What Is This On My Java Fern?

[Madness13]

Can someone please shed some light as to what this growth is on my Java Fern?

http/i43.tinypic.com/1zeujas.jpg
http/i42.tinypic.com/2vbsygn.jpg

Is it seeding? If so, do I need to do anything in particular?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Those are 'plantlets'.  The plantlets will grow bigger and the leaf it is on will slowly die.  When the leaf dies, the plantlets float away on the current to grow elsewhere... its one of the ways that java ferns propagate.  (the other way is to have their rhizome cut.)

 

[Madness13]

So the dead leaf can be thrown away and I can then just plant the plantlets?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yes, but not 'plant' instead attach to something.  It will grow a rhizome (as the parent fern has) and that MUST be in the water flow, and can't be buried.  If buried the plant will die.

 

[Madness13]

Ah okay! There seems to be quite a few plantlets so I'll just keep an eye on them until they are ready. Thanks for the advice

 

[eaglesaquarium]

No worries... I have so many java ferns in my home tank now that there's almost always a plantlet or two floating around.

 

[Madness13]

Well if I didn't ask, I most probably would've picked them out of the tank because I heard that dead plants can be toxic to the water. They can grow unattached too right?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yup... they will grow just 'floating' around as well.