[RobertTheFish]

Please help. I bought a couple El Niño ferns from the Pestmart without knowing anything about them.

Can anyone tell me anything about them? They're getting black around the edges of the leaves and I fear they will have to go if I can't get them healthy.

Thank you so much! Links appreciated, I can read!

 

[JDM]

There's a very good chance that it is just not an aquatic plant. If you could post a pic of even do an image search and find a match that we could see... perhaps it's a java fern and the browning could be normal. I have some do that as they produce daughter plants.

In any case the ferns typically are a rhizome plant and if you bury the rhizome (roots) they can rot and the plant will die off. Usually these are attached to driftwood or rocks but large gravel substrate might not be as bad as smaller grained gravel or sand.

Jeff.

 

[rexpepper651]

my petsmart always has horrible looking plants. browning and with alot of algae on them. i try not to buy plants from them. i dont like how they keep snails in their tank. lol

 

[BWG]

Please help. I bought a couple El Niño ferns from the Pestmart without knowing anything about them.

Can anyone tell me anything about them? They're getting black around the edges of the leaves and I fear they will have to go if I can't get them healthy.

Thank you so much! Links appreciated, I can read!

El Niño ferns are Bolbitis heteroclita. Some people do use it in aquariums, but it can be a serious challenge to convert to submerged growth and keep it alive. I'd personally just consist it a terrarium plant (which is how I plan to one day keep it).

Bolbitis heteroclita

 

[RobertTheFish]

... it can be a serious challenge to convert to submerged growth and keep it alive. I'd personally just consist it a terrarium plant (which is how I plan to one day keep it).

Bolbitis heteroclita

Blackwaterguy, Thanks for the info!

Please excuse crude diagram, but do you think this would work if I could get the leaves to stick out of the water?

 

[RobertTheFish]

The more I read, the more it looks like I should be tying this thing to driftwood rather than sticking it in gravel. I think I'll tie it to some driftwood inside the upper flower pot.

Sound like a plan?

 

[BWG]

To be honest I have no clue how well the flowerpot plan will work. Aquatic ferns typically like good water circulation and having it in the pot wouldn't allow that. I really don't know how or if that changes when the leaves extend out of the water and it is half submerged. I've only started looking into growing emersed plants. Sadly about the only thing I can say is try it and let us know.

 

[RobertTheFish]

Aquatic ferns typically like good water circulation and having it in the pot wouldn't allow that.

Ok. Awesome info. Redesign: I'll use a pot for the bottom. for the top I'll use one of the little dishes that you typically put underneath. A skimmer of ecolite in the top dish, set little driftwood stick on top of that, tie fern to stick. Give the leaves a little air to breathe.

Will keep you posted. Thanks again!
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[RobertTheFish]

So here's the modified plan taking shape.

Going to bust out the angle grinder and the diamond blade in just a minute here...wish me luck and may the vibration gods be kind today. I got 2 of everything just in case.

 

[JDM]

You know, you could just float them on a piece of wood weighed down a bit to partially submerge it or tied off to a rock on the bottom with some fishing line.

Jeff.

 

[RobertTheFish]

May I submit the Makita angle grinder with a Bosch diamond blade and the one true betta cave maker to rule them all? Is that fair at this point?
Just thrilled with how that sucker sliced the pots up. Of course I did still have to use a hand file to knock the rough edges off.

 

[RobertTheFish]

You know, you could just float them on a piece of wood weighed down a bit to partially submerge it or tied off to a rock on the bottom with some fishing line.

Jeff.

Jeff, I appreciate simplicity and if the fern were my only issue I'd probably go that way. As is, I have 6 male guppies and soon to add 1 male betta in a 10 gallon tank. I'm hoping the added hiding spaces will make it easier for everyone to survive, so the Plant Jack/cave idea has turned into a 2-for-1 solution for me.

...tied off to a rock on the bottom with some fishing line...

AWESOME idea by the way. I was going to use hemp and just hope the roots took hold before the string rotted. In light of your super-helpful idea I will use a little bit of coated super braid and untie when I need to. I'm sure it will be very inert in the aquarium.

 

[JDM]

Yah, I realized that you were going to do a cave after your cave shot... I missed that in the other posts. Floating hunks of wood don't offer as much in hidey spots.

Jeff.