FWIW my original start of this plant came from Karen Randall (purchased at
an NEC WW auction). It actually grew as well for me in AZ as it does here,
perhaps even better. Also, my guppy and rainbow and WT livebearer tanks
average pH about 7.4. I keep crushed coral in the substrate to buffer and
add minerals. Can't remember if I have kept any Bolbitis in the Rift Lake
buffered tanks since moving to OR (pH 8.3, KH 13), but just for you I will
put some into my Tanganyika/Cyprichromis tank to see how it fares. The tank
(a 4-foot 90 gallon) gets some indirect natural sunlight and has two 40 watt
"residential" flo-bulbs on it... well it will once I put them into the empty
fixture. :-) It is not really meant to be a plant tank, but since it gets
decent light I am planning to add some Crypts (I grew those GREAT in AZ) and
Anubias and not sure what else. Perhaps a lily. The plants will be just for
accent, not a true "plant tank."
I will let you know how this goes.
Seriously tho, don't let the plants even SEE any of those books that say
they are a difficult species. That just spoils. ;-P
Julie <'><
>From: Gary Lange <rainbowfish4u2 at yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com
>To: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [RML] Microsorium brassii (and now Blobitis)
>Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 06:55:03 -0800 (PST)
>
>I think that Bolbitis really grows better in softer waters. I think a lot
>of Europe has pretty hard water or at least that's what I remember Maebe
>and some of the Germans told me. Julie is on distilled water :-) so how
>hard really is her "hard water" tank, probably not as hard as people on
>well water in the midwest. When I first got my bolbitis I got it from
>someone who was on very soft water and it grew great for him. It grows
>fine in my 125 ppm GH water, 3 degrees KH, if I ignore it. In the large
>tank (& low fish population) that doesn't get a lot of water changes it
>thrives. In other tanks where there are more water changes it doesn't do
>as well but does grow. Other people around here that have harder water
>just can't grow it even though other plants grow for them. You may just
>have to stick to the java fern.
>
> cheers,
>
> Gary Lange
>
>
>Julie Zeppieri <bowluvr at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Perhaps you are too nice to them?
>
>I grow mine in various pHs (harder for livebearers, soft in dwarf cichlid
>tanks), and I usually do not give them much light. Many of the Bolbitis are
>attached to wood, but many are not. I don't use CO2 (too lazy) even in my
>tanks with plants that migh appreciate it, and I really don't think the
>ferns (Javas or Bolbitis) need it. I think the most important thing is to
>be
>sure not to let them (the ferns, that is) read the books that say they are
>difficult to grow -- what they don't know may help you. ;-) I wish you
>were on this continent. Then I would send you a couple of mine. Perhaps I
>just have a really hardy group of ferns, after all the years of
>mistreatment
>they have thrived under. :-) I have probably removed most of the "weak"
>genes from them by now. I got my first Bolbitis about 12 to 15 years ago,
>and most of my plants are from the first start. The Dwarf Java Fern I have
>had for about 8 years, and about 9 or 10 years for the Tropica and Windelov
>Javas.
>
>Julie <'><
>
>
> >From: Christophe Mailliet
> >Reply-To: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com
> >To: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com
> >Subject: Re: [RML] Microsorium brassii
> >Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 09:33:30 +0100
> >
> >
> >Hi Julie,
> >From the photo, it seems to be the same plant.
> >It does look like you've got a "fern-tumb" - trying to grow B. heudelotti
> >has always been like burning money for me..
> >Cheers
> >Christophe
> >
> >r_m_l at yahoogroups.com schrieb am 18.11.05 06:40:33:
> >
> >Johannes and/or Christophe,
> >
> >Do you mean this one (see attached photo)? In the US they call it M.
> >pteropus "Short Narrow Leaf." At least, that is what I got it as. I have
> >never had any problems with any of the Java Ferns as far as this
>"critical
> >mass" thing. If anything, I find the scores of tiny babies they produce
>to
> >be rather annoying. Like little green gnats that just get into
>everything.
> >;-) And it seems to grow and thrive as well as, if not better than, the
> >regular form for me. Of all the forms of Java Fern I have (four
>currently)
> >this is the one I find to be the most robust and prolific in my tanks. Of
> >course, I also have extrememly good success with Bolbitis heudelotti,
>which
> >so many people say is touchy. For me it grows under all conditions. I
>even
> >grow it in Betta jars. I can't kill it unless I resort to dumping bleach
>on
> >it. ;-) Maybe I just have a dark-green thumb? :-)
> >
> >Julie <'><
> >
> >
> > >From: Johannes Graf
> > >Reply-To: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com
> > >To: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com
> > >Subject: Re: [RML] Microsorium brassii
> > >Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2005 14:32:00 +0200
> > >
> > >
> > >Hi All,
> > >additionally to those Microsorum species described, there is another
>one
> > >existing in very few numbers. It is adwarf form called "angustifolium"
>(I
> > >am pretty sure that the validity of this name has never been checked).
>It
> > >is a extremly slowly growing, small form or species with dense, oblong
> > >leaves of about 5mm with and about 5-8cm lenght. But very beautiful.
>Like
> > >other forms of Microsorum ("Windelov") it has a critical mass when
> >dividing
> > >it. If you make the pieces too small, it dies.
> > >Best regards, Johannes
> > >
> > >
> > >r_m_l at yahoogroups.com schrieb am 28.10.05 10:26:03:
> > >
> > > Hi All,
> > >
> > > If you can't get M. brassii, you might want to try Bolbitis
> >heteroclita,
> > >a nice fern that supposedly also occurs on New Guinea. Here in Germany,
> > >there is also a very small form of M. pteropus with narrow leaves, that
> >is
> > >being sold as M. pteropus "narrow leaves", which to me looks very much
> >like
> > >M. brassii. It grows very slowly as compared to the normal pteropus.
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > >
> > > Christophe
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> >"You can fool some people sometimes, but you can't fool all the people
>all the time." Bob Marley, 1973.
> >______________________________________________________________
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>
>
>
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