Java Fern Windelov (Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov') - Potted

Java Fern Windelov (Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov') is the lace-leaf Java Fern. Each leaf splits and forks at the tip into a ruffled, almost antler-like fringe, which gives driftwood and rock a fine, detailed texture that the plain Java Fern does not. It keeps everything that makes Java Fern a beginner favorite: low light, no CO2, slow steady growth, and leaves tough enough that most fish ignore them. See our other live freshwater plants for what to grow around it.

Care Guide

• Never bury the rhizome. The thick horizontal stem the leaves grow from is the rhizome, and it rots if it is pushed into gravel or sand. Tie or glue the plant to driftwood or rock instead. The roots will grab on within a few weeks.
• Unpot it first. Pull off the plastic pot and gently remove as much rockwool as you can without tearing the roots. Attach it with cotton thread, fishing line, or a dab of Seachem Flourish Glue on the rhizome.
• Light: low to moderate. Strong light often causes brown or clear patches on the leaves.
• CO2: not required.
• Fertilizer: it feeds from the water, not the substrate, so root tabs do nothing for it. A liquid fertilizer such as Seachem Flourish is all it needs.
• Water: 68 to 82°F, pH 6.0 to 7.5. Very tolerant.
• Baby plants are normal. Small plantlets form on the leaf tips and the dark spots under the leaves. Pull them off once they have a few roots and tie them somewhere new.

Specifications

Placement and Companions

Where it goes: tied to driftwood, rock work, or the back corner of a scape, in the midground of any tank 10 gallons and up. It is one of the few plants that thrives on hardscape with no substrate at all.

Other rhizome plants we carry: Java Fern on Lava Rock comes already attached and ready to drop in, Anubias Nana gives a rounder, darker leaf for contrast, and Bolbitis Heudelotii is the next step up in size.

Fish and invertebrates: Java Fern leaves are tough and bitter, so goldfish, cichlids and most plant-nippers leave it alone. Safe with shrimp and snails.

Recommended Supplies

• Seachem Flourish Glue: aquarium safe gel glue for attaching the rhizome to wood or rock.
• Seachem Flourish: a liquid fertilizer, since this plant feeds from the water column.
• Java Fern on Lava Rock: the standard leaf, pre-attached.
• Anubias Nana: another low light rhizome plant for the same spots.

FAQ

Can I plant it in the gravel?
Only the roots, never the rhizome. The easier route is tying it to wood or rock, where it grows best anyway.

Why are there black or brown spots under the leaves?
Those are normal. They are where new plantlets form. Brown patches that spread across the leaf itself usually mean too much light or a nutrient shortage.

Will my goldfish or cichlids eat it?
Very unlikely. Java Fern is one of the most fish-proof plants in the hobby.

How is Windelov different from regular Java Fern?
Same species, different leaf. Windelov leaves fork and fringe at the tips, and it stays a little smaller and bushier than the standard form.