Java fern
Microsorum pteropus
PlantsFreshwater
- Care level
- Easy
- Maximum size
- 30 cm
- Temperature
- 20–28 °C
- pH
- 6–7.8
- Light
- Low
- Diet
- Photosynthetic
Care at a glance
The Java fern is, along with anubias, the classic indestructible aquarium plant: broad, ribbed leaves on a creeping rhizome that you attach to wood or stone rather than plant in the substrate. Low light, no CO2, and soft or hard water alike are no problem at all.
As with anubias: never bury it, or the rhizome rots. Black dots and patches on older leaves are usually not a disease but young plantlets forming — you can pick them off and attach them separately once they have their own roots. That way a single plant fills an entire back wall within a couple of years.
Related species
Keep Java fern in the BlubHub app
Add this species to your inhabitants, with count and photos, and see the care info next to your own water values, target bands and reminders. Free, no account, everything on your own device.
Values are mainstream hobbyist guidance, not gospel — always watch what your own animals need.