Java fern deficiency?

[Stan Z]

Are these black spots an iron deficiency? I don’t find much photo evidence similar to this. It’s not algae.

[Gannon]

On 11/1/2022 at 9:12 AM, Stan Z said:

Are these black spots an iron deficiency? I don’t find much photo evidence similar to this. It’s not algae.

I'm genuinely not sure and am trying to learn more about plant deficiencies. However this reminds me of how my java ferns often look shortly after I first add them and they bounce back later. Is this one new or newish?

[Patrick_G]

Java fern is a great beginner plant that’s hard to kill, but it’s also hard to keep it looking perfect. Most of them go through a conversion process when first introduced into a tank because the farms grow them in air. It might get worse, but with proper care it’ll start sending out new leaves and start looking better. It’s a slow grower so give it a few months. These plants are known to be heavy potassium users so even if you’re using and all in one fertilizer it’s possible you might need to add some extra potassium.
Can you post your water parameters and what type of fertilizer you’re using?

[Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics]

I notoriously struggle with Java fern. I’ve had it for years. I don’t kill it, but it doesn’t take off the way I would like to see it. The brown/dark spots could be signs of potassium deficiencies. Mine grow, they reproduce, but they’ve never looked like what I want. 
 

I was looking at Seachem’s potassium supplement this past weekend. It’s 6% potassium and Easy Green already has 9%. I am thinking I could just dose more Easy Green. 

[Gannon]

On 11/1/2022 at 11:09 AM, Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics said:

I notoriously struggle with Java fern. I’ve had it for years. I don’t kill it, but it doesn’t take off the way I would like to see it. The brown/dark spots could be signs of potassium deficiencies. Mine grow, they reproduce, but they’ve never looked like what I want. 
 

I was looking at Seachem’s potassium supplement this past weekend. It’s 6% potassium and Easy Green already has 9%. I am thinking I could just dose more Easy Green. 

Same! Mine always yelows and browns. 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/1/2022 at 5:12 PM, Gannon said:

Same! Mine always yelows and browns. 

I managed to get some Easy Root Tabs last week, and they have immediately changed m^the look of my Java Fern, who used to look like yours.

[Gannon]

On 11/1/2022 at 11:17 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

I managed to get some Easy Root Tabs last week, and they have immediately changed m^the look of my Java Fern, who used to look like yours.

How do you use root tabs on java fern??

[Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics]

On 11/1/2022 at 12:20 PM, Gannon said:

How do you use root tabs on java fern??

You could place them under the rhizome in the substrate. There would be some benefit, but Java Fern mostly pulls nutrients from the water. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/1/2022 at 12:20 PM, Gannon said:

How do you use root tabs on java fern??

Java fern don't get planted; they are water column feeders and the rhizome needs to be above substrate or they will eventually die. The black spots are a potassium deficiency. Add a potassium supplement to your water, and they should go away.

 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/1/2022 at 5:22 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Java fern don't get planted; they are water column feeders and the rhizome needs to be above substrate or they will eventually die. The black spots are a potassium deficiency. Add a potassium supplement to your water, and they should go away.

Explains a lot😑

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/1/2022 at 12:23 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Explains a lot😑

@TheSwissAquarist this happens all the time, LOL.  You wouldn't be the first person nor the last person to plant a java fern. 

[Gannon]

On 11/1/2022 at 11:22 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Java fern don't get planted; they are water column feeders and the rhizome needs to be above substrate or they will eventually die. The black spots are a potassium deficiency. Add a potassium supplement to your water, and they should go away.

 

I have been dosing with lots of potassium for a while. And don't worry I never place any in the substrate, which is why I was asking why root tabs are even of use.

On 11/1/2022 at 11:21 AM, Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics said:

You could place them under the rhizome in the substrate. There would be some benefit, but Java Fern mostly pulls nutrients from the water. 

This what I thought

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Anubias are the same way, and I think bucephalandra are too (sp?)

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/1/2022 at 5:29 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I think bucephalandra are too (sp?)

Yep, also they're basically just Australian Anubias!

[Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics]

I put one under my Anubias and Java fern every few weeks (over a month). Most of my tabs go under my Amazon swords and crypts. 

[Ogpulchra]

On 11/1/2022 at 9:09 AM, Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics said:

I notoriously struggle with Java fern. I’ve had it for years. I don’t kill it, but it doesn’t take off the way I would like to see it. The brown/dark spots could be signs of potassium deficiencies. Mine grow, they reproduce, but they’ve never looked like what I want. 
 

I was looking at Seachem’s potassium supplement this past weekend. It’s 6% potassium and Easy Green already has 9%. I am thinking I could just dose more Easy 

I did that and ended up having issues with nitrates. My anubias and java ferns greened up and growth exploded once I started adding Seachem potassium instead of extra Easy Green. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/1/2022 at 2:53 PM, Ogpulchra said:

I did that and ended up having issues with nitrates. My anubias and java ferns greened up and growth exploded once I started adding Seachem potassium instead of extra Easy Green. 

Yep, Easy Green wasn't enough for my java ferns.  I lost a fair amount of them. They started with spots, then whole leaves would turn brownish/black and die.  I hit the plant forums and potassium was the answer (in conjuction with Easy Green).

[Scapexghost]

With some exceptions, most aquarium plants can grow out of water as well. However, the leaf structure is different when they grow in and out of water. The submerged grown leaves lose water much faster.

Those leaves appear to have been grown out of water, so now that you have it under water, those leaves will die and get replaced by new ones. Totally normal.

[Stan Z]

Thanks for the input. The plants have been in the tank about 2 months. They do have new growth which looks good, but I ordered a potassium supplement. I’ll see how it goes.

[Patrick_G]

On 11/1/2022 at 3:06 PM, Stan Z said:

Thanks for the input. The plants have been in the tank about 2 months. They do have new growth which looks good, but I ordered a potassium supplement. I’ll see how it goes.

It should help, but they’re still temperamental plants. I’ve had very healthy specimens suddenly lose all their leaves. My advice is to buy lots so when one dies you don’t notice 😁

 

[ccurtis]

I used to get the brown spots as well. After lots of youtube watching to try to figure out why I could not get my java fern to look good. I figured it out. It was a potassium deficiency. I used easy green and dosed weekly with it, but it apparently was not enough. All my other plants in that tank looked great, but the darn java fern. I just wanted to add a little extra potassium, but not all other other stuff that comes in all in one fertilizers too, since I was already using easy green and didn't want throw my tank off balance and end up with a bunch of algae. I try to do everything on budget as best I can which is hard with aquariums. What I chose to use was API Leaf Zone in conjunction with easy green. The Leaf Zone was a lot cheaper than seachem potassium. Leaf Zone contains soluble potash (potassium) and a small amount of iron. I found that dosing this with easy green once a week helped my java fern a lot and I stopped getting those dark marks. That's what worked for me, hope it helps.