New to Plants and Betta-Java Fern

[ChefDanRD]

I am setting up an aquarium for a Betta and the owner of the fish store sold my mom on a Java Fern.  It is a 5 gallon tank  and the plant is 6" tall.  It was immersed in the store.  The plant was sold attached to a piece of wood. The substrate is Seachem Flourite.  I am not new to fish keeping but am new to plants and Bettas.  Her concern is that the plant was nice and green upon purchase and now is developing black blotches up and down the leaves.  She said that on leaf was entirely black and fell off after a week in a new aquarium.  I ordered easy green.  There betta  is not in the tank yet.  She dosed it for two weeks 6 drops each week and the black has not spread, but is still present. She snipped off some of the black parts. There is no fish in it at this time and has been up for three weeks now. The light is adjustable. She had it set on the "medium level" for two weeks but has since decreased it between the lowest and medium setting.  The LED light stands about 6" above the clear lid. The water used is a "Betta water" purchased from the fish store.

 The aquarium specs and parameters: 

·      5 gallon w/ about 3 gallons of water after substrate, plant, filters, and heater added.  Tank Dimensions: 11.75" (L) x 11.75"(D) x 8"(H). Aquatic Venti-5 gallon

·      Plant: Java Fern-Windelov (Purchased 5/12/24 Mothers day)

·      Temp:80 degrees

·     Used API test kit for the following: pH: 7.2, Nitrate: 10,  GH: 7  drops,  KH: 6  drops, No ammonia or nitrites. I suspect the nitrate is from the Easy Green fertilized since it a new tank.  I am planning to add seeded media to the tank once the betta is purchased. 

Questions: How much die back is normal?  How long to expect a decline?  Is this too much or too little fertilizer for the tank?  Is fertilizer even necessary?  How much light as far as intensity and hours per day is required?  Do the water parameters look good for this plant with a Betta?   What water parameters would be best suited for a Java Fern and Betta together?  Would soft water from the tap (well water) with Seachem equilibrium added be appropriate going forward?  Or 75% RO water w/ 25% hard water be appropriate? I was told the 75% RO plus 25% hard water is what betta water is composed of. 

Thank you! 

[clownbaby]

Wow! That is Java fern Windelov and it is stunning. I don't think that the fertilizer is inherently too much. With plants, you gotta know every plant is different, and you kinda have to get a feel for the individual plant you have. Fine tune it as needed. Growing too much or growing fast but poorly? Less fertilizer. Growing not enough or yellowing? More fertilizer. When you have your betta, the fish poo and fish pee and leftover fish food will produce nutrients and nitrate into the water, so fertilizer may not be necessary -- but depending on what you want or the individual plant, it may be necessary.

Those brown spots are common. Nothing to worry about! In my experience you need to cut off the whole leaf, not just snip where the brown spots are. If you do snip only part of the leaf, the rest of the leaf will turn crumbly and brown and ugly. So cut off or pull off with your fingers the whole leaf. Pop it in the compost. 

Aquatic plants are also very sensitive. Java Fern is one of the hardier aquatic plants, but even then, all aquatic plants are sensitive. This is because most aquatic plants are able to grow emersed. But they don't suddenly become submerged one second and the next minute they are completely emersed. Even when they are taken out of the water for a short period of time and then put back into the water pretty quickly after, this can shock the plant, as it hasn't evolved to have that much change occur. The shock can cause brown spots, wilt, melt, etc. This is normal and nothing to worry about. Just remove damaged leaves. You can expect this to go away in the next few weeks. Some species, such as crypts, will commonly lose all of their leaves and completely re-grow or "restart". 

It's good that the Java fern was sold with wood. Java fern (as well as buce plants and anubias) are epiphytic, meaning they don't grow in dirt but rather cling to rocks, branches, and other "soil-less" surfaces. Make sure the root and the crown (the base of the plant) isn't buried in dirt -- this will cause root rot. 

And again, these plants did evolve to grow above the water. If it starts creeping above the surface, no problem! Let it grow! You might even find the ends of the leaves growing roots and little "plantlets". You can pull these off [gently] and plant new ferns! Ta-daaaa!

 

For aquarium water... do not buy betta water. It is pretty much a scam. Java fern is incredibly hardy, some people keep it at pH of 8.5 and it thrives. With plants, most of the time the pH / gH / kH number doesn't actually matter; what matters is keeping this number stable. Bettas are also super hardy. pH of 6.5 to 7.8 is awesome. GH and kH don't really matter too much -- but generally you want to keep these above 4 (gH and kH basically determine if the pH can fluctuate; a low gH means that pH could change rapidly and by an intense degree. high gH means pH remains a bit more stable). Again, doesn't matter too much. 

Test your well water. I use my rainwater here where I live because I'm not buy a super urban space. You could add Seachem, but it might be better to get crushed coral and botanicals (almond leaves, oak leaves, alder cones, etc) to bury under the substrate. For that, I can't add in my own personal experience or opinion, as I haven't used crushed coral before or Seachem Equilibrium. 

