Java Fern Going Black

Hi All

Ok now before I present my problem , even though it is mentioned in the title lol , I would just like to say... I have no CO2 and I don't use any fertilisers and I understand that my tank will never look like my fellow TASA members planted tanks.

With that said, I recently bought more Java ferns to put into my 18l tank and now the leaves are falling off, they're going brown and look terrible. I have a guppy pair with 7 small fry in a breeding trap, bi-weekly water changes and the rhizome of the fern is not in the substrate. I also have a very prolific vallis population as well as a large snail population ( planorbis and melanoides) .

I do not know the pH, nor do I know the nitrate levels....

I do apologise for the lack of information but if any one could PLEASE start me off in the right direction i would greatly appreciate it!

 

Oh and the temperature is at 28'C - for the fry but they're moving into another tank at the end f the month

 

For filtration I use filtration wool and those white bio filter ring...things

 

Is it possible that the snails are eating or damaging the leaves?

 

Java fern disease. Ada phyton git cures it

 

@TheEel , I woldnt think so as the vallis are perfectly fine . I watch those little buggers very closely and have never seen them harm any plant of mine.
@Ryno , Thanks Ryno but two things ... 1) could I use excel instead 2) I forgot to mention, there is algae on the tank walls and according to James' Planted Tank - Algae Guide the algae I have is consequence of low co2 and low nutrients ( in particularly phosphates) , coincidentally most of the info about "brown leaves" relates to low co2 and low nutrient levels. So basically what I'm getting at is if I add some kind of fertiliser will it work like the ada phython and if so how would the phython differ ( i read about it on Phyton-Git (50l) [103-103] - $19.99 : Aqua Forest Aquarium, ADA USA, Aqua Design Amano but am still a little confused)

 

Java fern doesn't need co2 they come from water systems with lots of flowing well oxigeniated waters low light slow growing plant. Excel wont help cure the disease unfortunately. It sucks sometimes you get it sometimes you dont I dont know the cause of it but also the only cure I know is phyton git

 

@Ryno , sigh, most unfortunate... But thank you very much Ryno ! Will see if I can get some from my lps.

 

New Java fern do take a knock when relocated.
Get a good plant fertilizer and lower the temp to 26

 

Haha, I didn't even know there are such a things as aquatic plant diseases. When I set-up my first tank I had Java fern as one of my very first plants. I didn't know a lot back then, so I planted it in the substrate, but the rhizome was still above the gravel. It grew nicely and then after a while a started seeing darkening patches spreading over the entire plant, emanating from the centre. So I threw some aquarium salt directly on the plant, and it went away after a while. This only happened twice I think, and it had low light and no ferts.
To be honest @DS DG they still look fine to me, the old leaves will go brown and dark and die. Just snip them off.

 

Thanks @Good_Times , but should I trim all the browned leaves? ..... because that's a lot of leaves LOL!

 

I would only trim the leaf in the 3rd last photo, but there's no harm in following Ryno's advice, he knows a lot more about aquariums than I do.