Java Fern attached to driftwood is the shortcut past the hardest part of using it — the tying, the waiting, the months before the rhizome grips. This arrives already established on a small piece of wood, ready to place and reposition.
What You'll Receive
- Sold as a Plants on Small Driftwood. (Driftwood size: 2 inches)
Plant Profile
- Common name — Java Fern
- Scientific name — Leptochilus pteropus (syn. Microsorum pteropus)
- Also known as — Microsorum, family Polypodiaceae
- Origin — Southeast Asia
- Placement — Midground; sits on the substrate or wedges into hardscape
- Mature height — 6-10 inches
- Growth rate — Slow
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Low to medium
- CO₂ — Not required
- Water — 68-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5
- Substrate — None needed; feeds from the water column
- Growth habit — Amphibious epiphyte
- Propagation — Rhizome division
Grower's Notes
- Do not bury the wood. Set it on the substrate or wedge it between rocks. Pushing it under gravel buries the rhizome, and a buried Java Fern rhizome rots — the single most common way this plant is killed.
- Black spots on old leaves are baby plants, not disease. Java Fern reproduces by growing plantlets along the leaf margins. Leave a spotted leaf in place until each plantlet has roots and two or three leaves, then detach and attach it somewhere new.
- Keep the light low. It grows slowly enough that strong lighting mostly feeds algae on the leaves. Shaded positions produce cleaner, darker fronds.
- New driftwood may float. Weigh it down or wedge it in place for the first week or two until it waterlogs. Do not bury it to hold it down.
- It feeds from the water, not the substrate. Root tabs do nothing here. A basic liquid fertilizer is all it needs, and even that is optional in a stocked tank.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Java Fern Care Guide.
Notes
- Pictures are not the actual plants you will receive, but a sample representation. Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be free of pests, and pesticides, grow emerged or submerge.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised this healthy aquarium plant for its "vibrant green" color and generous size. Most found it "perfect" for tanks. Praised for quick shipping and careful packaging. One shopper noted driftwood floats initially and isn't pre-rooted, requiring added weight. Overall, customers said plants "exceeded expectations" and arrived in excellent condition.
- Such a vibrant green and a generous size plant. Very happy
- Perfect size for my 5 gallon! Plant is healthy and looks great.
- Very pleased with healthy plant. It was larger than I expected.
S
Such a vibrant green and a generous size plant. Very happy
A
I'm in love with the Java Fern and APF delivers like no other. I'm so happy and it looks great in my betta tank!
L
The best quality plants i’ve gotten! It was a little small, but I expected that. Definitely will
be returning for more plants :)
D
Very pleased with healthy plant. It was larger than I expected.
R
Java fern came in padded packaging and was in perfect condition. Looks great in my tank.
T
Driftwood is floating. I hope it sinks
F
Beautiful plant! Love APF!!!
A
These were exactly as described, and are a great addition to a 5 gal (nano) aquarium.
D
VERY NICE LOOKING HEALTHY PLANTS
N
The plants arrived quick and in great condition, I had it for 3 weeks and is doing great.
C
Perfect size for my 5 gallon! Plant is healthy and looks great.
S
I rarely leave reviews but this company is simply amazing. After placing my order online, I immediately received an email thanking me for my purchase and if I had any questions, to please feel free to contact them. AMAZING! Second, I received constant updates from the company regarding my shipment. It was quick by the way! Upon receiving my box, I was quite impressed with how the plants were packaged with such care. The Java Fern was very healthy and looked better than what I expected. This company cares about their customers and it shows.
Thank you!
I look forward to future purchases.
A
I received the plant and the driftwood. I was expecting the plant to be actually rooted to the driftwood and the driftwood to be waterlogged so it would sink.
I will adjust my expectations down, going forward.
The plant was stuck in a drilled hole in the driftwood and held in place by rock wool. I could have easily done that with driftwood I have and could have saved some expense for the driftwood/plant combination.I had to add a weight to the bottom of the wood to get it to sink, rather than float on top.
The plant arrived in good shape and looked good. Since this my very first plant purchase online, I did not know what to expect.
They shipped quickly and the plant was packaged well in a small cardboard box and sealed in a bag inside.
In retrospect, I will never order driftwood/plant combinations again. I will only order plants.
J
Everything that I ordered arrived quickly and super healthy.
A
This java plant on driftwood is absolutely beautiful. Brings my tank to life. I love it and it's the perfect size for my tank.
G
The Java Fern was in excellent packaging and arrived in excellent condition.
c
Beautiful plant. Exceeded expectations. Thank you.
B
Fantastic product so far. No real problems with the plant that won't mend themselves as it acclimates to my tank. The driftwood is fairly sizable (seemed larger than 2 inches as advertised) and the plant is robust with many leaves. I will definitely order more from APF.
M
Great service on time arrival healthy product
K
The java fern I received is beautiful and healthy. A wonderful addition to my tank.
L
Do I need to prep the plant before putting in tank? Soak in peroxide etc?
It's totally up to you.
R
How long is that actual fern from driftwood to tip of plant ?
The driftwood piece itself is a small size, around 2 inches, but the Java Fern attached to it will keep growing well beyond that once it's established in your tank - the leaves themselves typically reach several inches tall over time. Since it's a slow-growing, hardy plant, you'll see it gradually fill out and get taller/bushier the longer it's established, rather than arriving at a fixed final size.
J
I’m concerned about introducing pests ir snails into my tank with new plant purchases. Are you able to ship plants that aren’t tissue culture yet still pest free? I’m considering your Java Fern on driftwood specifically, but am open to other taller plants.
Great question! For plants that aren't tissue culture (which is the only format we can guarantee is fully pest and pesticide-free), we can't promise 100% pest-free since they're grown in outdoor/pond conditions, including the Java Fern on Driftwood. What we'd recommend is giving any non-tissue-culture plant a good rinse and a close visual check (especially the undersides of leaves and nooks in the driftwood) before adding it to your display tank, and quarantining new arrivals for a week or two if you want extra peace of mind. If having a guaranteed pest-free plant is the top priority, our tissue culture line would be the safer bet, while our regular plants (including plants on driftwood) come with the small trade-off of not being able to make that same guarantee.
M
Do you remove the packaging around the fern before placing in aquarium?
No. Simply rinse the plants in freshwater and place them in your aquarium.
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