Tropica Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow' Aquarium Plant on Wood | Java Fern

Bare-bottom tanks, breeding setups and aquariums with very fine substrates all share a problem: planting anything in them is awkward. A fern grown on wood sidesteps the issue entirely. Here Tropica supplies Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow' — the narrow-leaved member of the java fern group — already established on a wooden mount, listed in our Plants on Wood collection.

This selection takes its name from its foliage: a narrower leaf than the standard java fern profile. Tropica grades the plant Easy and records its growth type as rhizomatous, meaning the rhizome creeps across whatever it is fixed to instead of demanding substrate. In practice that makes this one of the lowest-commitment ways to bring live planting into a freshwater tank — there is nothing to bury, anchor or weigh down.

Live plants still have requirements, of course. Before checkout, compare the listing's care basics with your own setup; the standing advice for every plant we sell is to check light, fertiliser and CO2 against the layout it is joining. An Easy grading does not mean zero requirements — it means the requirements are modest and predictable, which is exactly what a wood-mounted format complements.

What you are buying

• Plant: narrow-leaf java fern — Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow'
• Grown by: the Tropica nursery
• Difficulty rating: Easy
• Habit: rhizome-based growth on the mount
• Supplied: attached to wood, ready to place
• Check first: lighting, fertilisation and CO2 fit

A note on stocking

Because the fern arrives as a finished piece, placement takes seconds — but choose deliberately, since plants establish best when left undisturbed. If the mount ever needs relocating, move it as a complete unit rather than detaching the fern. For gift purchases the format is hard to beat too: the recipient needs a running freshwater tank and nothing else, no planting skill required. Check the dimensions of your intended spot before ordering so the mounted piece sits comfortably where you imagined it. Pair it with other items from our Tropica plants-on-wood and potted ranges to build out the rest of the display in the same order. Everything ships with tracked UK delivery, and adding plants to a mature, stable aquarium gives them the smoothest possible start.