Choose your pot size
- Standard (5cm pot)
- XL (9cm pot)
Both options are the same plant. XL is a larger supplied specimen. Pot diameter is not plant height; living plants vary naturally. One selected potted plant is included.
Java fern is one of those rare aquarium plants that genuinely thrives on neglect. It attaches directly to wood or rock — no substrate planting needed — making it one of the most versatile and forgiving plants in the hobby. Simply tie or glue the rhizome to a piece of driftwood or stone, and it will slowly anchor itself and grow from there.
Its distinctive lance-shaped, deep-green wavy leaves grow at a slow to moderate pace, giving the plant a natural, established look that suits almost any aquarium style — from simple community tanks to detailed aquascapes. It tolerates low to medium light without CO2 injection and adapts to a very wide range of water conditions, including harder water.
Once settled, Java fern is extremely long-lived and largely self-maintaining. New plantlets form naturally on the leaf tips and can be left to develop or detached and repositioned once they have a few roots.
- Position: Attach to wood or rock (never bury the rhizome)
- Light: Low to medium — no CO2 required
- Water: Adaptable, including harder water
- Tank size: 30 litres and above
- Origin: Southeast Asia
Supplied as an established potted plant. Remove from the pot and rockwool before attaching to hardscape.
Need help planting it? Read our guide to attaching Java fern to wood or rock.
XL size and care notes
Microsorum pteropus, known universally as Java fern, is one of the most iconic and widely kept aquarium plants in the world. It produces broad, wavy-edged dark green leaves from a creeping rhizome that attaches naturally to driftwood and rock, giving it the appearance of a plant growing wild on submerged hardscape. This XL version supplies a larger, more established specimen with a long rhizome and many leaves, providing immediate impact without waiting for growth.
Care is extremely simple. It thrives in low to medium light without CO2 injection and adapts to virtually any water conditions — soft or hard, tropical or temperate. Growth is slow but the plant is extraordinarily long-lived. It is largely ignored by herbivorous fish, making it one of the few plants that works reliably in cichlid and goldfish tanks.
Attach the rhizome to a substantial piece of driftwood or a rock using cotton thread or aquarium-safe superglue — never bury it in substrate as this causes rot. The roots anchor themselves naturally over time. Small adventitious plantlets develop on the leaf surfaces and can be removed and attached elsewhere once they have grown their own roots.
