Want Java Fern that fits a nano tank? Java Fern 'Petite' is the smallest of the family — narrow upright leaves two to four inches tall, holding the same near-indestructible rhizome as the full-size plant. It gives you Java Fern reliability at a scale that doesn't swallow small hardscape.
What You’ll Receive
Sold as loose bare-root plants, bunched plants, or potted plants:
- Bare-root Plants: Approximately 6+ leaf portion, loose rhizome
- Bunched Plants: Approximately 6+ leaf portion bundled with foam and plant weight
- Potted Plants: Approximately 6+ leaf portion, potted in rockwool and net pot
Plant Profile
- Common name — Java Fern Petite
- Scientific name — Leptochilus pteropus 'Petite'
- Also known as — Microsorum pteropus 'Petite' (the older name, still widely used)
- Origin — Southeast Asia
- Placement — Foreground to midground, on wood or stone
- Shipped size — Approx. 6+ leaf portion, roughly 1-3 in
- Mature height — 2–4 in
- Suits — 5 gallons and up
- Growth rate — Slow
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Low to medium. Low light keeps it compact; bright light means algae
- CO₂ — Not required
- Water — 68–82°F · pH 6.0–7.5, soft to moderately hard
- Substrate — Not required. Attaches to hardscape and feeds from the water column
- Growth habit — Amphibious. Also grows emersed
- Propagation — Rhizome division, plus plantlets on mature leaves
Grower’s Notes
- Never bury the rhizome. Tie or glue it to wood or rock with the rhizome fully exposed — buried in substrate it rots, and this is how most Java Ferns are lost.
- It clones itself. Small plantlets form along the edges and tips of mature leaves. Once one has a few leaves and roots, snap it off and attach it elsewhere — one portion becomes many over a year.
- Black spots on older leaves are usually plantlet sites or normal aging, not disease.
- Grown emersed at our nursery, which builds a strong rhizome. Expect a short transition as it converts to submerged growth.
- At 2-4 inches this is the one Java Fern that genuinely suits a 5-gallon tank. The standard form reaches 6-10 inches and will dominate that space.
Want the full-size version? See standard Java Fern, or the forked Trident Java Fern.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Java Fern Care Guide.
Notes
- Photos are sample representations. Actual plants may vary in size, shape, or coloration. Unless otherwise specified, we do not guarantee plants are free of pests, pesticides, or exclusively submerged-grown.
- 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 said plants arrive in "great condition" and are "healthy." Most praised the petite size as "perfect" for small tanks. However, some noted receiving individual loose leaves instead of clumped plants, making planting challenging. Customers appreciated the viable rhizomes and new growth. Overall positive experience with healthy plants.
- Plants are in great condition and have done very well since I put them in the aquarium
- These arrived looking exactly as pictured on the website
- The petite version is perfect for my size tank
T
My potted fern came as individual leaves. Made it difficult to plant as a cohesive plant. Good number of leaves at least.
K
Each piece had one leaf and a very tiny piece of rizome. I guess this will be a slow process to grow a full plant. I knew I was getting bare root, but I expected a plant, not just seperate leaves.
T
These arrived looking exactly as pictured on the website. Now the fun begins fitting them into nano tanks and the “petite” is the choice I wish I had from the start. 😀
A
Plants are in great condition and have done very well since I put them in the aquarium a little over a week ago. I’m actually going to order more!
T
Alot of individual leaves with small rhyzomes but they look great and some even had leaves with more little ferns starting to grow
N
awesome!
M
I received 4 or 5 loose leaves. Fortunately the leaves does seem to have some semblance of roots that are hopefully viable. Definitely nothing like the photo.
a
green, crispy, looking like lettuce.
A
Very cute very small just as expected! Granted each leaf was cut individually but attached to their respected ryzome. Would highly suggest they are very cute!
I
These plants came in good shape, healthy and ready to go!
C
I was looking to put a java fern in my 2.5 gallon tank, and the petite version is perfect for my size tank.
I ordered the loose rhizome. The whole purchase went smoothly and I couldn't be happier with the plants that I recieved. If I get more aquatic plants, I will definitely order from this site on the future.
A
I was looking for a smaller variety of java fern and decided on the "petite" variety. Purchased 1 potted plant which arrived looking healthy and had a mix of large and small leaves.
J
As far as being smaller than I might have expected I feel like this is incredibly common with most plants purchased at most places since covid. Both aquatic and terrestrial. Just seems to be life lately. I should probably just put a tag at the end of most reviews about it. Because I was still very happy with my purchase. Very healthy, perfect condition, shipped well. It's been about a week, not much growth yet but looking great in my tank.
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