[Laki]

My java fern seems to be growing small baby leaves underneath and I want to separate it to grow in the other tank. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do this without killing it? thanks!!

 

[kfish]

My java fern seems to be growing small baby leaves underneath and I want to separate it to grow in the other tank. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do this without killing it? thanks!!

They'll fall off by themselves eventually... but I'd wait for them to get a tiny bit bigger (like an inch), then pluck them off and put them in your other tank.

I've had success doing that.

 

[Silverfang]

I just wait til mine separate. They usually get sucked into the filter at that point unfortunately!

 

[Laki]

EEE I'm excited! I just did a change and cleaned the bubble spit off the leaves (Bowser loves his fern!!) there are waaaayyyy more little baby pieces than I thought!! They'll come off when they're ready to leave the mama plant? Okay! Thanks ^.^ I can't believe I'm actually growing an aquatic plant!! (my hornwort went to the trash and moss balls just grow too slowly!)

 

[Bombalurina]

Just give the baby fern a gentle tug. If it doesn't come, it isn't ready. If it comes off in your hand, voila, you have a new plant.
I went from having some little shoots on a piece of driftwood to being unable to see the wood under all the ferns. It is my absolute favourite plant.

 

[Laki]

I was gentle when cleaning the leaves but nothing came off yet. I'll leave it ^.^ lol I haven't tied it onto anything but I think another driftwood is in order for this. And do you just use black sewing htread? That;s what I used to anchor my moss "ball" onto my driftwood.

 

[kfish]

I was gentle when cleaning the leaves but nothing came off yet. I'll leave it ^.^ lol I haven't tied it onto anything but I think another driftwood is in order for this. And do you just use black sewing htread? That;s what I used to anchor my moss "ball" onto my driftwood.

Patiieeence! My java ferns don't like propagating in my NPT for some reason. D: Maybe too much light (it's at 4 wpg), but the ones that are alive stay alive.

I use white or black sewing thread... would love to hear what other people use!

 

[Silverfang]

My java fern came with absolute masses of roots, I tried burying them (not the rhizome, but actual root) but they won't stay down. I just let them sit on the sand, looking kinda scraggly (but I'm guessing they have lots of good stuff trapped there).

 

[kfish]

Oh! That made me think of another thing I've done to anchor a java fern... I had a rather large one and I put a few pieces of gravel in it to anchor it down a bit... just between a few of the leaves, so it wasn't -covering- the rhisome, but just a bit of weight. It doesn't take long for their hairy little roots to attach to stuff.

 

[Bombalurina]

I just let mine grab onto whatever. My tank is too densely planted for me to see what they do. When I do want to anchor one, I use fishing line.
I sense a bit of irony in that situation.

 

[Laki]

That's great everyone!! Mine is just kind of floating around. I had the roots touching the bottom yesterday after the change but somehow that ol' fiesty fish swam around enough to make the largest leaf float to the surface to build a bubble nest on! Now the roots/rhiozome thing are suspended off the floor.