Growing Microsorum sp. From the Leaves

Microsorum pteropus or Java fern is a popular undemanding aquarium plant. There are many varieties of this plant in the hobby, some are quite expensive and difficult to obtain. It is a slow growing plant so if you have a small amount and would like to multiply it quickly, this is one of the ways to do it.

First you need to cut off the older leaves of the plant. To tie them down, you can use a rock or a piece of stainless steel wire mesh:

Arrange the leaves parallel, next to each other and tie them to a stone or mesh with fishing line so that the underside of the leaf is facing up:

Black spots or circular bumps that develop on the undersides of the leaves are sporangia (reproductive organs). From them new plants will be born.

Now put the tied leaves into the aquarium and wait. After 3-4 weeks you will see plenty of plantlets:

The plantlets are big enough and can be detached from the old leaves:

They can be glued to the hardscape with gel type super glue. From each plantlet new plant will grow:

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Anubias sp. 'Pangolino' - The Smallest Anubias

Anubias sp. 'Pangolino' is the smallest Anubias existing in the world. It has narrow, very small leaves and very short thick rhizomes.
It was actually discovered when cultivating the Anubias nana ´Bonsai´, which is produced by means of meristem cultivation in Dennerle greenhouse. Occasionally, some seedlings would grow in their cultured plant beds with considerably smaller leaf size. By selection, they have isolated a couple of the “miniature plants” and observed them thoroughly. An important step was the test phase in an aquarium. In cooperation with Dennerle, Mr. Massimo Ianella from Italy has tested this new plant. After some time it became clear that the plant continues to grow steadily in this dwarf form. Being a creative collector of rarities, Massimo almost immediately came up with a great name: ´Pangolino´! This name is inspired by the scaled body of the Pangolin. The narrow leaflets of this new variety are often overlapping like scales. During production as well as in the aquarium, the plants grow extremely slowly. For plant freaks, the ´Pangolino´ Anubias is a true rarity and a genuine enrichment among the miniature plants.
Like most Anubias species, Anubias sp. ‘Pangolino’ does not require much attention. Regular water changes and the occasional dose of fertilizers will keep this plant healthy. It grows well in a wide range of water conditions, but grows fastest in cool water, high light and carbon dioxide inject setups. In lower light conditions, it is truly a low maintenance plant and will continue to grow slowly (1-2 leaves a month). Attach the rhizome to driftwood or rock using thread or fishing line.

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