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Fern aquatic plants are not unusual in the aquarium community. We bet many of you may have once searched for Java Fern, Java Fern Trident, or Bolbitis for the mid-ground or background positions of your tanks. Speaking truthfully, the three mentioned are also the typical and most sought fern species in the aquarium fern plant market. Yet, they are not your only choices. Having been introduced to the hobby a long time ago, fern aquatic plants are indeed diversified and have been attracting many aquarists by the variety in their color and appearance. Let us give you three reasons why your freshwater tank should haveFern aquatic plants: unique waving-edged foliage, low-maintenance, and great displays in the mid-ground to background of the aquarium. In this article, we will reveal everything you need to know about this stunning aquatic plant.
What is A Fern Plant?
Fern plant refers to the two main genera of fern available in the hobby, which are Microsorum (commonly referred to as Java Fern) and Bolbitis. What makes the species so attractive is primarily the various green hues and its feather-like leaf shape. Such features make both Microsorum and Bolbitis popular and also always in high demand for anyone looking for fascinating aquascape ideas.
Microsorum and Bolbitis both originated from tropical areas. While the former, Microsorum, is the representative of Asian regions, Bolbitis is the water fern native to wet areas of Africa, thus sometimes known by the name of ‘African fern’ or ‘Congo water fern’.
The interesting part of aquarium fern plants is that they are barely found anchoring themselves on the ground. Rather, they grow on a surface like rocks or wood. This aquatic plant could be a little bit hard for you to imagine its establishment process in the submerged form. However, if you observe the emersed fern plants, you may find their roots are, on most occasions, attached firmly to rock or wood surfaces. Fortunately, this allows the introduction of fern aquatic plants into freshwater tanks straightforwardly, by using simple tools such as aquarium specialized glue or fishing threads.
What Does the Fern Plant Look Like?
It is challenging to provide a specific yet accurate answer to this question. Apart from the waving-edged leaf, Fern aquarium plants may look slightly different, subject to the variants being mentioned. Between Microsorum and Bolbitis, Microsorum has more variants than Bolbitis.
Common Microsorum Plants
Java Fern
A classic of all the classic fern plants, Java fern (Microsorum pteropus), is the favorite of many aquarium plant hobbyists not only because of its low-maintenance but also its resilience and undemanding nature in terms of care. Further, its unique leaf structure, which tends to be pointed toward the top and tough, turns out to be suitable to co-exist with a huge variety of fish, even the herbivores. With the average height of 13.5 inches and width of 6-8 inches, Java Fern easily forms a jungle view for your aquarium when positioned in the middle or the background of the tank.
Narrow-leaf Java Fern
Narrow-leaf Java Fernpossesses many similar characteristics to Java Fern, yet shorter in height and slender in terms of leaf shape. Due to this, its growth form may not give the bushy effect compared to that of Java Fern.
Windelov Java Fern
Also calledLace Java Fern due to its exotic-looking with finely branched leaves, Windelov Java Fern(Microsorum pteropus var. Windelov) is known for its great growth under low lighting conditions and in various ranges of water parameters.
Trident Java Fern
Triden Java Fern(Microsorum pteropus var. Trident) is a fascinating variant that is distinctive for its narrow feathery leaves, which surely give a highlight to your freshwater aquarium. Despite being shorter than the narrow-leaf fern, its growth rate seems to be superior of other Microsorum.
Needle Leaf Java Fern
Like the name, this fern plant resembles a needle, which often sways gracefully along the water currents. It is also rare and smaller than the other ferns mentioned above.
Bolbitis
For Bolbitis, it could be said that the widely known and available in the aquarium market areBolbitis Narrowleaf(Bolbitis Heudelotti) andBolbitis Broadleaf(Bolbitis Heteroclita). Both variants display a lively green foliage, enhancing the atmosphere of fish tanks. Although Bolbitis does not have as many variants as Microsorum, it is still considered one of the most desired aquarium plants due to the beauty it brings to the tank and the less burden aquarists experience when caring for the fern species.
Why Should I Have Fern Aquatic Plants?
Besides the general benefits that all freshwater aquarium plants could offer to your tank, Fern aquatic plants are worth your consideration for the following reasons:
Aquascape design
The Fern allows you to freely design and create as many fantastic aquascapes as you can. Especially when you need prolific mid-ground or background aquarium plants. Fern is a freshwater species you could not disregard. Set it alone in the corner of the tank, Fern plants with their swinging foliage will give a pleasing look and calm the souls of those glancing at them. However, if the bushy effect is what you are longing for, a cluster of Java Fern could not be more perfect.
Tank mates
We would like to discuss both aspects of freshwater fish and other live aquatic plants. If your tank keeps boisterous fish (such as Oscar fish, Cichlids, Tetras, etc.), Microsorum should be the firstaquatic plant you come up with. Due to its robust nature, Microsorum could be compatible with various types of fish, including fish that are prone to damaging sensitive plants. Moreover, Ferns can tolerate a wide variety of water parameters. Hence, it becomes an ideal choice for many aquascapers who wish to create a diversified aquatic life by growing multiple live plants together.
How to Plant Fern Plants in Home Aquariums?
Planting fern plants actually has more than one conventional way. It is up to the aquascape you wish to create that either attaching the plant to hardscape or leaving it floating, or burying it in the soil are all acceptable.
