Java fern planting

[ellner357]

Well my fern is giving me babies, whats a good way to plant them into a normal subtrate?

[PPulcher]

Java ferns shouldn't really be planted in the substrate per se. They do better in my experience if you tie them with some cotton thread to rocks, wood or roots.

That said, you can plant them in the substrate, as long as you don't bury the rhizome (the horizontal green stalk thingy that all the fern fronds grow from).

[ellner357]

Well I didn't know the could root to rock as well! Does it have to be a very porus rock? The new plants are coming the top of the leaf so I don't see the worry in actualy planting them

[Melody]

I've tied mine to all sorts of things... even with elastics if its not going to be too visible. I have even stuck them on small caves, etc. They do well on any rock.

I do suffer from the brown spotting they get though, which sux. ::(:

[KnaveTO]

I don't recomend the use of elastic bands when adhereing plants to a growth medium if you have plecos as they may eat the band and it willl unfortunately have an adverse reaction to it. I would stick to the cotton thread or fishing line to tie them down. The use of rubber bands in an aquarium are fine if you don't have any plecos or other sucker mouth type catfish.

[Melody]

Somebody forgot to tell my plecos that...lol...its never been a prob. I guess they taste too bad to eat. What do they react to?

[KnaveTO]

I know of a number of pleco keepers on the pleco forums that have lost a pleco from eating the rubber bands that were used to hold down veggies in their tanks. Rubber bands degrade over time and the pleco ingests the band and it will potentially bind up their system

[Melody]

Learn something new everyday - I've never heard of it. I did find a Cory swimming with one around him once though - it was funny. It wasn't tight or anything, he'd just picked it up while rooting around. I took that one out though, just in case.

[ellner357]

Yikes. I use elastic bands to tie my zucchini down to a rock for my pleco. Gonna have to stop doing that

[KnaveTO]

Yeah... sorry to spoil your easy solution to feeding. This is especially the case where we take the rock out of the water during those days we are not feeding the pleco. The water drying out on the band speeds up the process of degrading the rubber of the band cause of the constant immersing and drying out.

For putting veggies in your tank you should use a veggie clip, stanless steel cutlery or something similiar.

Grats on the fern and its' growth by the way. I keep looking around for some but all I have seen is the stuff attached to a cocnut shell and I am looking for something that is either attached to wood or alone.

[Melody]

Have you advertised locally for it? Everyone and their dog seems to have it here and they're constantly dividing it up. :yes:

[KnaveTO]

I was figuring on waiting till the spring and hope that someone put some up on the CAC auction :wink:

[Melody]

I am very sure that will happen ::D: . Maybe the Narrow/Needle Leaf that I'm sending to Mr. DaFishMan will need dividing by then even. I think Pamelajo grows the regular Java Fern too and she's not too far from you.