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Thread: Crypt lovers, share your secrets for promoting submersed growth

  1. #1
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    Crypt lovers, share your secrets for promoting submersed growth

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    Hi folks,

    It seemed like there's a large group of crypt lovers in AQ, myself included.
    Can you share your secrets on keeping crypts in submersed form? How to promote their growth?

    My tips (which is based on my own experience and may not be correct):
    1. Leave them alone after planting and provide stable water conditions.
    2. Use lots of root tabs as crypts are heavy root feeders
    3. Leave the part of the plant where the leaves meets the rhizome exposed. (What's that part of the plant called? Crown? Node?)

    Please add on to the list, and if you have different opinion, I will be very happy to hear about them!

    Hope to hear from other fellow crypt lovers and experts!

    Cheers!
    - eric

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    No one?

    Come on, on the one hand I see crypts put up for sale end up being reserve almost instantenously, yet on the other hand, there's no response here?

    Am I asking a very silly question or is everyone in AQ keeping their crypts emersed?
    - eric

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    No, their keeping their trade secrets.

    Seriously though, I think the common crypts are so easy that most people don't actually have a 'strategy' regarding them. Generally, people focus on getting their other plants healthy and the crypts just happily enjoy the ride.

    In general though, I agree with your point 1. and 2. If there are leaves, I don't find it necessary to leave the growing tip exposed.
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    BossTeck I think majority of the people who are keeping "exotic" crypt are keeping them emersed. People want to see them flower and the condition is more stable. Hehe.

    I think the key to growing nice crypt in submerged form is patient of the grower, and lots of patient.

    You gota bear with the crypt rotting and regrow. Many will just pull it out after rotting, before waiting for the chance for any new shoots to form.

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    I concur with [C]irRuS. Patience is the key to growing nice submerged crypts.
    visit my photo albums @ flickr!

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    Erm... I just plant the crypt, wait for it to melt and then see the new submersed leave emerge... No secrets or whatever... Though I think good substrate fertilization and CO2 will promote the ease and speed of the process...
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

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    Hi,

    Thanks for the response guys. Totally understand the point about emersed growth for purpose of viewing flowers of crypts, however I am in love with the colors brought on by some of the leaves of crypts in submersed form. Some how, the mix of green with tinge of red and brown just makes my day (am I weird?)

    To tell you the truth, I started my crypt-only tank in August 05. My tank specs are 5x2x2.5(ht), with a 3x1.5x1.5 sump tank, my CO2 injection is about 4bps (which I know is too low, but there're folks who keep crypts without co2at all).

    Some time in end 05, I switch my DIY lights (6 x 18W power compact lights) to a 4 x 55W PL (which again, isn't really that penetrative for a 2.5ft high tank, but then again, there're folks who keep crypts in much lower lighting level).

    I had about 4.5 packets of lapis mixed with 2 packets of JBL aquabasis. I supplement it every 6 months with root tabs. Ocean free and some German-brand (I think) root-ball which I got from Systems and Control in Boon Keng.

    Over the 1.5 years, my crypts grew... a little. Today, I would describe them as "leggy" rather than "bushy". It's been 1.5 years now, I have patience but I am beginning to wonder if I am doing something wrong. Sorry, I did not keep track of the length of growth of the leaves or the number of new leaves. But what I can say is, each time I look at my tank, it seemed pretty much the same to say 3 months ago.

    I know they are notorious for growing slowly. Given my tank conditions, is the rate of growth normal? I have C. Wendtii, Petchii, Balansae, X. Willisi, Parva, Affinis, Ciliata (not sure of the id though). Pretty much the so-called easy crypts.

    On a brighter note, few months back, I uprooted some of my balansae (not suppose to move them around, yes I know, but this is the first time in 1.5 years), and I noticed that their root system was really, really vast. I had to cut off about 12-15 cm of the root to replant them elsewhere to make room for another crypt which I got from a fellow hobbyist here in AQ.

    I will take some pics, and post them here, anyway I need lots of help with the ID as well.
    - eric

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    Of course there is ADA Aquasoil Amazonia!

    For me they grow best under medium lighting with some flow (leaves swaying slightly every now and then).

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    Light drives growth....low light = slow growth. Exactly what your crypts are doing in your low light tank.

    Regards,
    Peter Gwee
    Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger

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    I think it is normal for crypt to grow slowly under the condition that you mention, Bossteck.

    But it also depend on the species of crypt.

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    Hi folks,

    Thanks for your repllies. Perhaps I should consider getting MH lights instead. (Wife probably will complain again )

    May I also find out from you guys about your fertilization routine?

    Cheers!
    - eric

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    As for fertilisation regime. It really varies. Some people choose the high end path with ada solution, weekly dose of fertiliser while the others continue with their humble way. Simply lapis and base fert. Both waywork just the result differs.

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    Hi Cirus,

    Thanks for your reply. So what fertilization routine are you using? Care to share some information about your tank parameters / conditions and comment on the growth rate of your crypts? Thanks!

    Cheers!
    - eric

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    I am under the low tech category. I just use lapis sand with base fert. Hardly any liquid fert. The growth rate is slow.

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    It's harder for me to get them to grow fast emersed. No idea why.

    Submersed, it's pretty much just stuffing them into the gravel and they'll grow. I get good dense growth with ADA Amazonia and Flourite substrates. New plantlets emerge after about 4-6 weeks. For example, a C. parva foreground takes 2 months to fill in (initially planted about 1" apart). I don't notice any significant melting even when I move them around.

    Tanks are around 2.5wpg, 27-28deg C, CO2, twice weekly fert dosing.

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    Its not too difficult to get your crypts grow like crazy, with fat nice leaves.

    Using ADA Soil with PowerSand Special and other substrate product is one easy way. Other things to take note would be lights and subsequent fertilization. The plants around the crypt should be keep low and not blocking if you want the crypt to be fat and nice. I just cleared 3layers tall of hairgrass in my big tank and found that all crypts are long and leggy at the bottom.

    I would use MH, high co2 and fertilization for my crypts.

    Never try growing crypts in new tank, you get mostly melted plants. If you have an established tank, you can actually use the water to set up the new crypt tank initially.

    ----

    For keeping emerse crypts, its not too difficult. The key is, your plant should not be half died, or they will take quite a long time to recover or grow even with best condition provided.

    I am using ADA Malayan or Africana with a layer of FERKA Aquabase (Swampy crypts that prefers low ph) for all my exotic crypts. Keep the tank 100% covered, cool water, bright lights and your plants should propagate with big healthy leaves soon (1-2 months? yes).

    You can check out my 2ft emerse crypt tank in my office, with vietnamese, thwaitesii, elliptica, keei, auricuata etc etc.

    Kept some decus silvae in a 24cm cube and they flowered frequently with 18hrs of 36W PL light / day. Teared it down already.
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    bossteck,

    you can add to the base fert by point fertilization with stuff like root moster or fert balls (JBL? this one is more clay-like looking).

    I find that mine grows faster with without water-column fertilization.
    I qualify this from my recent uprooting and rescape on my 2ft crypt tank.

    the new setup is the same except the root monster was not added this time (the yellow shells from the root moster are really annoying when you uproot the plants). they are now growing but at a much slower pace than before.
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    Hi folks,

    I am wondering how effective would water column fertilization be for crypts?
    I am pretty sure they can survive without it, so my question is, how much better would they do with it? What sort of water column fertilizers would you recommend?

    You guys have been really helpful, thanks for answering my queries.

    Cheers!
    - eric

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    I think it proabably depend on the nutrients available?
    Not a botanist, just a spectulation. Could it be that the plants know somehow that if the roots are not getting enough nutrients, they will also take in nutrients through their leaves?
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    In this thread, it is mentioned that the easiest uptake of nutrients for plants is through leaves, rather than roots. However, seems like there is no mention if crypts has a preference on the uptake.

    http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...=leaves+uptake

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