Are these Java Ferns OK

[cjtabares]

I planted this java ferns in the tank around the same time i added the fish they are growing this red/brown stuff on the plant is it ok. And how lond should they take to root to the pice of drift wood? What are the little leaves growning out of the main leaves they where not there when i bought them?

 

[WyldFya]

The brown on the leaves is just an algae, and can be fixed with better lighting. The small leaves and roots at the ends of the main leaves are daughter plants. Read the stickies for more information.

 

[cjtabares]

what kind of lighting should i get for java ferns?

 

[WyldFya]

They don't need anything special at all. If you want to get rid of the algae, increase the intensity. Without knowing what type of lighting you have, I can't make a suggestion.

 

[Small_Kine_Fishlover]

A friend of mine once told me that if the Java fern is producing keiki (babies) on the leaves, it's because the water quality isn't good enough...don't know if it's true or not but some food for thought.
My java fern rarely produces any keiki on the leaves, it only did when I first started my tank and the water wasn't "settled" yet. Since my tank is about 6 years old, my java fern grows like crazy by growing rhizomes and not keiki on the tips of the leaves.
When my ferns did produce little keiki like that I would just leave it until it got bigger then I would just gently pull it off and re-tie it to a piece of driftwood.
Just give your plant some time and it should start to grow and attach itself to the driftwood. Java fern doesn't require alot of light to grow so maybe it's just your water quality. If I'm wrong someone please correct me.