# java fern's all died?



## user_error (Aug 15, 2010)

hey just wondering, i had a 20 gal with a bunch of nice java ferns in it... a while back the ferns all dies en masse pretty much. nothing much happened to most of my other plants

it's weird because i thought jf was pretty much indestrubctibe... i've since replanted the tank with more i had in another tank, just wondering if anyone know's why that happened and how to prevent in future...?


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

I've experienced the same problems with java fern. Turns brown or develop holes within the leaves. 

Hope yours recover.


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

Java Fern melt is caused by a lack of nitrates. It gets brown spots and holes on the leaves and then they completely brown. Start dosing Nitrogen (N) and this will cause it to grow back.

Best Regards,

Stuart


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

thanks stuart.

Explains why hornwort and java ferns don't do well in my tank.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

User_error, you dosing anything?


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## user_error (Aug 15, 2010)

thanks crs 

i just picked up some kno3 from effox... trying it out to see if i can find a good dosage, i thought it would help with some of the algae (not a lot but it does grow on plants, quite annoying). something to do with redfield ratio? i'm guessing that will help out with the nitrates issue?

if anyone can point me at good resources on tank chemistry would be good, especially if it's for growing plants too. thanks for the help

oh ya, any other good sources for Nitrogen?


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

perhaps seachem flourish nitrogen 
Seachem Flourish Nitrogen 250 ml - Plant Care - Liquid Plant Supplements at BigalsOnline


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## O.C.D Fishies (Apr 21, 2010)

For doseing Nicklefire did a good sticky in the plants/ferts/lighting/bla/bla section under estimated index EI doseing


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

keep in mind that EI dosing regimes are often centered around medium to high light, with carbon fertilization (excel/co2/metricide/cidex/etc), if you fit this description, you'll likely need a full EI regime rather than just supplementing your nitrates.

But since its the nitrates you are asking about. I'd recommend 1/8tsp 3 times a week startin on the water change day. 1/8th tsp will add a bit over 5.5ppm of nitrates to your 20 gallon tank. So at the end of the first week test your water, before the water change, with luck you'll have around 10 ppm, if you are under that, try making the 1/8th tsp a heaping spoon.

For the next few weeks, test the water before you water change, if the nitrates keep climbing, then cut back a bit on each dose. You want to stay between 10-20 ppm. Remember that the water here has 0 nitrates, so you'll be droppin the percent of nitrates equal to your water change.


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## Sandy Landau (Jun 4, 2010)

I lost plants when I added some kind of product to a filter that removed nitrates, once. Have you added anything like an ammonia or nitrate remover?

Java ferns often get most of their nutrients from the water column, like hornwort, so they will suffer more than a stem plant if nutrients have been removed from the water. I am sure that this is a water issue and not a horrible plant virus issue.



user_error said:


> hey just wondering, i had a 20 gal with a bunch of nice java ferns in it... a while back the ferns all dies en masse pretty much. nothing much happened to most of my other plants
> 
> it's weird because i thought jf was pretty much indestrubctibe... i've since replanted the tank with more i had in another tank, just wondering if anyone know's why that happened and how to prevent in future...?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

If your java fern died, but nothing else did, it's not nitrates. Plants all have the same requirements. Have you ever tested your water for nitrates? What changed in the tank when they suddenly died? Dosing nitrates is not going to solve your problems if it's not nitrates. IMO, even if you had 10 neons in the tank and you're growing java fern in a 20 gallon, you'd run into an algae problem before you'd run into a dead java fern problem.


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## user_error (Aug 15, 2010)

thanks for the help everyone i'll check out that ei dosing article

in terms of algae it's a bit of a constant annoyance but it's never a major outbreak, an occasional scrub and my 3 oto cats do the trick

i was going to do a water change, dug out the test kit and checked the water first, here's my current readings -

ph 7-7.5
nh3 0 - 0.6 mg/l
nitrate 0 - 5 mg/l
phosphate 0.5 - 1.00 mg/l (looks closer to 0.5)

sorry it's not that exact the kit's is not that sophisticated, but phosphates do seem too high. i will keep dosing the kno3 and hope to get nitrates back up to 5 or so, i read about the redfield ratio here, but i think i need to do more reading


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