Whether you’re an absolute beginner or an experienced old hack in the aquarist hobby, Java Fern (Microsorum Pteropus) is bound to be your best friend in the tank at some stage.
When you picture a home or commercial aquarium, certainly the fish and other inhabitants are front and center stage. They’re the entire reason for the aquarium and the effort that goes into having one in the first place.
But there is a whole other side to the hobby. Creating the perfect landscape for your aquatic family is equally important, if not more so. Substrate and decor are important, but a major element is the other living quantities involved. Your plants and the bacterial biome of the water play a massive role in having happy and healthy fish.
Sure, plastic can be okay for some species that aren’t too fussy. But any purist would argue that as guardians of a living community, we should take responsibility for making their habitat as close to nature as possible.
Sadly, with the actual amount of plastic in our oceans and water ecosystems today, that may soon mean plastic will become as normal to fish as real vegetation. Okay, that may be an exaggeration at this stage, but it bears pointing out. It’s always best to keep things as real as we can for our scale-covered, shell-wearing, exoskeleton-bearing, and slime-coated friends.
One of the most popular aquarium plants around is the almighty Java Fern. It’s practically synonymous with keeping fish in freshwater and can do well in brackish waters also.
Not only are these mainstay plants hardy and versatile, but they also look beautiful too. If you keep fish, you should want to show them off to their best. You wouldn’t have to look much further than some healthy Java Ferns to succeed in doing so!
How do you get started as a Grade-A aquatic gardener? We’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and how to keep your Java Fern plantings in perfect order. Who knew that having fish would double up to give you a green thumb, too (even if it’s a wet one)?
Java Fern Characteristics
As their name might suggest, they are native to Southeast Asia (think the Island of Java), but definitely not anything to do with your morning coffee and beans as such.
This plant is happy to be fully immersed in the water but is equally able to thrive if only partially submerged. It’s an equal opportunist!
There are various types of this plant which we’ll get into later, but one thing they all have in common is that it’s a rooting plant that loves riverbanks. They belong to a type of plant that is known as rhizomatous.
Rhizomatous plants are able to propagate in any direction from a modified stem that sits below ground and send out shoots above ground and roots below on runners. Strawberries are another example of this type of plant that most of us are familiar with.
What Java Ferns do differently is that they primarily use their roots as anchors and aren’t too fussed about being in soil. They anchor onto rocks, decor, driftwood, and other debris in the wild or your tank. These rhizomes and roots must always be submerged, or the plant will dry out and die.
The beauty of this plant is that it looks lush and vibrant no matter what you throw at it, yet the freshwater fish who enjoy nibbling on vegetation will not decimate your underwater forest.
They require little in the way of light, special CO2 supply, or extra fertilization to keep them happy and healthy.
Java Ferns are slow-growing, have an appealing shape, and propagate easily.
Java Fern Appearance
The leaves of Java Fern will vary in appearance depending on where you sourced them from and, therefore, where they are native to. But they are long slim leaves, only a few inches wide but substantially longer in contrast as they mature.
They tend to have a waxy or toughened leathery appearance and can vary in the brightness or depth of green color they display. Older leaves can have brownish-black bumps present. Leaves can reach a length of a foot long.
The rhizome parts of the plant look like roots so brown but thin, with the runner-like offshoots that attach to the surfaces aforementioned. The root itself is fuzzier and does the actual anchoring. The rhizome absorbs the majority of water and nutrients needed to survive.
Java Fern can reach heights of around 2 feet and have a 6 – 8 inch spread in diameter. This enables just one or two plants to have a high impact in smaller tanks at full maturity, but remember that it’s a slow grower, and you usually purchase them at the 3 – 4 inch height at suppliers.
Popular Varieties Of Java Fern
COMMON/REGULAR FERN: Long, slender leaves with ribbing. The most commonly sourced variety.
NARROW LEAF: As the name implies, this is a narrower leaf that is thinner. They also develop a twist in their structure as they mature.
TRIDENT: Typically, the leaf tip ends in a single point. Not so for the Trident. This variety ends in a fork prong, not unlike, you guessed it, the trident carried by Poseidon.
NEEDLE LEAF: This variety has super skinny leaves that are wrinkled up and look far removed from the common variety.
WINDELØV: Looks like a regular Java Fern leaf except that the ends are frilly and curled into themselves.
LATIFOLIA: Wider, broader leaves so a more voluminous variety.
PETITE JAVA FERNS: A miniaturized variety great for smaller tanks that won’t outgrow your available space.
Java Fern Tank Requirements
These plants are often found near moving water systems, so they enjoy a current.
Beyond that, these ferns will enjoy whatever else you throw at it (within reason)!
