# Java ferns turning brown



## bijoon (Nov 20, 2006)

The leaves of my Java Fern keep turning brown on me. I have a 58 gallon, w/ flora 24 as a liquid fert, laterite clay in the gravel, a 192 watt light fixture and almost no co2 because i need a new reactor. Does anyone have a clue? It seems like the leaves are dying, but when I have a baby java fern they seem very green. Whats happening looks kind of like whats happening in the plants deffeciency album but not quite. It starts off as brown spots and slowy eats holes and spreads throughout the leaf. This is starting to become a problem.


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## Greeblies (Nov 17, 2006)

Look, I'm no plant expert by any means, but I had a similar problem with a similar plant and the problem persisted until I started putting c02 in the tank and had proper lighting and fertilization.

I don't know anything about the brand of fertilizer your using, but assuming it's good, I would say the only thing missing from this puzzle is Co2. 

If your running as much light as you are, your plant is going to want to grow fast, and it's going to need c02 to do that, without it.. it's basically suffocating.

When I started adding co2 in.. I clipped all of the brown/holey/bad looking leaves and what happened was the nice healthy baby leaves sprouted up very quickly in their place and they have stayed healthy and green ever since. 

Until you can get your reactor properly set up (assuming you have everything BUT a reactor) why not just attach your air line to an air stone in the mean time? I mean.. in my mind something is better than nothing.. right?


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## Justintoxicated (Oct 19, 2006)

sounds like the same thing happening to my java ferns. Or was happening to them. I have had them for a long time now and harly sceen any growth. Although they are looking a bit better lately. I heard they take a while to adapt to a new tank, but I did not think that ment several months.


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## tkos (Oct 30, 2006)

It has taken my java ferns awhile to adpat to new setups in the past but then they take off. I generally see the brown spreading as a leaf is dying and forming a plantlet. My best java fern tank is currently a 2.5 wpg 10 gallon tank with gravel and no ferts added. The fern is over 2 years old and take the whole tank up. There is a single paradise fish in that tank and no CO2. But it was very slwo taking off. I have recently started to dose ferts in my 29 gallon tank and added a java fern which is slow to start but I am watching for results.


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## bijoon (Nov 20, 2006)

ive had it for about a year now, im gonna try an airstone if i can


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## MoonFish (Feb 12, 2006)

If I forget to add ferts, my fern gets black leaves, every time. Unplug some lights until you get CO2 back.


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## bijoon (Nov 20, 2006)

ok, i should get co2 soon and i might try unpluging some lights. Thank You all for the help and insight.


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