African Water Fern

African Water Fern (Bolbitis heudelotii) is an aquatic plant in the family Dryopteridaceae. It is native to Central/West Africa. Bolbitis heudelotii is a fern of moving water, and the flow is not optional. In the wild it grows on rock in streams and rapids across Central and West Africa, and in a tank it wants the same: cool water at 20 to 26 °C (68–79 °F), soft and acidic, and current running over the leaves. In warm, still water it sulks and the fronds go brown at the edges. It reaches around 30 cm, with translucent dark green leaves finely divided into a lace-like structure. Like Anubias and Java fern it is an epiphyte: the rhizome must be tied or glued to wood or rock and never buried, or it rots. It grows slowly, so give it time rather than fertiliser.