# Brown spots on el niño fern?



## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

My el niño fern has dark brown spots. Particularly around the edges but some in the middle of the leaves.

What could be wrong/ is something wrong?


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Have you got the rhizome buried? It likes best to grow on wood. Like java fern, it'll rot if rooted in substrate. It also really likes water movement, so if you have a filter running put it near that. 

I believe the spots are something to do with ph .. if the ph is alkaline. I don't think it'll drop dead, perhaps you might have to nip the older, unsightly leaves off.


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## craiger75 (May 31, 2012)

Oof ... why do I get the feeling I should've paid attention in Chemistry class? Or. even taken a chemistry class for that matter.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

I wish I had, too. >< PH, GH, buffers, it all does my head in.


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## craiger75 (May 31, 2012)

ROTFL ... Yup!


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

No I dont bury the rhizome. Last time I tested ph it was 7.6. I will trim the most affected leaves and tie it to a decoration...


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

I'm such a dunce. It's a fern - they could be spore spots..

If they're evenly spaced and don't look.. well, like a disease, that's probably what they are.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Got a picture.. what do you think? If it is just sporing- should I still tie it to something? Or should it be ok as long as the rhizome isnt buried? I clean my tank once a week and remove everything except the gravel (so the plants are removed as well)


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

My java fern did that for the first few months in its new tank and as this plant thrives in similar conditions, I'd assume it's much alike. I just nipped the leaves off when they got too spotty. 

The ph is probably a bit high for it, but I dare say it'll adjust in time. It also has a pretty low tolerance for chlorine exposure, so if it's been in non-conditioned water that might not be helping. 

It'll probably start sprouting new, greener leaves once it's settled to the new water conditions. I've read it does much better tethered to wood. Wood will also lower your ph a little (though not so much if you're doing 100% changes.. I don't do those in my heavily planted tank) and since adding the wood, I haven't had any of those marks on any of my fern leaves. It probably will have less effect in 100% change conditions, but it will make moving the plants in and out easier.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Okay  I will look into getting some wood. Are there any other things that will lower PH? I seen a product called PH down or something... does that even work?


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Don't go messing with your ph.. it'll only cause problems for your fish. 

Your plants will adjust in time. Or .. not.  Give it a few months, see if they improve. 

When you get your wood, boil the crud out of it for a couple of hours (some people do this for days, I feel this is a bit of overkill, really) to remove any wood gunk. Then soak it in a bucket until it'll sink.

You'll probably notice your water turning yellowish after you add it, but that's just the tannins in the water leaching out of the wood. Bettas evolved in 'dark water' like that so your fishy will probably really like it. It's not harmful at all and will fade after a couple of months of water changes.

Sometimes it'll get a kind of white goop on it. This is why I keep shrimp.. however, it'll die off on its accord after a week or two, you can just rinse it off in old tank water or suction it off with a vac.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Thanks so much, Aus!


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