Brown spots on el niño fern?

[teeneythebetta]

My el niño fern has dark brown spots. Particularly around the edges but some in the middle of the leaves.

What could be wrong/ is something wrong?

[Aus]

Have you got the rhizome buried? It likes best to grow on wood. Like java fern, it'll rot if rooted in substrate. It also really likes water movement, so if you have a filter running put it near that.

I believe the spots are something to do with ph .. if the ph is alkaline. I don't think it'll drop dead, perhaps you might have to nip the older, unsightly leaves off.

[craiger75]

Oof ... why do I get the feeling I should've paid attention in Chemistry class? Or. even taken a chemistry class for that matter.

[Aus]

I wish I had, too. >< PH, GH, buffers, it all does my head in.

[craiger75]

ROTFL ... Yup!

[teeneythebetta]

No I dont bury the rhizome. Last time I tested ph it was 7.6. I will trim the most affected leaves and tie it to a decoration...

[Aus]

I'm such a dunce. It's a fern - they could be spore spots..

If they're evenly spaced and don't look.. well, like a disease, that's probably what they are.

[teeneythebetta]

Got a picture.. what do you think? If it is just sporing- should I still tie it to something? Or should it be ok as long as the rhizome isnt buried? I clean my tank once a week and remove everything except the gravel (so the plants are removed as well)

[Aus]

My java fern did that for the first few months in its new tank and as this plant thrives in similar conditions, I'd assume it's much alike. I just nipped the leaves off when they got too spotty.

The ph is probably a bit high for it, but I dare say it'll adjust in time. It also has a pretty low tolerance for chlorine exposure, so if it's been in non-conditioned water that might not be helping.

It'll probably start sprouting new, greener leaves once it's settled to the new water conditions. I've read it does much better tethered to wood. Wood will also lower your ph a little (though not so much if you're doing 100% changes.. I don't do those in my heavily planted tank) and since adding the wood, I haven't had any of those marks on any of my fern leaves. It probably will have less effect in 100% change conditions, but it will make moving the plants in and out easier.

[teeneythebetta]

Okay :) I will look into getting some wood. Are there any other things that will lower PH? I seen a product called PH down or something... does that even work?