Asian Bolbitis (Bolbitis heteroclita)

Description

Species Background
Bolbitis heteroclita is a Southeast Asian fern found along shaded forest streams, seepages, and river margins where water movement is gentle and light is filtered through canopy cover. It often grows attached to rocks or wood at the water’s edge, sometimes fully submerged and sometimes emerging during seasonal low water. This amphibious lifestyle explains both its toughness and its patience. It is a true fern, closer in behavior to Bolbitis heudelotii than to typical stem plants, and it grows at its own deliberate pace.

Growth Behavior
This is an epiphytic fern. It grows from a creeping rhizome that should be attached to wood or stone rather than buried. New fronds emerge slowly from the rhizome and harden over time. Growth is steady but unhurried, and sudden changes in light or water conditions can cause older leaves to stall while new, better adapted fronds replace them.

Size and Growth Form
Submerged growth typically reaches 6 to 12 inches tall, depending on conditions and form. Leaves are finely divided, irregular, and distinctly fern like, giving the plant a wild, untamed texture. The growth form is loose and spreading rather than compact, with fronds arching outward from the attachment point. Small fish often weave through the leaves, and biofilm develops readily on older fronds for grazers.

Aquascaping Tip
Attach Asian Bolbitis to driftwood or shaded stonework where its fine texture contrasts with broad leaf plants and breaks up hard lines in the layout.

Water Parameters
Temperature: 68 to 80°F
pH: 5.5 to 7.5
GH: 1 to 8
KH: 0 to 4

This species prefers soft to moderately soft water and is especially stable in low KH systems. While it can tolerate neutral conditions, long term growth is strongest in slightly acidic, low mineral setups that mirror shaded forest streams.

Light Requirements
Low to medium light. Bright light is not necessary and can encourage algae on the slow growing leaves. Under lower light, growth is slower but leaves remain cleaner and more durable.

CO₂ Requirements
CO₂ is not required but is beneficial. Supplemental CO₂ improves leaf size, color depth, and overall vitality, but the plant remains stable in non CO₂ tanks when conditions are consistent.

Nutrient Requirements
Primarily a water column feeder. Regular liquid fertilization supports healthy new fronds. Root tabs are unnecessary and burying the rhizome should be avoided.

Tank Placement
Midground or background when attached to hardscape. Best used attached to wood or stone in shaded or low flow areas. Shrimp, snails, and other micrograzers frequently colonize the fronds.

Why Aquarists Keep It
Asian Bolbitis is valued for its natural, untamed appearance and its ability to create a calm, forested feel in an aquarium. It adds texture without visual heaviness, provides shelter for fish, and thrives in mature, stable tanks where patience is rewarded.

A natural, beautiful fern with lush, finely textured leaves that creates a calm, shaded habitat in freshwater aquariums and thrives with stable conditions and moderate care.