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Java Fern Decay???

SunnyP

Member
Joined
19 Jul 2008
Messages
130
My Java Fern has leaves that are decomposing. These are old leaves. I have new leaves growing really nice lush green but then after a while of growth they start to go through the same process as the old leaves but not at the same size. Would anyone be able to tell me what is wrong with the plant and how it can be corrected.

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EI dosing potassium nitrate and postassium phosphate and CSM + B(*) to approx same concentration as indicated in the EI dosing article on ukaps. Mon Wed* Fri and Sun* with WC.
Dosing 2ml Easycarbo daily and additional CO2 from yeast reactor.
Co2 drop checker is green.
Weekly 50% water change.
54 litre tank with little green spot algae around the base of the tank.
Lighing is T5 2x24w for 9 hours 1x24w for 3 hours(morning, evening).
 
I'm using a tetratec internal 400 plus filter. It has an airhole at the top of the filter to allow for extra aeration.

Would it be better for my co2 tube to go into the filters' airhole rather than using the diffusing ladder?
 
SunnyP said:
I'm using a tetratec internal 400 plus filter. It has an airhole at the top of the filter to allow for extra aeration.

Would it be better for my co2 tube to go into the filters' airhole rather than using the diffusing ladder?

Im not sure how big that filter is.. usually we'd only directly inject into an external canister as it has further for the gas to go allowing for a more complete dissolve. The problem with the internal is that it wont have much media to trap any undissolved gas.

You could try though.. use a drop checker to keep an eye on your co2 levels so you can compare the difference.
 
G'day SunnyP,

I did this Java Fern only tank a few years ago without any ferts or CO2.
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During summer here I would get an outbreak of what looked similar to what you have there. My research led me to believe that it was temperature related and if the water stayed too hot for too long then this would break out and spread if not pruned out quickly. I'm very interested to know if your tank is anywhere near 28 degrees? I found if I kept the temp below that magic number I wouldn't get any of the problems I was getting
 
Hi Sunny,
48 watts T5 is a lot of light for a 50 liter tank so CO2/flow distribution is a likely suspect. Bubbles or aeration purges CO2 so this should be avoided. How are the other plants in the tank fairing? You could try dropping down to one light for a while and/or adding more Easycarbo.

Cheers,
 
Farcanal:
My tank temp is steady at 26 Celsius. The decay has slowed down and the new leaves seem fine at the moment. I did have the same situation with the Windelov aswell but that has come to a halt.
That tank looks really nice, how strong is your lighting?

Ceg4048:
I have been dosing about 2-3ml of EasyCarbo per day depending on pressure in DIY yeast bottle. I don't think the Java Fern takes well to EasyCarbo. I do have some GSA on the lower front of the tank but it is going away slowly due to adding a bit more EasyCarbo and PO4.
The limnophila aromatica has had no problems other than lower leaves having been chewed on by my ancistrus and the honey gourami using some bits of the leaves as a nest. The Wisteria is growing fine aswell, especially the upper leaves but there are some lower leaves are starting to be attacked by algae. Riccia is being grown on some driftwood in the centre of my tank and is doing fine aswell. The Windelov is now doing just as well as other plants with the odd leaf with some decay.

I have removed all leaves with signs of algae growth on it.

I have reduced the lighting to a single tube for the whole day last week. I used 2 tubes because the plants would pearl nicely (Wisteria, Riccia and some java fern leaves) and limnophila aromatica grew quickly. Since I have reduced it to a single tube the growth rate of the plants has reduced quite a bit and notice some decay on riccia.

I spent Sunday trimming and re-arranging the plants. I have now floated the riccia in the corner of my tank over the java fern so there is less light hitting the leaves. The Windelov is in the centre of the tank, near the CO2 ladder and partially covered by Wisteria.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks I will see some improvements

I am certain that it is only CO2 deficiency causing problems in my tank. The thing is that my parents don’t want to have an FE CO2 system as they feel it is expensive and feel there is not enough space for it go anywhere near the tank. I am looking into using a bell diffuser rather than the ladder but I don’t think it'll make much difference without FE CO2 system running.

Just to add, my tapwater has about 25-30ppm of nitrate. Would this aid in the growth of algae??

Hope you enjoy the read and can give some tips. Cheers
 
SunnyP said:
Farcanal:
My tank temp is steady at 26 Celsius. The decay has slowed down and the new leaves seem fine at the moment. I did have the same situation with the Windelov aswell but that has come to a halt.
That tank looks really nice, how strong is your lighting?

That tank is a 240 Litre 4' tank with 2 x 36W T8 Bulbs. (1.1 WPG using US gallons??)
I've read that Java Fern is sensitive to products like Seachem Excel and other liquid CO2. I'm not sure what you are refering to when you say "Easy Carbo". I've never used liquid CO2's but I've read about this problem oh so often.
 
If they think the FE system is too expensive then why not just go the disposable route. bottles £10 at halfords and equipment off the internet costs approx £75-80including bubble counter, NRV and ceramic diffusor (excl bottles.)

This is basically the D&D system but with IMO superior equipment. This would be approx 14" tall and easily fits in most under tank cabinets with room to spare.

As for the temperature you may be onto something. Liam off TFF used to grow only mosses and other Java based plants and he said he had found they grew best at lower tropical temperatures (22-24ºC) Maybe just him but his tank was awesome.

Andy
 
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