Not that I know what's really going on but...

Mine did the same thing and I thought it was dying. But for some reason
(laziness?) I didn't remove it as it "died" and one day the brown leaves
started sprouting babies. Now it's doing great and getting much bigger.

My theory is that it doesn't like to change conditions but after dying back
some it will adjust and come back. Can anyone tell me if this is the case?
Cris

In article , "JFM" writes:

I am having no luck growing Java Fern, the leaves having all turned
brown/black in the space of 2 weeks. The plants are attached to bog wood in
the middle of the tank.
....