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Java Fern - end of leaves translucent

russchilds

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2009
Messages
193
Location
London
Hi,
My Java Fern is doing well but a few of leaves have translucent tips. Whats the cause of this?
Tank is a Juwel 180L and using the Juwel T5 lights. I have C02 and also use liquid c02. I use TNP+ for plant fertiliser.
Lights are on for 8 hours a day and I have an external filter as well as the Jwel Internal filter.
Many thanks! :D
Russ
 
russchilds said:
My Java Fern is doing well but a few of leaves have translucent tips. Whats the cause of this?
Hello,
It should be clarified that this is neither "normal" nor a "good sign". It is a sign of poor CO2 from the perspective of the Fern.

The reason is quite simply this:
russchilds said:
...using the Juwel T5 lights...

Ferns are essentially low light plants and when struck by excessive photon bombardment this results in photo-inhibition. The problem in a high tech tank containing fish is that the amount of CO2 required to fix the translucency, while continuing to use the current lighting, is so high, that it would immediately annihilate any fauna in the tank. As a result, people are forced to live with this minor level of destruction, and it happens so frequently that it is then categorized as "normal" because their hands are tied and they can't really do anything about it if they want to keep fauna in the same tank. Poor CO2 (from a ferns perspective) also results in black spots along the leaf as well as deformation of surface and tips.

Translucency on any plant at any time automatically means poor CO2...ALWAYS. And, before anyone counters with the argument that "I'm injecting CO2 already and my other plants are OK" (which we have to listen to at least 5 million times per day) the counter argument is that just because you are doing something it does not mean that you are doing it well enough for every plant, and, that the light-CO2 equation for different plants have different values because each plant has a different LCP. Ferns have a low LCP, meaning that they can make enough food to survive with very little light and they have adaptations to protect themselves from high light in the emmersed state, but some of these same adaptations causes them to easily get overwhelmed when submersed and they cannot process the CO2 fast enough when pummeled by too much light underwater.

Cheers,
 
George Farmer said:
That's the Clive I simply adore. Nice one mate.

+1, always "bang on"! There's always 'another level' to consider. And i love learning by reading other people's threads.
 
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