My biotope aquarium

Common names: African water fern

Explanation of the name: in the first name heudelotii - named after J. Heudelot, a French researcher who collected plants in Guinea and Senegal from 1828 to 1837.

Care: a little demanding (3/10)

Family: Dryopteridaceae

Lighting: low to medium, 6-8 hours a day, (0.5w / l or 20 lumens / l)

Size: in the aquarium about 50 cm

Water conditions: pH 5.5 - 7, kH 1-6, Temperature 24-27 ° C

Propagation: It is easily propagated by cutting the rhizome, which is attached to wood, rock or any other object. Care should be taken not to bury the rhizome in the base as it will rot.

Color: green

Source: West Africa: Benin; Ivory Coast; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Liberia; Mali; Nigeria; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Togo
South Africa: Angola; Malawi; Mozambique; Zambia; Zimbabwe, Transvaal.

Northeast Africa: Ethiopia. East Africa: Kenya; Tanzania; Uganda
West Central Africa: Cameron; Central African Republic; Congo; Gabon; Zaire

Biotope / Habitat: This fern is an epiphyte (that is, a plant that has a root on a tree trunk or branches and not in the ground) found in tropical, shady water sources with strong currents.

Growth: slow, can be submerged or above water, likes to be near a stronger stream of water, grows faster with the addition of CO2.
Planting: attach it to stones or roots, never to the base. As it is a larger plant, we place it in the middle to the back of the aquarium, under the hanging roots in the shade or on them to look out of the water.

Special features: The fern grows slowly, the leaf per month, a little more when it adapts and is in optimal conditions. It prefers slightly acidic and soft water with good water movement, the addition of CO2 is recommended but not necessary. He doesn't like changing parameters. Increased lighting can help accelerate growth.

B. heudelotii is an excellent plant in the background of the aquarium with long, dark green leaves, with a characteristic texture that can reach 6 - 20 centimeters in length. Often the leaves are translucent, especially in young leaves. It provides a nice contrast to almost all other aquarium plants and can be used in larger groups or as a stand-alone plant. It is especially nice to use it as a dark background for a bright green plant or a dark red lotus in the foreground.

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