will flourite help Java's ?

[Robv1965]

I'm setting up a cichlid tank with just a few slow growing plants. Java fern, java moss , maybe some anubias and some floaters.

Is flourite of any benifit to plants like java fern that don't really root in the gravel? Will it help floating plants?

Should it be avoided with cichlids that like to dig?

Thanks

[Leopardess]

I'm not too sure but your plants may get eaten by certain cichlids (insert disclaimer about not being a cichlid person here: )

Flourite and similar products will not really have an effect on the plants you mention. They pull their nutrients from the water column, rather than from the substrate like a root feeder.

[Robv1965]

I've read that dark green leaves tend to have a bitter taste so most fish won't eat them. Particularly if you keep them well fed.

I currently have a tank with SA cichlids and java fern and the cichlids don't eat it. I've had the java fern for 2 years and it's still spreading. It's the first time I've had any success with plants.

I guess I'll skip the fluorite.

What the best way to get nutrients into the water column?

thanks

[Leopardess]

Honestly, if you're jsut gonna be using java ferns and the like, you can probably get by pretty well without fertilizing at all, imo. They are such slow growers that they don't use up too many nutrients...and water changes provide a lot of the needed nutrients.

I've got java fern in an unplanted ten and I don't fertilize it at all.

You can probably find a bottled fertilizer though, that would replenish some macro/micro nutrients into the tank, if you wanted.

Does depend a bit on your lighting though.

PS: to answer your question, lol, liquid fertilizers (or ferts in the powder form) are how you fertilize in the water column.

[jeffro426]

My mbuna munch on my java fern like its going out of style...they wont touch my java moss or anarchis however. They dont really do all the much digging, and ive only had to replant 1 plant and i think it was mostly my fault of over time knocking it loose with the gravel vac. As long as you have decent lighting(1.5 watts/gal) your java fern should flourish quite well...i have 2-40 watt aquarays and DIY C02 on my 55 and they grow like weeds...almost fast enough to replace what they eat. And no matter how much you feed these guys, they always act hungry and are CONSTANTLY munching on stuff in the tank.

[yhbae]

So I suppose the fastest (best?) way to grow java fern is to add DIY CO2 and some fishes so that nitrates will be available?

[RTR]

Java fern is never "fast". But "best" would be frequent water changes, a couple of Watts per gallon, and light water column nutrients, as Leopardess suggested. Fish do help fertilize and produce a bit of CO2, but it would be best without fish which eat Java Fern. ;)

[Slappy*McFish]

Maybe I'm an exception, but my java fern grows like wildfire. It is attached to a rather good sized piece of driftwood and takes up about 1/4 of my 55g's total space. It has tripled in overall mass this past year. Even my anubias grow pretty quickly...at least a new leaf every week per plant, and frequent flower stalks, as well.

[dethjam316]

my java ferns never grow quickly as individual plants. in fact, they never get especially large. they get to maybe 4 inches, and start to turn brown. what they do accomplish is sprouting a billion baby java ferns from spores on the backs of the leaves. so i end up having a brown java fern with dozens of baby plants sprouting off it. anyone know why this is? in any event, they look great when they're smallish...always assumed it was natural. i add very little in the way of fertilizer and top out at a whopping 1.3w/g, and my plants are growing well overall.

[yhbae]

How long are java moss leaves supposed to grow? Does this depend on the amount of lighting? Although the overall growth seem satisfactory and looks healthy, they don't seem to hrow more than about 3 inches or so in my case at best. My tank has less than 1w/g and no DIY CO2. Nitrate stays below 5ppm probably because of these java ferns...