Method 1
Most aquarists prefer anchoring the ferns to hard surfaces by using specialized glue or fishing lines. For hard surfaces, you could consider aquascape supplies like rock, wood, or driftwood. The procedure is quite simple. First, you have to identify their rhizomes and roots. Then, hold the ferns firmly to the hardscape while using fishing lines/ threads to tie the plants’ rhizomes in place. If you use glue, run a thin bead of glue gel to the hard surface, and press the aquarium ferns’ rhizome to it; hold for another 30 seconds, and you are done. Your plants need time to let their roots establish and self-attach to the rock or wood, and the process won’t be completed just for a day or two. Therefore, you have to be patient and regularly observe the ferns. Once you notice the roots likely hold firmly on the hardscape, you then cut and remove the fishing lines/ thread so it would not impede the growth of your plants.
Method 2
After you finish the preparation steps, you then introduce your fern aquatic plants to the aquarium. Simply let it slowly submerge without doing anything else. The plants soon either float freely or attach to something in the tank on their own.
Method 3
If you go with the burying process, there is only one thing you need to be cautious about: never let the rhizome beneath the substrates. Or else, fern plants will rot and eventually die. In fact, we do not really encourage such way of planting. Once you make mistakes, it is hard to remedy. Further, if the roots of your ferns are short and thin, the ‘burying’ method may not help the plants stay upright.
Where do I position my aquarium fern plants? Normally, both genres grow to around 13-15 inches, appropriate to the mid-ground to the background positions of the tank. If you opt for placing them in the front, the ferns may obscure the view of fish or other small plants or decorations.
Fern Plants Tank Setup
Most fern aquatic plants are undemanding in terms of care. They are further known for their excellent resilience to various water parameters as long as you keep these parameters stable. Given their low-maintenance and nearly having no requirement for substrate, aquarium freshwater fern plants could relieve you from the burden of paying too much attention to setting up a proper tank.
Tank Size
A fern plant, considering the size, normally would like to inhabit a minimum tank size of 10 gallons. Since the plant can be established without the use of substrate, some aquarists even challenge themselves by using bare-bottom tanks to cultivate aquarium ferns. However, if you intend to create a diversified aquatic ecosystem, which requires a substrate to nurture other freshwater plants, you may have a second thought. However, in no case should you use sharp gravel or rocks. Because such types of substrates easily damage the fern’s rhizomes.
Water Parameters
Aquatic ferns are tropical species, and they surely demand a similar temperature in a home aquarium to thrive. Generally, they will be pleased with the warmth ranges of between 68° to 80°F (20 °C - 26°C) with as little fluctuation as possible. In addition, water parameters should be well adjusted to slightly acidic levels (6-7) with hardness of around 3-8. Lighting is not a big concern for the plants as they can survive under a variety of lighting conditions (though ferns prefer the low and shady modes). The same is applied to CO2 additives. Aquatic fern plants do not ask for a lot of extra CO2. However, if you choose not to supplement CO2 frequently, remember to maintain good, gentle flows of water, as it does help circulate already existing CO2 and benefit the growth stages of fern plants.
Fertilizers
Last but not least in the caring steps of ferns are nutrients. Aquarium ferns rely on good sources of nutrients. Since it mostly absorbs nutrients through its leaves, liquid fertilizer appears to be a good option for the plants. Ferns are notorious for their slow growth rate. Hence, keeping ‘feeding’ the plants with an appropriate amount of nutrients could somehow boost their development.
Trimming
Aquatic ferns do not require trimming very often. Nonetheless, if the plants grow too large or affect the growth of other plants, you could prune the unnecessary leaves. As the process requires lowering the tank water levels, you can do this when performing water changes. Use a sharp pair of scissors and gently cut off the leaves you want to remove to manage the ferns' growth.
Conclusion
With some minor tips, we hope you find them useful during your pursuit of the aquarium hobby. Splashy Fish Store believes aquascapes should bring joy rather than concern. We will be pleased if this article helps you realize it.
At Splashy Fish Store, we supply a wide range of aquarium freshwater ferns, which come from reliable sources. We further guarantee that all of our fern plants will go through the quarantine process for a period of 14 days before sale. We care about the quality and strive to provide you with the best we can. Visit ourstore to find what surprise is waiting for you.
Fern Plants Care Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How often should I fertilize Fern aquatic plants?
Most aquarium Fern plantsdon’t need frequent fertilization. Since they absorb nutrients mainly from the water column, dosing a liquid fertilizer once or twice per week is usually enough. If your ferns show pale or yellowing leaves, that’s a sign they need more micronutrients such as iron and potassium. Avoid burying root tabs under fern rhizomes, as this can cause rot; instead, use water-column fertilizers or gentle all-in-one plant nutrients.
Are Fern plants toxic to fish?
No, aquatic fern plants are completely safe and non-toxic to fish, shrimp, and snails. In fact, species like Java Fern and Bolbitis Heudelotii are among the most popular choices for community aquariums because they provide natural shelter, improve water quality, and help reduce algae growth. Just make sure to rinse new plants before adding them to your tank to remove any pesticides or unwanted hitchhikers.
Can I keep Fern plants with Betta Fish?
Absolutely! Fern plants are excellent for Betta fish tanks. Their broad leaves and sturdy structure offer perfect resting spots for Bettas, mimicking their natural environment. Ferns such as Java Fern and Windelov Fern thrive in the same warm, low-to-moderate light conditions Bettas love, typically around75–82°F (24–28°C). Just attach the fern rhizome to driftwood or rock instead of burying it in the substrate to prevent rotting. Together, Bettas and ferns create a calm, natural aquascape that’s easy to maintain.
