# Mini Size Bolbitis



## inspirational (Jul 8, 2005)

I just bought some mini sized bolbitis which i have gotten it from a friend. Any comments?


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

I know there is a small form, but that still gets a good 10" tall. Keep us updated as to wether or not it stays that small.


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## Roy Deki (Apr 7, 2004)

If it does...I must have some!!!


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

I have never heard of a small form. I would like to know where it comes from. I suspect you simply have small plants. It grows well under a strong current, so if you can, attach it to wood or rock in the path of your filter outflow.


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## inspirational (Jul 8, 2005)

I can assure you that it won't grow tall because i have been keeping it for many months. It simply remains at that size.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Are you sure that it is mini Bolbitis heudelotii or is it just a different species altogether?


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## inspirational (Jul 8, 2005)

There are endless species to aquatic plants and so far, i don't think anyone have identify this species of the plant. Do you have any advice?


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## ragn4rok (Jan 23, 2005)

inspirational said:


> I just bought some mini sized bolbitis which i have gotten it from a friend. Any comments?


I think it's not Bolbitis but Trichomanes javanicum.


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## crshadow (Sep 25, 2004)

I also think it looks like T. javanicum, rather than Bolbitus. I'm currently growing what has been called Bolbitus 'Small Form', and it looks almost identical to regular Bolbitus. It still gets quite large... The leaf structure in the plant pictured is definitely different from Bolbitus. I have some T. javanicum in one of my tanks as well, I'll see if I can get a pic of both tonight for comparison...

-Jeremiah


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

there's def two types.
B heudeloti has spikier leaves[look also at base of frond, it has the jagged teeth like leaves] and get's really big...

As for the smaller one posted here,...thanks Jeffrey for pointing out it's Trichomanes javanicum, i've drawn a blank last time i asked regarding this plant ID. hopefully this is correct. search draws two different types. one from malaysia[not remotely resembling either maxi or mini] the other is 99% like one posted here originating from west africa... just wonder why genus name is so different...


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

at plant geek it lists Trichomanes javanicum as not a true aquatic plant
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-281.htm

only one type of bolbitis there. Bolbitis heudelotii is Gymnoperis heudelotii
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-40.htm

other searches makes one more


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

inspirational said:


> I can assure you that it won't grow tall because i have been keeping it for many months. It simply remains at that size.


agree...the normal B h outgrows the mini one in size while the mini one becomes a thick bush...


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## inspirational (Jul 8, 2005)

I am not convinced about the identity of the plant unless someone can take a close up photo.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

here's a pix of the 'med' bolbitis since it isn't exactly mini!










you can compare it with the regular bolbitis you have.

a search of Trichomanes comes up the typical look of the genus http://images.google.com/images?hl=...q=trichomanes&btnG=Search&sa=N&tab=wi...which looks nothing like Gymnoperis heudelotti


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Guys, common... there is no specie of Bolbitis "Medium", "Small", or "large". There are two species of Bolbitis. One comes from Africa and one comes from Asia. Heteroclita... or something close to that, I do not feel like looking up the spelling, is the Asian variety and has three lobes to the leaf. Heudelotii i is the African variety, and it varies greatly in size and somewhat in shape and color from a dark green that is almost black to a very light green.

Trichomanes javanicum is what is typically called Borneo fern, and is a terrarium plant and will not grow under water or last very long under water. If there really is a "small form" of Bolbitis, which I highly doubt, it would have to be man made, and the African Bolbitis is collected from the wild not cultivated.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

hi robert,
haha, just trying to get to the bottom of this

i'm pretty much sure it's different and probably man made as you suggested. 
i have one 2 ft tip to rhizhome and another less than a feet tip to rhizome.

they have been in my tanks for more than 7 months already. 
my friend's tank is the same... the new leaves of both come out different in same tanks. he couldn't tell because he mixed them up. he has like a few kilos of it [kid you not] 
i was trying to buy it off him since his has multiplied like crazy since i saw him 4 months ago. so i stood there for an hour sorting out the different types. i could tell even the ones where he tied two diff types on same piece of wood.
he asked how i could tell the diff...

the observations on the differences are, the bigger one is spikier in every way even when small...the stem extends out long[~8"] before the leaves branch out, along this stem there is some jagged leaves.
the smaller one has rounded lobes like the one i posted which does not look like the heteroclita you posted.[read quite a few articles on the krib, yours ] the bare stem area is very short[1-2" max with no jagged teeth leaves]

what gives?


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Robert Hudson said:


> Guys, common... there is no specie of Bolbitis "Medium", "Small", or "large". There are two species of Bolbitis.


There are many species of _Bolbitis_. Only a few are aquatic. _B. heteroclita_ is the Asian one that survives for a time submerged but doesn't really do anything.

There really are small and large forms of _B. heudelotii_. I wouldn't exactly call the smaller one small, but it does have shorter petioles and leaves that look a bit lacier. I've grown the two side by side for an extended period of time and could always tell the difference.

Why do you say specie? It's specie*s*. Specie is money in coin.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

hi cavan,

so then perhaps an Bolbitis sp in the mean time then? haha... it's quite awhile for scientists to come to concensus then? 

hmmm, just a thought...aren't scientists/aquascapers supposed to get excited over something new like this? :violin: 

a bolbitis that won't crowd your 50gallon? :madgrin: [smilie=u:


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Somebody somewhere knows what all this stuff is. It's just a matter of finding out who.

