# New moss/fern? Crepidomanes auriculatum,* added pics!



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

That's the un-id'ed fern UG has!


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## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

I love the terrible english translation on that listing:

The leaf the transparency is division pinnate with the dark green. The grass body life it is possible in the driftwood and the stone to stick. As for rearing until it is accustomed to new environment there are times when time is required, but the soft water (low GH, low pH), from acidity weak acidity, the light intensity with the 60cm tank 2 lights, fertilizes generally with liquid fattening/fertilizing subject. Growth is slow, urges growth with CO2 addition... During the shipment, leaves may incur a little defect, such as droop or flat. However, please don't worry about these condition, in a suitable environment for plant living, leaves will spread to the normal status.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 4, 2008)

clwatkins10 said:


> That's the un-id'ed fern UG has!


who is ug? 
yeah the english not so good there lol


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## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

Im guessing he means UglyGenius?


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 4, 2008)

the guy just told me the plant has babys on the ends like a java fern and hes gonna send me some. maybe i can get it to grow lol!


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Be sure to keep us posted on this. It looks nice in the px on ebay....


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## KDahlin (Mar 12, 2007)

I think this is the fern I saw today at Aqua Forest. It was labeled Special Fern; it was going for $18.99! Looks just like it.


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

I'm pretty sure, like CL said, that it's the one I got in Source.

Cool little plant.


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## Daniel*Swords (May 8, 2006)

IMHO, the plant on sale doesn't look like the herbarium specimen in Taiwan (at TAIF, the Herbarium of Taiwan Forestry Research Institute). Another specimen there. It can be that under the water the plant develops differently (grows stuntedly? - it doesn't seem to be aquatic species from the scarce sources on the net), or that the name is not right on the fern for sale.


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## Ebichua (May 13, 2008)

I was told that the source of the fern available in AFA was from the Philippines. The plant, Crepidomanes auriculatum, doesn't originate from there. At least, I don't think it does. I did a quick search on google to find out a little more about that plant. 

I wonder if it's the same though...?


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

I'll be interested in seeing if the fern lasts long term submerged. Seems everyone is trying to throw any moss or fern underwater for kicks.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 4, 2008)

prototyp3 said:


> I'll be interested in seeing if the fern lasts long term submerged. Seems everyone is trying to throw any moss or fern underwater for kicks.


I talked with the guy with and says hes had it about 6 months in his tank and is a slow grower but is growing. it kinda looks like a mini bolbitus to me. well see when i get it next week, ill post good pics of it.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 4, 2008)

heres some close ups of the fern, little plants about 1" well see how big they are in 1 month.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice!


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## KDahlin (Mar 12, 2007)

I bought the plant on Ebay and just got it today. I'll post how it does in my tank.

On the customs slip it said "soft toy". It got here in only a week; I don't think the seller declared it was a live plant.


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

customdrumfinishes said:


> heres some close ups of the fern, little plants about 1" well see how big they are in 1 month.


Probably about 1".

It's not that bad, but these are _really_ slow growers. Akin to a Java Fern, I'd say.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Any new pics of this anyone? Ordered some of the Special Fern for my tank from AFA.  Should be here on Wednesday.

Craig


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## KDahlin (Mar 12, 2007)

*Update*

The plant I bought on Ebay has not been looking very good. I went to AFA and bought the Special Fern and they really do look like the same plant. I hope with time they'll both do well in my tank. The one from Ebay was coming from Taiwan so maybe it's still recovering.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 4, 2008)

the biggest piece i have looks like it has a new leaf but its so small ill have to take a pic and comparee pics. photos above were deleted so ill replace them tomorrow with old and new pic to see if theres any growth.


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

I've found that not only will new fronds form on the rhizome, but plantlets will form under the leaves as well. Make certain to look there for new growth, too.

Also, what are your guys' observations regarding light levels in relation to growth. Preliminary observation leads me to believe that this plant grows faster in shaded areas.


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## KDahlin (Mar 12, 2007)

George at AFA said they've found it to do better in high light. Personally, I thought the plants growing in low light looked better (healthier). The ones growing under high light looked a little yellow.

I have mine growing in 2.3 wpg T5HO light although it's under partial shade.


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## KDahlin (Mar 12, 2007)

I did not have luck with this plant. It eventually just got covered in algae and I removed it. Has anyone else had success with it? Has anyone been able to get it to fill out and get bushier? (I always see it with only two or three fronds). If so, please post pics if possible.


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

Hey Kathy,

I've been able to grow it pretty okay. The hardest thing for me with this one is that my shrimp eat it. Like Purple Bamboo, in the absence of algae or something else delicious, the shrimp go right for it.

I've grown it in all kinds of conditions, but it does better in low-light for me for some reason.

In my Mini-L with twenty-eight watts and pressurized CO2, it grows pretty okay. Here's a picture.

















The most fronds I've gotten off a single rhizome is about five. A really slow grower, this one.


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## KDahlin (Mar 12, 2007)

That definitely looks healthy! Thanks for the pics/info UG!


