water fern question

[Chugger]

ok, hey i got some african water ferns and they all seemto be doing ok, then i went to petco and saw these borneo ferns in these tubes they looked real nice and since the water for both is about the same i bought a bunch, now the came bunched together with a string tied around them, can this hurt the or no, i just spread the roots out then used rubber bands to attach them to rocks is this ok, cause some of the leaves have gotten a bit brown

 

[ed seeley]

You've got the right idea. I have some of these and they grow very slowly and get covered in BBA, I much prefer Java ferns as they are easy as anything!

They definitely seem to need tying onto wood, but I've found Rubber bands perish before the plants are attached and use staples or fishing line.

They'll grow new leaves off the rhizome and also sprout small plants off the edge of the leaves too.

 

[Chugger]

i have used fishing line in the past but it was a hassle for me atlest with the anubias it was, and i take it it takes alot longer to attach to rocks then wood, so how long a wait do you think i have , and r they like anubias, if i only submerge the roots with strong light will they grow faster

 

[ed seeley]

Mine are in a tank with about 2wpg, but no CO2 or macro fertilisation (it's my rearing tank though so there are loads of fish to add N and P). The other plants grow great but this just seems to linger. Elastic bands will work (and I'm using them for one load of this on a piece of slate) you'll just have to replace the bands when they perish if they haven't rooted.

I have never tried it, but I would assume that they would do great with the roots damp or submerged and the leaves emersed, in fact that may be the key to getting good growth. I've often thought it looks as though it would do better emersed. I may try it too....

 

[fishgeek]

bolbitis(if that is what you mean by fern) usaully grows better ina strong current

it was one of the first plants that grew well for me , low light , no fertilisation
as i have changed my regime increased light added co2 etc i have less succes

andrew

 

[Apistomaster]

That is my experience in trying to grow Bobitis. Low light levels, no CO2 added, and a brisk current. Attatchment is difficult because it is so very slow growing. One thing that did work for me was to partially wrap the rhizome in some open pore structure filter foam(20 ppi) and stuff it inside a section of bamboo or pvc pipe and place it in the direct path of the outlet of a powerhead.
I think it needs the current for submersed growth and it helps prevent the settling of detritus on the leaves.

I also think there are two species or varients on the market:

1.Bolbitis heudelotii, which can do well in aquariums. In fact, I have seen it cover large pieces of bogwood but it had grown undisturbed for over seven years.

2. Bolbitis species unknown, which does not grow submersed. I think it is just collected and sold as the above species. This one will be a large tall plant with large leaves. It may just be the same as above but collected from a drier habitat or is a varient. I see this one mostly at the large chain Petstores.

 

[ed seeley]

The fern I was referring to is Bolbitis heteroclita. It's also called Malay Fern and is sold as Borneo Fern in some LFSs over here. It has very stiff stems and leaves that are rather brittle with fronds divided into three parts.
http://www.ewaterplant.com/plant/b4.htm shows both ferns.

From what I understand Bolbitis heteroclita is an Asian species as opposed to B.heuldelotii which is African AFAIK.

I'm going to try growing the B.heteroclita emersed as it barely survives for me submerged and maybe it'll do better out of the tank.

 

[Lisachromis]

1.Bolbitis heudelotii, which can do well in aquariums. In fact, I have seen it cover large pieces of bogwood but it had grown undisturbed for over seven years.

Unfortunately, I don't have a decent pic of mine, but it covered an entire bottom full of driftwood in a 100g tank in about 1 year. I started with 3 small bunches 'elasticed' on the wood. There is no special lighting, no fertilizer added. The only thing I noticed is that the current seems to really help this plant along. This tank has 2 aquaclear 500's (don't know the new numbers) on either end of the tank. I have just finished moving, so I've rearranged all this stuff, and things need to build back up again. I'll see if I can find a tank shot when the Bolbitis took over.