I'm getting a couple of java ferns for my 10 gallon. I have a nice piece of fake driftwood I can use for them - but will they grow on fake driftwood? Do I need to get them real driftwood? What about porous rocks?
Real Driftwood?
- Thread starter webcricket
- Start date
I think they will grow fine on fake driftwood or rocks as long as they have enough light and food. I think they just use the surfaces as a place to anchor themselves.
Porous is the key word here. They will root into just about any surface but will do better and anchor more quickly into a porous surface.
I've got one that anchored on an Anubia Frazeri leaf.
Len
I've got one that anchored on an Anubia Frazeri leaf.
Len
echoofformless
Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
Java fern roots are some pretty sticky stuff. In fact the first one I bought (at PetsMart no less...) was of course buried in the gravel (blah!) but when I brought it home, it just sunk right to the bottom.
Reason? Because having been buried in the gravel at the store, the roots were loaded with the stuff so it acted like ballast! So that was actually a nice surprise...I had no need to worry about tying it down.
I've had it anchor strongly to the lava rocks in my tank...so much so that it picks them up!
So I'm sure it will anchor to plastic driftwood (though you should really use the real stuff!) or if you want a cheap quicky - go to Lowe's or Home Despot and buy a bag of lava rock that is meant for gas grills. (Make sure it's lava rock, not the ceramic ones.) It's only a couple of a dollars and you get a whole bunch of aquarium safe rock that porous - the perfect anchor for your java fern!
Reason? Because having been buried in the gravel at the store, the roots were loaded with the stuff so it acted like ballast! So that was actually a nice surprise...I had no need to worry about tying it down.
I've had it anchor strongly to the lava rocks in my tank...so much so that it picks them up!
So I'm sure it will anchor to plastic driftwood (though you should really use the real stuff!) or if you want a cheap quicky - go to Lowe's or Home Despot and buy a bag of lava rock that is meant for gas grills. (Make sure it's lava rock, not the ceramic ones.) It's only a couple of a dollars and you get a whole bunch of aquarium safe rock that porous - the perfect anchor for your java fern!
Get REAL driftwood! The real plants are gonna make the fake driftwood look even more fake. When java ferns anchor they are very difficult to detach. If you happen to change your mind down the road and change to real driftwood, it will be very difficult to transfer the plants over. It takes about 2-3 months, IME, for the java ferns to anchor. This is just my opinion, but real is always better for looks and tank quality.
Get REAL driftwood! The real plants are gonna make the fake driftwood look even more fake. When java ferns anchor they are very difficult to detach. If you happen to change your mind down the road and change to real driftwood, it will be very difficult to transfer the plants over. It takes about 2-3 months, IME, for the java ferns to anchor. This is just my opinion, but real is always better for looks and tank quality.
Are dwarf puffers brackish? Salt is usually bad for plants.
Sorry double posted. I meant to edit the above in.
Are dwarf puffers brackish? Salt is usually bad for plants.
Sorry double posted. I meant to edit the above in.
Thanks for the answers guys!
I'm thinking I'll stick with my fake driftwood as it looks pretty convincing and I like the size and shape for the tank. When I walked over to it at the store I picked it up thinking it was real only to discover it was resin, LOL. It's not the typical fake stuff you're probably thinking of!
I'm siliconing together some small porous rocks from the lake this week also (properly boiled of course) to make "rock pots" that I can semi-bury in the gravel and anchor plants to in addition to the fake driftwood.
The dwarf puffers are 100% freshwater fish, so no salt.
I'm thinking I'll stick with my fake driftwood as it looks pretty convincing and I like the size and shape for the tank. When I walked over to it at the store I picked it up thinking it was real only to discover it was resin, LOL. It's not the typical fake stuff you're probably thinking of!
I'm siliconing together some small porous rocks from the lake this week also (properly boiled of course) to make "rock pots" that I can semi-bury in the gravel and anchor plants to in addition to the fake driftwood.
The dwarf puffers are 100% freshwater fish, so no salt.