• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Crypt's plants

Joined
26 Oct 2008
Messages
1,649
Location
Cheshire
Gang@Ukaps

The majority of crpyts are purchased as semi aquatic - roots kept under water, leafs above water. After plunging them completely in water thus making them fully aquatic - Would you expect to see any deterioration in the leafs whilst the become acclimatised to their new surrounding.

Regards
paul.

One more thing I have noticed crypts don't grow as quick when they are fully aquatic as they do when they are semi aquatic - it seem that when they are submerge growth is slower and the plant shrinks in over all size - any thoughts.
 
Crypt melt is very common when first introducing them to submerged conditions.

They grow slower because there is less co2 in the water compared to air.

And finally, most aquatic plants have different forms of growth when emersed. A classic example is P. Helferi -

Emersed growth: http://www.aquabotanic.com/images/chelmsiipot.JPG
Submerged growth: http://www.aquabotanic.com/images/Downoi3.jpg


I find its good practice to give emersed plants a few days to let new roots establish, then remove 80% of the old emersed growth to encourage new submerged growth. High co2, more frequent water changes (to remove any ammonia build up while the plants recover and remove algae spores) and excess nutrients are essential at this stage too. Give it another good week or two before the next trim.
 
Thx james

I bought some from TGM about a fortnight ago - not planted yet as I thought the leafs would start to detoriated as my other did whilst they settled down to their new surroundings ie from being semi aquatic to fully aquatic / submerged - just needed confirmation that my suspions were correct.

Paul.
 
I've found that if i follow the Tropica guide lines I very rarely get crypt melt, all so my crypts don't mind being moved as long as I trim the roots when moving them and some seem to be better for it :D
 
MarkyG said:
I've found that if i follow the Tropica guide lines I very rarely get crypt melt, all so my crypts don't mind being moved as long as I trim the roots when moving them and some seem to be better for it :D

Thanks Mark, I had not heard that before. I also trim roots, but in order to encourage new root growth, it is nice that it can deter melting as well.

I have found that if the CO2 is high then the emersed leaves will survive underwater for a long time for most plants (not just crypts). So I do not remove old leaves as a matter of course, only if they are half melted or more will I then remove them.

I also tried an experiment with two identical swords (cordifolius) once, on one I removed most leaves, on the other I left them all intact. The one with all leaves intact eastablished far quicker, and quickly produced new submersed leaves. The one with most leaves removed grew at a much slower rate until it had grown a siginifcant number of leaves at which point it was on an even keel with the other plant.
 
MarkyG said:
I've found that if i follow the Tropica guide lines I very rarely get crypt melt, all so my crypts don't mind being moved as long as I trim the roots when moving them and some seem to be better for it :D


MarkyG

You must have bought plants that have been acclimatised to their submerged conditions you should not have had any melting – what I am referring too is that the plants have been semi submerged whilst in the shop and as soon as they are placed with the tank and become fully submerged then melting affect the plant until it acclimatises itself to it new surroundings.

My wendtti greens melted when I first put them in – now they are great – no melting.

Regards
Paul
 
All my Crypts have been emersed growth from TGM, but I have never had any melting. I suspect it is down to the CO2 levels in the water being good enough to prevent this.

Dave.
 
Dave Spencer said:
All my Crypts have been emersed growth from TGM, but I have never had any melting. I suspect it is down to the CO2 levels in the water being good enough to prevent this.

Dave.


Dave

cannot be co2 - lime green drop checkers and water column retains Co2 through out the night and day time.

Paul.
 
hi my crypt tank is vision 260 with t8 no co2 and no easycarbo I have got crypts from all over the world, some come immersed some submerged and the one thing I have noticed is that if a leaf has any damage then I get crypt melt :D
 
MarkyG said:
hi my crypt tank is vision 260 with t8 no co2 and no easycarbo I have got crypts from all over the world, some come immersed some submerged and the one thing I have noticed is that if a leaf has any damage then I get crypt melt :D

Thx markyG for the reply. I have my suspicions that the transformation period from immersed (semi aquatic) to submerge (fully aquatic) has a detrimental effect on the plant, same issue with my HC - the leafs shrunk to half the size as they were when I first bought them.

As I stated early I bought some wendtii tropica (semi aquatic) and some Nesaea Pedicellata (fully aquatic) - crypt leafs melting during the two week period after purchase, Nesaea growing nicely, my other tank has crypt beckettii - bought as fully aquatic, no melting and also crypt willisii purchased after a few days after it was delivered, no melting, both of these plants were in my other tank and never melted either.


Regards
paul.
 
Whilst I've not had every aquarium plant (yet!), I think that Crypts are the plant which shows its conversion from emerged to submerged growth the most.

Sometimes when I get a new pot of Crypt and split it into plantlets, each one converts differently. The best way I've found to limit "crypt melt" is to turn down the lights and soon as there's any sign on the stem or leaf of any deficiency/hole/change in colour, the leaf is cut away at the substrate level. That way, it limits the melt as much as possible and that the plant doesn't have to feed the melting leaf.

For all crypts it's best to give the roots a kick start so adding nutrients to the substrate would be a good idea as I found that Crypts tend to root themselves before growing new leaves, but once they do, wow it's quick.
 
For all crypts it's best to give the roots a kick start so adding nutrients to the substrate would be a good idea as I found that Crypts tend to root themselves before growing new leaves, but once they do, wow it's quick.

I find that too, i pulled one up yesterday, it had 1 new leaf but the roots were about 6" :wideyed:
Hard work too lol.
 
Superman said:
Whilst I've not had every aquarium plant (yet!), I think that Crypts are the plant which shows its conversion from emerged to submerged growth the most.

Sometimes when I get a new pot of Crypt and split it into plantlets, each one converts differently. The best way I've found to limit "crypt melt" is to turn down the lights and soon as there's any sign on the stem or leaf of any deficiency/hole/change in colour, the leaf is cut away at the substrate level. That way, it limits the melt as much as possible and that the plant doesn't have to feed the melting leaf.

For all crypts it's best to give the roots a kick start so adding nutrients to the substrate would be a good idea as I found that Crypts tend to root themselves before growing new leaves, but once they do, wow it's quick.

Thx Clark for the vote of confidence in my thinking.

Regards
Paul.
 
Back
Top