What's this brown stuff?

[Coolysd]

Hi y'all!
Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong and how to fix it? I'm a super rookie when it comes to plants and honestly don't have a clue what I'm doing. I've included a "before" pic of the Java Fern back in Feb when I first got it. It's attached to a large piece of driftwood. The Anubias is also attached to a small piece of driftwood. TIA!!

 

[Colin_T]

The brown leaves look like terrestrial leaves breaking down underwater and possible some brown algae on them. Most aquarium plants are grown hydroponically with wet roots and dry leaves. When the plants get put underwater, the terrestrial leaves die off and get replaced with true aquatic leaves.

The dark green spots on the Anubias leaf is just algae. The plant needs to be in a slightly shaded spot or given less light to stop the algae growing. Anubias is a garden plant and not a true aquatic plant. When kept underwater, they grow slowly and are subject to algal problems.

The following link has info on basic aquarium plants and might interest you.

Aquarium Plants 1.01

AQUARIUM PLANTS 1.01 TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly. In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at...

www.fishforums.net

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I am not so sure the browning leave were terrestrial. However, they are definitely dying. I have ferns in tanks for years which lose leaves the same way. I have not bought a Java fern in decades. The huge ferns I sent you a while ago came out of the tank of the master aquatic plants grower in my fish club. He has several big tanks filled with plants and he uses pressurized CO2 in them all. He always brings a bunch of nice plants to sell in the auction the club has at the end every meeting.

I assume the middle pic of the 3 in your post is one of those plants?