Crypt lovers, share your secrets for promoting submersed growth

[PeterGwee]

If the water column is rich in nutrients, why switch to root uptake since pathways are longer. Plants are "lazy" and would prefer the easiest way out if possible unless they had no choice. Some folks still think nutrients in water column causes algae till now.....

Regards,
Peter Gwee

[itssg]

Beside using the ADA soil. ADA Multi Long Bottom and Multi Iron Bottom are very good fertilizer to grow crypts. Use both of them and you will be abled to see the result within a week.

[Ah_ZhaN]

I am growing my submeresed crypts in Aquasoil 'Amazonia' supplement with Ferka 'Rosetta' on a monthly basis. Together with the high tech conditions provided (as stated by lorba and Peter), my crypts are growing quite well so far, especially C.petchii and parva. However, my barclaya 'red' had melted away completely without any recovery for the past few months.

As for planting/introduction of new crypts(submerse or emerse), I follow the advice of Azmi by soaking the crypts for serveral days to a week. Then finally remove the melted leaves and plant the crypts into the soil/substrate.

[StanChung]

Some folks still think nutrients in water column causes algae till now.....

It's definitely not the cause but it certainly helps it IMHO. Esp. the hairy tufts that feels like cotton when you pull on it.
That one is the nastiest that loves EI methods[or whatever hi methods!]- hi light+hi nutrients + hi CO2.

As for crypts, i agree with Roland about using hi lighting to boost the thickness and lushness in growth. The low light areas in my tank have very very slow growth.
The AS helps crypt growth a lot in my tanks too.

Aslo IME can confirm that Crypts hate new tanks. I've introduced many crypts for a new tank that have meltdown shortly after. Affinis emersed seems resistant to melting opposed to submersed in new tanks.

[bossteck]

Seemed like I need to upgrade my lights.
Thanks folks for all your inputs.

[ytlammm]

Hi bossteck - Can i check with you where to find varieties of crypts at west area ? C328 ?

And how to determine whether tank water is considered stable as mentioned crypts melt and resistant to tank change ?

[bossteck]

Hi,

I got my crypts from Teo's farm it is at Lim Chu Kang area. I think you can do a search for list of LFS and you can get the exact address + telephone number. I also bought some from Weirong, a fellow hobbyist here in AQ. Others I got from the LFS near my place which had since closed down.

I do not have any scientific method to determine if the tank water / tank conditions are stable or not. What I do is just plant and leave it along, on my part, I try not to mess around with the tank and water conditions too much. That's pretty much it.

[valice]

I am growing my submeresed crypts in Aquasoil 'Amazonia' supplement with Ferka 'Rosetta' on a monthly basis. Together with the high tech conditions provided (as stated by lorba and Peter), my crypts are growing quite well so far, especially C.petchii and parva.

I do noticed that my crypts will initially melt abit after the insertion of my Ferka tabs. But the new shoots that comes out after the melt is fantastic. Big long leaves.

Do you experience that?

[|squee|]

Same experience here, they melt, then grow nice leaves after that. Mine are in a non-CO2 so they melted quickly fast, then grew leaves slowly.

[bossteck]

This is interesting!

I have never tried Ferka tabs myself. Tried to find it couple of months back, went to C328, out of stock, went to Petmart (I just rechecked Green Chapter's site, Petmart is not listed as one of the local agents, but I could have sworn that I saw it listed as one then...) anyway, went to Petmart, also don't have. In the end, gave up.

But based on the description you guys posted, I think Ferka tabs, unlike other root tabs, would release it's contents much faster. Perhaps it is this change in availability of fert that causes the old leaves to melt? Just a guess.

[PeterGwee]

It's definitely not the cause but it certainly helps it IMHO. Esp. the hairy tufts that feels like cotton when you pull on it.
That one is the nastiest that loves EI methods[or whatever hi methods!]- hi light+hi nutrients + hi CO2.

Cladophora hangs on pretty well and grows very fast in good conditions (enough light, good CO2 and nutrients) once induced. They seem to be induced in tanks dosed on the lean side or allow nutrient levels to get low. I had it once and the only way to get around it is to remove all of it and correct the tank conditions. It does not come back at all once the hard cleaning work and correcting of tank conditions is done.

Regards,
Peter Gwee

[StanChung]

Cladophora hangs on pretty well and grows very fast in good conditions (enough light, good CO2 and nutrients) once induced. They seem to be induced in tanks dosed on the lean side or allow nutrient levels to get low. I had it once and the only way to get around it is to remove all of it and correct the tank conditions. It does not come back at all once the hard cleaning work and correcting of tank conditions is done.

Regards,
Peter Gwee

It's resistant to removal. Hangs on to roots of ferns.
Perhaps this is better saved discussed in the Fert and Algae section.

[PeterGwee]

You need to remove the infected plant then if that is the problem and only return those uninfected ones. I have not had cladophora ever since with the good clean hard work done. You need to do a good cleaning and that sometimes mean removing the infected part or the whole plant.

Regards,
Peter Gwee

[StanChung]

Let's discuss this here

[valice]

This is interesting!

I have never tried Ferka tabs myself. Tried to find it couple of months back, went to C328, out of stock, went to Petmart (I just rechecked Green Chapter's site, Petmart is not listed as one of the local agents, but I could have sworn that I saw it listed as one then...) anyway, went to Petmart, also don't have. In the end, gave up.

But based on the description you guys posted, I think Ferka tabs, unlike other root tabs, would release it's contents much faster. Perhaps it is this change in availability of fert that causes the old leaves to melt? Just a guess.

You can try Biotope. Or Sera Centre.
The latter definitely carries them...

I believe like you mentioned, it could be the fast release of nutrient. So a sudden change of parameters triggering the melt experience by me and Terence.

[Justikanz]

My emersed crypts are suddenly melting... Guess growing crypts emersed also not easy...

[Ah_ZhaN]

I believe like you mentioned, it could be the fast release of nutrient. So a sudden change of parameters triggering the melt experience by me and Terence.

I do experienced the same situation too. Even when I am switching to EI fert regime, my crypts melted too.

[lorba]

I have been using FERKA Rosetta all the while for the cryptocorynes and I do not think inserting them would have excessive nutrients enough to cause melting.

I think, the key factor to keep big, strong, healthy, beautiful cryptocoynes underwater is to provide good water current around the plants and constant supply of co2 without big fluctuation. Bearing in mind that most crypts are flowing in fast flowing streams.

Change in lighting regime triggers melting. They can get use to say, few hrs of MH and few hrs of FL / day, but changing the bulb may set the melting off.

[valice]

Hmmm... You doing it regularly?
I insert once in a while. So there might be a condition change in the process...

Oh yah, any trained botanist here? I still wondering, what part of the plants actually absorbs nutrients?
Stomata? or roots?

I read in TFH, iirc, that aquatic plants don't really have stomata like terrestrial plants, so what;s the avenue to absorb nutrents in the water? And if the arguement that intake from water column is easier, then, what's the purpose of the roots? Do they still absorb nutrients or shut off?

And for stem plants, I noticed that they like to form dangling roots from the internodes and tries to grow downwards into the substrate, so what's the purpose of these roots? If they can absorb nutrients from the water column, why the need to grow downwards? Any how grow can already mah...

[|squee|]

I'm no botanist, but I've read somewhere that aquatic plants can take in nutrients from both leaves and roots. Roots are still needed for mechanical attachment to the substrate.