scarabeus

Hello everyone!

I wanted to ask if anybody has experience of succesfully combining low-light low-fert plants like java ferns with high-light high-fert demanding plants like f.ex. rotala wallichii/rotundifolia? If yes, how did you do it?

I'm struggling with my bigger leaf java ferns under my 2x150w metal halide lamp. The big leaves "burn" to brown holes and die away. Tank is 60cm high, about 325 litres. The smaller java ferns with leafs ending in "fingers" seem to be doing just fine.
I'm adding daily 10ml CO2 with Easycarbo, and fertilising weekly with 30ml of Easylife Ferro and 30ml of Easylife Profito. Should I just call it a day with the bigger Java Ferns under such powerful light and get some more light/fert demanding/tolerating plant as substitute? Does anybody have any suggestions what plants might be plausible? Epiphytes if possible, because I'm little bit short of bottom surface with all the hardscape around.

Thanks in advance for tips, added a photo to clear out the situation. The smaller ferns were planted right when starting the tank (1 year ago) and the bigger are more recent addition, maybe 3 months ago.

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The Trigger

You have to shade them heavily or dapple the light that's reaching them. Same thing happened to me, but once I stuffed the java fern in the corner and shaded it with a crapload of rotundifolia, it started growing normally with no burning.

muddelicious

The "finger" java fern is 'wendelov'. I'm not an expert on burning leaves but I do know Java fern often has to acclimate and dies a little, it might be that the high light is too much for it suddenly. Also you could shade it with floating plants like Red Root Floater (loves high light and slow water current) or salvinia. Some plants dont like Easycarbo and will melt so definitely do internet searches on the plants before you get them.
I have a 10 gallon with 48watts which is pretty high light and i grow Java fern wendelov and needle leaf, mosses and some other highlight loving plants. Ive noticed only rare burning on the needle leaf but I also use CO2 gas not liquid. My lights are T5 HO.

Yo-han

I've ferns under high light as well, no problem. Only thing is that the tips being transparent because they grow harder then normal. I use profito as well and think 30 ml is very low dosing for so much light. That is even lower than the recommended dose for your tank, but the light is way more than standard. The recommended dosings from easy life are based on standard dutch/german tanks with low light and few plants. When using more light, they recommend using 2-3 times the dosing.
In my 400L I use 15-20ml daily depending on the plant mass. That brings me to the second point: dosing ones a week is not enough for high light tanks. You should consider dosing daily or bi-daily. Remove most of the old leaves, up the dosing, and wait 3-4 weeks to see what the new leaves look like

Regards