# Lace Java Fern Dying???



## tbrat (Jan 16, 2008)

K well I am new here and fairly new to plants in general...wow lots of things to help them now just amazing!! But in amongst my amazement I am needing some help. My lace java fern is just dying on me left and right, so before rushing right out there and buying more to kill can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong??
Specifics: Plants are in a 20gallon long tank, with red cherry shrimps(only about 25+/-) and threadfin rainbows(3 adults 24+/-fry). Substrate is some kind of gravelish looking sand with some larger gravel on top. All plants are or thought to be well rooted in the substrate. Tank gets a weekly 25% wc, temp 78*, no ammonia, ph 7.2. I use the flourish once a week no more tho and also provide a little extra iron for the swords plants but well below the recommended dosages since I try to use it only near the swords.hahaha
I'm trying for pics, but honestly...my camera sucks! lol But with the info provided if someone can give me some help with these plants that would just be awesome since by far they are turning into my favorite ones to have in there.
Thanks for any and all help!
brat


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

If the java fern is planted in the substrate the rhizome is rotting on you. Java ferns can be planted, just make sure only the brown roots are in the substrate, not the green rhizome. It's easier to just tie the rhizome to a rock or driftwood so you don't have to worry about it accidentally getting covered. 

If you don't have the rhizome planted in the substrate and the plant is fairly new it might just be acclimating to the new conditions. When I make a major change to the tank, I usually have a few (or nearly all in a bad case) of the leaves die off. As long as the rhizome is healthy and not soft, turning brown or mushy, it will come back.

BTW, how much light do you have on your tank? I don't think that's the problem if your sword is doing well, but it's good to know.


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## tbrat (Jan 16, 2008)

OH Thank you so much for replying!! Okay so actually planting them isn't good!?!? I'll anchor them to some of my driftwood in the same area and see if that will help. 
As for lighting...well I honestly don't have clue what kind of bulb thats on that tank just whatever a stock bulb is that came with the light strip, nothing fancy. I rely more on the sunlight that comes from the windows that surround that tank and mainly just turn the light on at night when the sun goes down and I want to see it in. And yes that darn sword plant is doing almost too good in that tank, as a matter of fact I just cut two new baby plants off it and replanted one in that same tank but moved one to my angel tank. Thinking about cutting back the iron supplement on it to just once a month to hopefully slow it down just a bit. 
Thank you so much for your help! Hopefully I can still save a couple of those ferns now!
Take care and have fun!
brat


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

You're welcome! They'll probably take some time to come back once you tie them to the driftwood. On some java ferns that were in really bad shape with all the leaves looking ratty, I cut off all the leaves and the rhizomes started putting out new leaves in about 3 weeks. Not that you should cut off any leaves that you have, I'm just telling you they're tough plants. So have patience and you'll be rewarded with some pretty bright green new growth in the future.

Sunlight is a great source of light and I've noticed my plants do best in tanks that have regular, even indirect sunlight, so I doubt if light is your problem. Sword plants can take over quickly. I frequently cut off the older leaves to keep the total size of the plant in check, and even then the darn plant is still huge. Oh well, I just try to think of how much it's improving the water quality for me.


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