The smallest tank size you should attempt to grow one in would be around 10 gallons. Lighting should just be standard; nothing too bright, or it can actually cause browning of the leaves.
The best pH range is around 6 – 7, with a water hardness of about 3 – 8 dGH.
No special filtration is required, and they don’t need special substrate or supplementation for healthy growth. In fact, if you are aiming for a substrate-free tank, this fern is your new best friend. They don’t need any of it to thrive because they get everything from the water.
This is a plant that can handle most temperatures successfully, from cold water right up to the most tropical of conditions. But their sweet spot hovers around the 68 – 82ºF (20 – 28ºC) for maximum fern happiness and growth.
Because these ferns are slow-growing, they won’t strip your tank of nutrients and will keep water conditions quite stable, helping absorb the nasties like nitrates while they’re at it.
Java Fern Planting And Maintenance
Almost zero maintenance is needed for these plants. The exception would be pruning if you have a smaller-sized tank and it starts to outgrow it.
Removal of dead leaves is advisable to avoid water fouling as they rot, but beyond that, not much else is needed.
Dead leaves are a natural part of the plant life cycle, so unless your entire plant starts turning brow, there isn’t anything to worry about.
Their slow growth rate means you need to avoid impatience at how quickly they fill out.
Planting Java Fern
Pick any surface! They don’t need soil or substrate. The easiest way for hobbyists to nurture this plant on the desired part of the tank is to use fishing wire or super glue to attach it to whatever porous surface you wish. Decor, driftwood, rocks all make perfect starting points.
Trimming Java Fern
If you need to trim or prune your plant, the wisest thing to do is take and step back and consider what you are gaining from it. Never trim all of the most mature leaves in one go; this is a bad idea. Go slowly and do less than half and wait to see if new fronds develop in their wake.
This applies to the removal of dead leaf material also! Do some and then wait to see and ensure the plant seems happy with that amount of removal for a few weeks before tacking the next batch.
Propagation
There are a few ways to get new Java Ferns onboard in your tank or otherwise.
You can try developing little plantlets that are going to develop whether you want them to or not! They can be spotted on the tips of the leaves with their tiny leaves and roots.
These should regularly be removed if spotted, which is easily done by loosening the grip of the roots from the main plant leaf. Then you can replant elsewhere or dispose of them if you don’t want to become overrun.
If you want to achieve a really dense fern, you can leave the plantlets on to develop lush growth.
You can also split a rhizome runner. Attach that to another porous surface, and your job is done.
Keep in mind that these are dense plants, so you’ll want to plant them in the mid to rear sections of the tank to avoid obscuring your view of the aquatic community you obtained them for.
Java Fern makes keeping Java Fern a very simple process!
Problems With Java Ferns
While a very hardy plant, even the Java Fern has its foibles.
If your water conditions or biome isn’t healthy, it can let you know that things aren’t quite right. To be fair, if you haven’t already noticed issues with your fish by the time your fern starts to look poorly, you might not have been looking hard enough!
Some of the common issues you might see in your Java Ferns in your tank may include:
Brown Leaves
What might initially present as some patchy spotting on leaves can eventually spread and join up, creating massive sections that have turned brown. This is not a good sign!
When your tank is nutrient deficient, this can happen. If left unattended, the entire plant is at risk of deterioration, so you should act as soon as possible. Check the nitrates and phosphate levels.
Sometimes the plant will resolve by itself, but if not, take advantage of whatever platelets and rhizome propagation you can once you’re sure the parameters are solid.
Black Spots
The sight of these on the underside of your leaves can indicate a nitrogen deficiency. Using a fertilizer can help restore this.
However, it can also mean new growth is imminent, so monitor before taking action to see if new growth is happening or not.
Scorched Leaves
This will result if you have lighting levels that are far too high or intense. Java Ferns don’t need a lot of light, nor do they want a lot of light. So seep things subdued for them to thrive.
Signs of scorching will be large swathes of leaves getting thin or transparent and brown, primarily along the top portion of the plant. That’s your best clue for scorching.
If this happens, get new lower lighting, or reduce the strength if possible. If need be, propagate new plants to restore your vegetation to its former glory.
Compatibility Of Java Fern In The Tank
Almost any freshwater fish is suited to inhabiting a tank with Java Ferns.
The only ones you’ll need to be wary of are things like Cichlids, Catfish, or other large nippy fish that like to damage plants.
You won’t need to worry about plant-eating fish decimating your Java Fern population either, as most won’t be tempted by their waxy, tough texture. It’s far too much effort for small to mid-sized fish to bother with.
Summary
Is there any reason not to have Java Ferns in your tank?
The answer is a resounding no.
The real question is, when are you going to get some and get started propagating your own little underwater garden of Java Ferns?
Espresso or a cup of coffee is not required!
