Java Fern loss

[bidkev]

Had these for over 3 yrs and no problems at all then all of a sudden they started turning brown..................sort of rotting from base of stem upwards............water parameters same as they've always been and water temp same................they just started to cark it. The only thing different that I can think of is more natural light coming in from window than has been usual. Even the off shoots that broke away top right of tank are carking it. They are (self) anchored to wood and you can see the rot just starting at the base of the large fern just below the shoal of fish 1/3rd right of tank which has now fully enveloped that plant. Click on image to get larger view if needed. All other plants are OK. Any ideas?

test shot by bidkev1, on Flickr

[goldenswimmers]

How old is your sand mate?....just a thought but wondering if its substrate related as its hitting your stems first.....could bad bacteria/ammonia/etc in substrate kill roots/stems etc???.....Im not a plant guy so Im watchin and learnin on this thread(if you don't mind Kev! )

[unheatedtank]

Hi, just from my experience (1 year) playing with outdoor tank.

I have around 30 java ferns in outdoor tank with direct sunlight (1hr) and some hrs of filtered sunlight via blue shade.

All are dying off with rotted leaves. I brought few inside in a smaller tank, and both tanks without heater, they stopped dying, after cutting off dying leaves, they stayed, but not growing yet as I cant spend much time on that tank.

I think it may be sunlight... Will try to do more experience when I get some free time.

[unheatedtank]

One more thing though, i got floating weeds growing crazy for 2months without water changed, and suddenly all died off.

Just did a 30% WC now, and dump some potassium sulphate from bunnings, and got some more floating weed to try now.

And pls check this if it helps.

[netty_3164]

It's often referred to 'java fern disease' on plant dedicated forums - if you google that, you should get a lot of hits however most of the threads you'll read don't have a set solution.

Some say its a viral whilst others say it may be nitrate or other nutrient deficiency. From what I can gather, I remember reading a comment from renown aquascaper Tom Barr who says it is related to CO2 levels. CO2 of course is then related to light, nutrient availability and demand. He also mentions that though java fern is a very hardy plant if there is high plant-bioload, other plants will compete for the limited amount of CO2 in the water that java fern requires.

From my experience, the simple solution that works is to trim back any rotting like leaves or stems (stop the spread) & would simply reduce the light duration (decreases CO2 demand).

'java fern disease' - I'm assuming this is what you're encountering

[bidkev]

How old is your sand mate?....just a thought but wondering if its substrate related as its hitting your stems first.....could bad bacteria/ammonia/etc in substrate kill roots/stems etc???.....Im not a plant guy so Im watchin and learnin on this thread(if you don't mind Kev! )

No mate, they're not planted and their foliage/roots acquire what they need purely from the water and wood

[bidkev]

It's often referred to 'java fern disease' on plant dedicated forums - if you google that, you should get a lot of hits however most of the threads you'll read don't have a set solution.

Some say its a viral whilst others say it may be nitrate or other nutrient deficiency. From what I can gather, I remember reading a comment from renown aquascaper Tom Barr who says it is related to CO2 levels. CO2 of course is then related to light, nutrient availability and demand. He also mentions that though java fern is a very hardy plant if there is high plant-bioload, other plants will compete for the limited amount of CO2 in the water that java fern requires.

From my experience, the simple solution that works is to trim back any rotting like leaves or stems (stop the spread) & would simply reduce the light duration (decreases CO2 demand).

'java fern disease' - I'm assuming this is what you're encountering

You could have hit the nail on the head there mate..................competing plants. It only started after introducing another dozen swords and they're doing fine.

[bluebelle]

ALL my Java ferns had this disease last summer, everything in the tanks inside and storage tubs outside. I do believe it's some virus, the way it spread. Some plants survived, but it took them ages to recover. The same symptons occur in some ssp. of Echinodorus,

but it's not quite so severe.

[unheatedtank]

ALL my Java ferns had this disease last summer, everything in the tanks inside and storage tubs outside. I do believe it's some virus, the way it spread. Some plants survived, but it took them ages to recover. The same symptons occur in some ssp. of Echinodorus,

but it's not quite so severe.

I have the same issue but sorry, never believing in plant having virus, or a tank has a dead curse.... Some bugs, maybe, but the CO2 explanation above makes most sense to me... All we want now is for the thread owner remove some plant and prove it

We can write an article on this if it is proven, [MENTION=2797]bidkev[/MENTION].

[bluebelle]

Ok, so if it's CO2 related, how come it happened at the same time in 5 tanks inside and 2 large outside tubs? And I did not add any new plants before it started.

By the way, unheated tank, plant viruses are very well documented.

Edited September 29, 2013 by bluebelle