Because it's well water I doubt it has chlorine or chloramine, but as a reminder, if is treated with either (especially if it is treated with chloramine), use a dechlorinator. 

Don't listen to the store, friend. Reverse Osmosis is unrealistic and bank-breaking for pretty much everyone and I am super skeptical that betta water even is RO. Just try out your tap and add in seachem / coral + botanicals as needed. Also, I would recommend adding in some more plants or some hiding spots for your betta. they love to hide and play around. Vallisneria, crypts, and pearlweed are super easy to keep and great for beginners. 

Do you have a filter going? (I am not sure what seeded media is - if this is for bacteria growth, add this before the betta for at least a week) For 5 gallons a filter is a must. A small sponge filter would be great!

[ChefDanRD]

On 6/3/2024 at 3:24 PM, clownbaby said:

Wow! That is Java fern Windelov and it is stunning. I don't think that the fertilizer is inherently too much. With plants, you gotta know every plant is different, and you kinda have to get a feel for the individual plant you have. Fine tune it as needed. Growing too much or growing fast but poorly? Less fertilizer. Growing not enough or yellowing? More fertilizer. When you have your betta, the fish poo and fish pee and leftover fish food will produce nutrients and nitrate into the water, so fertilizer may not be necessary -- but depending on what you want or the individual plant, it may be necessary.

Those brown spots are common. Nothing to worry about! In my experience you need to cut off the whole leaf, not just snip where the brown spots are. If you do snip only part of the leaf, the rest of the leaf will turn crumbly and brown and ugly. So cut off or pull off with your fingers the whole leaf. Pop it in the compost. 

Aquatic plants are also very sensitive. Java Fern is one of the hardier aquatic plants, but even then, all aquatic plants are sensitive. This is because most aquatic plants are able to grow emersed. But they don't suddenly become submerged one second and the next minute they are completely emersed. Even when they are taken out of the water for a short period of time and then put back into the water pretty quickly after, this can shock the plant, as it hasn't evolved to have that much change occur. The shock can cause brown spots, wilt, melt, etc. This is normal and nothing to worry about. Just remove damaged leaves. You can expect this to go away in the next few weeks. Some species, such as crypts, will commonly lose all of their leaves and completely re-grow or "restart". 

It's good that the Java fern was sold with wood. Java fern (as well as buce plants and anubias) are epiphytic, meaning they don't grow in dirt but rather cling to rocks, branches, and other "soil-less" surfaces. Make sure the root and the crown (the base of the plant) isn't buried in dirt -- this will cause root rot. 

And again, these plants did evolve to grow above the water. If it starts creeping above the surface, no problem! Let it grow! You might even find the ends of the leaves growing roots and little "plantlets". You can pull these off [gently] and plant new ferns! Ta-daaaa!

 

For aquarium water... do not buy betta water. It is pretty much a scam. Java fern is incredibly hardy, some people keep it at pH of 8.5 and it thrives. With plants, most of the time the pH / gH / kH number doesn't actually matter; what matters is keeping this number stable. Bettas are also super hardy. pH of 6.5 to 7.8 is awesome. GH and kH don't really matter too much -- but generally you want to keep these above 4 (gH and kH basically determine if the pH can fluctuate; a low gH means that pH could change rapidly and by an intense degree. high gH means pH remains a bit more stable). Again, doesn't matter too much. 

Test your well water. I use my rainwater here where I live because I'm not buy a super urban space. You could add Seachem, but it might be better to get crushed coral and botanicals (almond leaves, oak leaves, alder cones, etc) to bury under the substrate. For that, I can't add in my own personal experience or opinion, as I haven't used crushed coral before or Seachem Equilibrium. 

Because it's well water I doubt it has chlorine or chloramine, but as a reminder, if is treated with either (especially if it is treated with chloramine), use a dechlorinator. 

Don't listen to the store, friend. Reverse Osmosis is unrealistic and bank-breaking for pretty much everyone and I am super skeptical that betta water even is RO. Just try out your tap and add in seachem / coral + botanicals as needed. Also, I would recommend adding in some more plants or some hiding spots for your betta. they love to hide and play around. Vallisneria, crypts, and pearlweed are super easy to keep and great for beginners. 

Do you have a filter going? (I am not sure what seeded media is - if this is for bacteria growth, add this before the betta for at least a week) For 5 gallons a filter is a must. A small sponge filter would be great!

Thank you for the tips and detailed reply about the plant, betta, and water.  It was very helpful and appreciated!  I am used to my artificial plants and  African cichlids so this is an adventure for sure.  The aquarium has two sponge filters that are located in the back corners of this aquarium kit. I have some seasoned sponges that are in my main aquarium and I will use this to help kick start the tank so we can put the fish in right away and there will be plenty of beneficial bacteria available.  The well water is free from chlorine or chloramine but it will still  be a good idea to use prime anyway to help detoxify any potential heavy metals present.  

I was not aware of the type of Java fern it was when I bought it,  but when I looked it up I realized that it was a sought after variant from the regular Java fern.  Thanks!