Different forms/species of _Bolbitis_ and _Microsorum_ have been around for a long time right under our noses. If we really want to, we can probably find of what is what.

Fern Grower's Manual mentions a _Bolbitis fluviatilis_ as an aquatic species. There were no illustrations of photos for that one.

Karen Randall had a good article in either TAG or PAM about the different ferns a while back.

The smaller stuff I had looked just like the picture you posted. But like you said, it's hardly "mini".


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## crshadow (Sep 25, 2004)

Okay, sorry for the late reply, as promised here are some pics. All these plants have been growing in the same tank. For the record, the plant that I refer to as Bolbitus "Small Form" was obtained from Ghazanfar. I'm not sure where Ghazanfar originally obtained it from though. The regular Bolbitus heudelotii I have was obtained from lowcoaster (Charley).

First off a pic of Bolbitus 'Small Form' in the tank.









Now a pic of Trichomanes javanicum (Borneo Fern) As Robert and others pointed out, this plant is pretty much non-aquatic, but seems to tolerate submersion quite well. I've had it for several months and it really hasn't changed much. Hasn't died, and hasn't really grown much either.









A close up of T. javanicum.









Next are some closeup/size reference shots.

First off is Bolbitus 'Small Form'. As you can tell it still gets quite large.









This is regular old Bolbitus heudelotii, but it is off a small/young rhizome and so is a little small.









Another regular Bolbitus heudelotii, from an older rhizome.









Trichomanes javanicum









And just for kicks here's what's left of my last Bolbitus heteroclita. I've had this plant for at least a year and a half and it never really did much, and now has pretty much died. The rhizome is still alive. It might come back in high light/high CO2 conditions, but all in all I'd say this plant is marginally aquatic. It does produce submerged growth which differs slightly from it's emmersed form. I drew in what the entire leaf normally is shaped like.









Any and all thoughts are welcome, as I would like to get to the bottom of this as well...

-Jeremiah


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

the small and regular you posted looks the same...are you sure you got the right small form?


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## fecgoh (Dec 8, 2005)

The mini could be Hymenophyllum flexile.

Frankie


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

looks very much like that. the fronds have broader lobes not the skinny ones like regular B h. 

are these submerged btw frankie

stan


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## crshadow (Sep 25, 2004)

Stan, yes, they look practically identical. Unfortunately, I can't say for sure if I have the right small form. I purchased it from Ghanzanfar, but I'm not sure where he obtained it from originally. I call it small form since that's what it was sold to me as.  

-Jeremiah


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

bad news...the ADA boys in kl showed me a truly mini bolbitis. it's has 3 inch fronds.
Arrgh... looks like i will have to wait for it to mature to see if it's the real mc coy.
if it is we may have another long discussion...sigh.

i will keep this thread posted... in a month or so...


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## freshreef (May 14, 2004)

From my experience n my knowledge there is only one bolbitis. it's just grow differently from tank to tank. i had one grown in my balcony pond with giant leaves and when i moved a piece to my shrimp tank (100% r/o) the new leaves are smaller and looks much better
check this out - remove a piece from the "regular" bolbitis to another water parameters tank (softer water) and watch ...


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

that just means you have one type that in different conditions looks different.

i KNOW there are two types growing side by side in my tank for 7 months already.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Ghazanfar got the "small form" Bolbitis from Luis Navaro. I'm not sure where Luis got it from.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

hey frankie,

took a closer look. in your pix the stem is too long for a mini...


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## Poe835 (Sep 16, 2004)

*Mini Bolbitis??*

I bought this fern about 1.5 months ago. It appeared to me as being very distinct from the aquatic ferns I know. First off, it's very small. You can see in the picture compared to the size of glosso leaves. It forms a dense clump. If you look closely, you can see the rhizomes and new leaves it's sending out. I was told that most of well-developed leaves you see in the picture are emersed growth. Although if you look closely at the tip of the rhizomes, you can see longer, narrower, bolbitis-like submersed leaves coming out. The emersed leaves don't look like those of bolbitis that I saw in Kasselman's book.
The thing that makes it apparent that it's not a regular bolbitis is that it forms adventitous plantlets from the edge of the leaves, just like java ferns. 
I've been growing this fern for a while now to be pretty confidient that it can grow underwater fairly quickly.

Any idea what this may be??


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

That looks like an unhappy member of Certopteris sp.


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## ragn4rok (Jan 23, 2005)

That's _Ceratopteris thalictroides_  It will take up a lot of space within only a few weeks and will quickly permeate the substrate with its strong roots.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

yes cerawhatchamathingycallit. but not bolbitis...


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Few days ago I talked to Luis Navarro and mentioned to him that I got some of his dwarf Bolbitis. He said it is not dwarf but he knows how to grow it in such a way that it stays short. He didn't elaborate how .

--Nikolay


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## Poe835 (Sep 16, 2004)

Thanks for the ID guys. It does look pretty sad. I'll try planting into the substrate.


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## ragn4rok (Jan 23, 2005)

Actually, there are no Bolbitis "Mini". I make this plant from Bolbitis heudelotii motherplant from Tropica. Just try to grow them under very bad environment (no co2, co water movement, don't tied them to hard material, very little light) for 1 or 2 months and they will grow like this. :lol:



















Regards,

Jeffrey


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