle around. The Java Fern’s roots are dark brown, thin, and hairy, resembling a brush. This plant requires highly oxygenated waters. It’s better to position the plant near the back wall of the aquarium because if you place it in the front, its leaves will eventually block your view.Īlthough its growth rate is low to moderate in a home aquarium setting, it is recommended you keep Java Fern in at least a 10-gallon tank to create enough surface area for oxygen absorption. Its height makes it a background plant suitable for many aquarium setups. Regardless of the species, Java Fern’s maximum height is generally about 13 to 14 inches in a fish tank setting and slightly past this in the wild. There are more than 50 known varieties of Java Fern plants with a couple of them being really popular in the aquarium hobby for their ease of care and hardiness. The Java Fern plant is scientifically known as Microsorum pteropus and is a native of South East Asia, specifically Malaysia, Thailand, and some areas of China. This guide will teach you how to care for the different types of Java Fern plants even as an absolute beginner.īut right before we start, I’d like to show you how a healthy Java Fern in a planted fish tank looks like: Once you get this done correctly you will not have to buy another Java Fern plant again, because they will easily reproduce. There are some essentials on how to correctly approach the planting process in order to achieve successful and continuous growth though.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |