Crypt melted

[fookie]

Hi

I purchased some crypt ( not sure what are they called) from LFS about 1 week ago and they seems to be melted. Is this normal? Are they all dead? Some of them are without any leaves at the moment, all melted.

I have co2 injected and dosing with tropica premium fertilizer. Other plants are growing normally.

Thank you

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[Urban Aquaria]

Thats called "crypt melt" which commonly occurs in cryptocoryne plants when they are added to a new tank environment, especially if the crypts were bought in emersed form from the LFS.

In the meantime, just trim away the melting or dying leaves to reduce added pollution from the dead organic plant matter.

Usually once the cryptocoryne plants adapt to the new tank they will start growing new healthy adapted leaves. Just need to allow time for them to transition.

[fookie]

Thank you UA. But they will have no leaves at all if I remove those melting. How photosynthesis takes place with out leaves ?

[Urban Aquaria]

Thank you UA. But they will have no leaves at all if I remove those melting. How photosynthesis takes place with out leaves ?

In the case of cryptocorynes, they have rhizomes so there is usually enough nutrients stored in reserve to grow out new leaves, even though all the existing leaves have melted.

Depending on the crypt species, it can take some time for new leaves to grow out... some are faster, some are slower (crypts are relatively slow growers anyways).

Just have to make sure that the rhizomes and roots are solid and healthy (its a good idea to check that its not soft and mushy, which could indicate the rhizome is already rotting, therefore cannot save so have to throw away).

Some cryptocoryne sellers online even just trim off all the leaves before posting them to buyers, only the rhizome bit is packed, since the plant leaves are going to melt in the buyer's tank anyways.

This is how cryptocorynes adapt in the wild as they grow along streams and river banks. During monsoon months they are submersed, and during dry months they are emersed... during the transition between both submersed and emersed, they melt all their old leaves and re-grow new adapted ones according to the changes in environment.

[fookie]

Thank you UA. Appreciate your help always.