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## jazzlvr123 (Jul 16, 2007)

i found another online source for the plant however i have never heard of it until now. i just searched Crepidomanes auriculatum in the TPT search engine and this is the thread that came up. if you interested you can buy it here


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Anyone here still growing this?

Craig


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

I've got two small plantlets that UG gave me growing emersed ATM. :biggrin:


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

clwatkins10 said:


> I've got two small plantlets that UG gave me growing emersed ATM. :biggrin:


Nice, Thinking about bringing this plant into my scape. Looks like I will have to try to get some from Taiwan.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Craigthor said:


> Nice, Thinking about bringing this plant into my scape. Looks like I will have to try to get some from Taiwan.


Didn't you use to have some?


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

clwatkins10 said:


> Didn't you use to have some?


 
I did but passed them on as tehy didn't fit the scape. I'll post in my thread about ideas as to not derail this one give me a minute.

Craig


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## Solipsism (Apr 14, 2010)

This fern is not aquatic. I had an email conversation with another fern collector (in addition to aquatic plants, I enjoy collecting terrestrial species) and this what he had to say:

This fern seems to be a "filmy fern". They live in situations immediately next to a waterfall or other very wet environment, but NOT under water. The humidity should approach 95-100% humidity. You could keep it in a terrarium but not an aquarium. They are difficult to keep in an apartment even with a terrarium.


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## ldk59 (Jan 30, 2009)

Solipsism said:


> They live in situations immediately next to a waterfall or other very wet environment, but NOT under water. The humidity should approach 95-100% humidity. You could keep it in a terrarium but not an aquarium. They are difficult to keep in an apartment even with a terrarium.


I'm guessing that noone informed UG's specimen of this limitation 

Good information to have though... thanks for taking the time to post it here roud:

Larry


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

ldk59 said:


> I'm guessing that noone informed UG's specimen of this limitation
> 
> Good information to have though... thanks for taking the time to post it here roud:
> 
> Larry


Just because he has kept it growing for more then a year now submerged :icon_lol:


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

I didn't get the memo on that one. The things been growing great in all of my tanks for a while now. It must be a different fern than what the fern collector identified it as. Or maybe I keep the water so CO2ified, the thing thinks it's breathing air.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Ugly Genius said:


> CO2ified


Carbonated? :hihi:

These ferns grew like mad when I had them in my near 100% humidity grow out tank.


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## Solipsism (Apr 14, 2010)

That it's not aquatic doesn't necessarily mean that it can't grow underwater. As hobbyists we're playing with the nature of things (tying down a liverwort anyone?).


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## Ugly Genius (Sep 27, 2003)

If a plant can grow and reproduce underwater and/or requires permanently saturated soil, is it not aquatic? At least partially so? (I'm not asking this facetiously.) I am curious as to what would make a plant such as this "non-aquatic" if it can survive and thrive submerged for a prolonged period of time.
Many plants termed "non-aquatic" or "terrestrial" in this hobby, will, after a given amount of time, perish in submerged conditions. Mondo Grass is one such plant. This fern has not only survived, but has grown quite readily for close to a year in high and low-tech tanks.
Perhaps I have a definition different from the technical one, but to me if a plant exhibits growth and reproduction submersed for longer than, say, six months, I assume it is at least partially aquatic as it has adapted to live under water. 
Is this incorrect?


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

I think what would make a plant a true aquatic is if it could grow completely submersed in its own habitat. What is it designed by nature to do. We force feed plants to adapt to the enviornment we create. Some adapt more easily than others.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

i dont think there is a set meaning to the term "aquatic". for instance, many plants we keep in our aquariums would grow to the surface, grow horizontally along the surface, and send immersed growth shoots out of the tank (wisteria for instance does this). that would be more like amphibious than aquatic IMO. then there are plants like lilies (ex. the banana plant). the crown and roots are submerged and it will (if it can) grow its leaves right on the surface. the top of the leaf is dry, so it has access to the atmosphere. if the leaf's surface is wet for too long it rots. 

as far as im concerned, the fern is a bog plant. like almost all of the plants we keep.


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## Greasy (Aug 16, 2009)

A bit of an update on this plant, apparently it is of the Asplenium genus instead of Crepidomanes, according to this article:

http://translate.google.com/transla...:en-US:official&biw=1189&bih=652&prmd=ivnsbfd

Does anyone still have it? Haven't seen to many posts with it lately. I recently bought one for a vivarium, figure it might come in handy when my fish tanks goes back up.


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## bloo (Jan 20, 2010)

I know this is an old thread, but it is relevant to me at the moment. 

I've had this growing in my low tech 265g gal for almost a year now. I just pulled it to my work 65g because I'm in the process of rescaping both tanks a bit. I had it up in some driftwood fairly high. I didn't really know where to put it, but it did very well there (completely submerged). It is a slow but steady grower. The roots get a bit unsightly, but new small plants grow from the roots if you want to propagate it. The fronds stay in nice upright form. Stiff and vertical. My tallest frond is about 16". It is a really nice plant imo.


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