[lauraleellbp]

Could you post some pictures of them?

Where did you get them (bought from an LFS, here on the forum, online somewhere else)?

It may be that they're just still transitioning to your tank. Or they may have been killed in shipping, if they were mailed to you during a freeze, or they may have been grown emersed.... lots of different possibilities.

What's the bioload in your tank?

 

[lauraleellbp]

I think your best bet is to cut off most of the existing leaves this will allow the plant to channel more energy to new leaves and allow more light to hit the rhizome.

I would agree with you... except the OP said there's only 1 leaf per rhizome (which is part of why I was questioning the source of the plants, b/c I personally wouldn't send out only one leaf on a rhizome...)

I think a 9 watt bulb may be OK for a 5gal tank if it's a tube or U-shaped bulb. Probably not if it's a spiral, though. And sounds like the bulb probably does need replacing.

 

[lauraleellbp]

Oh- leaves without rhizomes are doomed from the get-go, so you might as well toss those once they go brown and stop throwing plantlets! Glad you at least got some plantlets off of them... though plantlets are pretty slow-growing so you'll be waiting a long time for those to do much unless you do upgrade your lighting and nutrient setup.

I think your tank would be a good candidate for a DIY CO2 setup, either with your current lighting or an upgrade.

 

[lauraleellbp]

Java ferns in general are so slow-growing that it's hard to notice growth. Best way for me to see growth in my low tech tanks is to compare pictures that are a few months apart.

In general, the more light, CO2, and ferts you give them (in the correct balance), the more quickly and lushly they will grow, though.

 

[lauraleellbp]

IMO there's no reason at all to worry about substrate in a Java fern tank, since they're epiphytic.

To me everything in there looks pretty normal.

 

[lauraleellbp]

ok, i just did some research, and found that things like potassium and nitrates, are needed in the range of 10-20 ppm

and the other nutriunts such as iron, are needed in a concentration of about 0.02 ppm

so, i did a quick calculation, and found that a tiny drop of my fert(assumed to be about 0.1ml) would provide an iron concentration of about 0.04 ppm

and the other nutrents would be in concentrations of aboout 100-1000 times less.

so, why does the bottle say that i have to dose 5ml of the stuff for 5 g

my calculations:

ferric chloride= 0.89%

0.1mg of water * 0.89%= 0.00089 grams of ferric chloride

when added to 5 g tank.

ratio of water to ferric chloride is: 20000mg of water : 0.00089 grams of ferric chloride

1 million / 20000= 50

50 * 0.00089
= about 0.04 ppm

I think you're comparing apples to oranges. No way those levels are needed on low tech tanks.

I'll say it again- if you want to get these java ferns growing more quickly, you'll need to raise your lighting and CO2. Those two factors are much more important at this point. You can provide all the other nutrients you want, but without those two it's a moot point.

Also, no matter how many nutrients you provide, Java ferns are simply very slow growing plants. If you want to watch some plants grow, get some faster growers like Hygrophila.

is this fluorite as in calcuim fluoride?

No, Flourite is a commercial planted tank substrate produced by Seachem.