About the species

'Duet' is a ready-grown combination of Java fern and Anubias barteri var. caladiifolia on a large piece of mangrove wood. The fern's narrow, dark green leaves contrast with the broad, heart-shaped Anubias foliage, and both grow attached to the wood rather than in the substrate. Both species are slow, and their leaves live for years, so the picture only grows denser.

Facts

• Latin name: Microsorum pteropus & Anubias barteri var. caladiifolia
• Plant type: Rhizome plant
• Origin: Cultivated variety
• Height: 15–20 cm
• Growth rate: Slow
• Position: Wood and stone

Light requirement

Low light requirement. It manages with the lighting that comes with most aquariums and is happy in partial shade behind or beneath taller plants. Strong lighting does not harm it, but raises the risk of algae on the leaves because the plant cannot use all the available light.

CO₂ & nutrition

Manages entirely without added CO₂, which makes it as suitable for a simple aquarium as for an aquascape. Liquid carbon or injected CO₂ speeds up growth but is never a requirement. Dose an all-round fertiliser with iron and micronutrients every week.

Planting

The rhizome must never go into the substrate — it will rot. Instead tie or glue the plant onto a piece of wood or a stone using fishing line, thread or plant glue, and leave it until the roots have taken hold on their own. It can also simply be wedged into a crevice in the hardscape.

Rinse the wood in aquarium water and place it where a gentle current passes the leaves. Large pieces of wood may need wedging down for the first few days until they sink on their own.

Care & propagation

It needs almost no maintenance at all. Propagation is simple: divide the rhizome with sharp scissors or a knife so each piece keeps at least three or four leaves. Make sure there is a gentle current past the plant so no debris collects between the leaves.

Position in the aquarium

It grows on hardscape rather than in the substrate, so it can be placed anywhere in the aquarium — on a piece of wood, a stone or a back wall. That makes it as useful in the foreground as high up in the layout.

Difficulty level

🟢 Easy — grows in most aquariums without CO₂ and under ordinary lighting.

Delivery format

Delivered pre-grown on a large XL piece of wood. A single specimen is enough to serve as the focal point of the aquarium and is ready to place straight away, with no planting.

Recommendation

A ready-made focal point for anyone who wants an established centrepiece straight away, with no planting and no tying. Place the wood where a gentle current passes the leaves and keep it out of the strongest light, and the long-lived foliage stays free of algae.