Buy Java Fern locally on Craigslist:
Or buy Java Fern on Amazon (paid link):
Back in January 2023, my friend Zachary shared with me some of his Java Fern.
It's a nice looking bush with the longest leave about 8cm long.
I anchored the plant between gravel in my 29 gallon tall aquarium with newts.
And of cause, the newts came to check on it right away - newts are very curious about everything.
Shortly after, I replanted the Java Fern bush a bit further away from the walls.
Nine months later, on September 21st, 2023.
The Java Fern bush looks very pretty!
My Blue Star Endlers fish, specially babies, and scuds often use Java Fern for shelter.
A couple months back, I attached the Java Fern bush to a piece of cholla driftwood.
The Java Fern has produced many small plantlets sprouting from the leaves.
Java Fern reproduces from those plantlets.
I am going to separate and attach those plantlets to lava rocks for growing new bushes.
I drilled holes in lava rocks - it makes attaching plants to rocks very easy job.
Let's split the old bush in half.
Some plantlets are already about the size of the original bush I got 9 month ago.
Interestingly, the Java Fern roots serve only as an anchor for holding the plant in one place.
The roots of Java Fern have to be exposed to some water flow - otherwise roots may die.
My single Java Fern bush produced more than a dozen plantlets over 9 months period of time.
Now I have enough Java Fern for growing it in all my old and new aquariums :)
This is the old bush on October 29th, 2023.
Apparently, the Java Fern bushes grow better - faster with their roots exposed more to the water.
Bushes attached to cholla wood grow faster than those that I sticked into lava rocks.
More water flows through hollow cholla wood certainly boosts the Java Fern growth.
Here you can see the old plant about one year later on December 15th, 2024.
Scuds and Least Killifish enjoy the bushy Java Fern.
Let's pull this bush out.
This one has grown very big and bushy in one year time!
I am going to sell this bush.
I still have many more smaller Java Fern bushes growing.
One of the best thing about slow growing Java Fern is that it does not require any care.
Just let it be in the aquarium for fish and critters to enjoy.
And trim it once it gets too bushy - that's it.
Have fun and happy aquariums :)
No comments:
Post a Comment