# Anyone ever try floating java ferns?



## Lord Nibbler (Dec 22, 2005)

I was at the Newport (Cincinnati) Aquarium the other day, and they had a lot of java ferns floating in the one display. No substrate attachment at all, just like giant duckweed.

Has anyone ever tried this? I have crazy extra java ferns right now, some on sizable rhizomes.


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## queijoman (Jun 23, 2008)

That's a good question. I would like to do that but mine usually end up disappearing. Maybe it won't happen now that I don't have cave rock in my tank.


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## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

I have taken some Narrow Leaf Java Fern and wedged it between some plants and it is not attached to anything. Seems to get all of the nutrients it needs from the water.


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## queijoman (Jun 23, 2008)

Lord Nibbler said:


> I was at the Newport (Cincinnati) Aquarium the other day, and they had a lot of java ferns floating in the one display. No substrate attachment at all, just like giant duckweed.
> 
> Has anyone ever tried this? I have crazy extra java ferns right now, some on sizable rhizomes.


Did they have the ferns attached to anything, or were they free floating?


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

I let the small plants float until they get big enough to tie to something, should work with larger ones also.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Once I had a dense tuft of a small java fern on a cork floating in my tank, the dwarf clawed frogs often hided between the leaves near the surface.


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## zer0zax (Mar 25, 2007)

All of my java ferns are free floating at the moment, some were put in a toad vivarium and are growing emeresed, only the rhizome is in the water. They do just fine free floating, I think the only purpose the roots serve is to anchor the plant down, not used for nutrient uptake(?).


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