• 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

Bucephalandra talk!

mafoo

mafoo

Member
Joined
11 Nov 2012
Messages
182
Location
London
Vasteq

Thread 'The World of Bucephalandra.'


​

Bucephalandra​



I want to present my article about one of the most magnificent plants found in aquariums.

I prepared the article for a Polish magazine and translated it into English.
I would also like to thank Philip Rody for his help in translating the article.
I described here my several years of experiences with Bucephalandra species, their growth, and conditions.
I was also basing the information found on the websites and other forums.
If any of them are wrong, or considered to be incomplete, please write and comment on my article or contact me...​
  • Like
  • Love

I really want some for my tank, but the few varieties over here are generally pretty pricey 🙁
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have been in discussions with a supplier from Borneo for the past two weeks with the view to bringing in 46 varieties. It turns out there is a little more paperwork required than was first discussed so my order is on hold for the time being until I get more information. Getting a phytosanitary certificate from Indonesia isn't easy. Most (if not all) are brought in without one. The risk is that UK customs will destroy my order if the certificate isn't there or if it isn't a 'valid' one. It's been a bit of a headache actually. I was looking to do it just for a bit of fun but when you have the risk of a grands worth of plants being burned it ceases to be so! I hope it comes off though and we can start a decent group of us cultivating all these amazing plants.
 
They have become quite popular in India now as well and every other hobbyist has become a Buce importer/salesman. A friend got a few varieties for me when he went to Malaysia at about half the price. I almost placed another large order for a few more recently but then after thinking about it I have managed to control myself and not get Buce collectoritis as its quite expensive and since its a slow growing and sensitive plant it takes a long time to get a cutting and sell it to recover some of your cash or it dies or gets covered in algae.

Id rather spend the cash on some fancy shrimp instead 😀
 
Tomorrow i am getting some small Buce's (B.diabolica and B. sp Sintang). These will be my first. Seeing these are small cuttings i was thinking of growing them on a bit first and doing that while fastened on some stone (first idea was lava, might get some riverrock) .and partly emersed. Later on i might raise the waterlevel (altough i do feel they grow emersed most of the year). Any insights i miss? ( they will stay in a low tech/low light environment)
 
Edvet said:
Tomorrow i am getting some small Buce's (B.diabolica and B. sp Sintang). These will be my first. Seeing these are small cuttings i was thinking of growing them on a bit first and doing that while fastened on some stone (first idea was lava, might get some riverrock) .and partly emersed. Later on i might raise the waterlevel (altough i do feel they grow emersed most of the year). Any insights i miss? ( they will stay in a low tech/low light environment)
Click to expand...
In my experience - and I have tested quite many types of Buceph. - plants actually grow faster and easier fully under water. Like Anubias, letting some true roots go into substrate is benefitial. All the types, I've tested prefere low-ish light, to high, also like Anubias. Growing Buceph. like you would Anubias, will get you going - and then maybe adjust, as you learn needs of your specific types.
Good luck - they are beautifull and rather easy plants, most of them, really :thumbup:
 
There is a seller on eBay with some species. I think the seller name is planters-place. I saw he had one and sent a message to see if he had other varieties. Not especially cheap but he had quite a good list. I don't know where he gets them from or if they're any good. I'm still trying to decide whether to buy or not.
 
Thanks X3NiTH. Looks like its the same seller then. That's good to know.
I'm going to brave it and buy just one. I'm sure the addiction will soon kick in! He he. I really want Dark Achillies but it's very pricey. Guess I should start with a cheaper one in case I kill it...
 
Slow growers they say.. But mine already is shooting a baby plant from her rizome in les than 3 weeks. 🙂
rmE6OHt.jpg
Maybe because she's 4 inches below the lights.. Shes glewed to the wood. I guess, anyway that's my philosophy, and seems to have positive effect. I did accompany her with some moss around her rizome (Fisidens Fontanis). I believe as what i've seen in nature (above ground) that epyfitic plants like to live in symbiosis with mosses. Moss will catch dirt with their fine leaves and provide more extra food close to the root..
 
Last edited:
They are hard to keep emersed in open top tank. 🙁 Had already 2 of them dying after a few weeks. Dont even open up.. Never flowered again after that..
 
never try to emersed grow it. for the first month mine was produce 2-3 flower buds, but now its just only got taller and grow some new stalks from its rhizome and i'm happy with it.
 
Typical!? Mine do excactly the same, 2 flowers in the first month and now only grow new leaves and plantlets. Not realy growing it emersed, did put it an inch under the surface on the wood. With the thought if it likes is will come emersed by itself. Funny is spliced the rizome in 2 pieces, the big one is deeper and grows up with tall leaves. And the small one is near the surface propagating new plantlets down instead op up and only produces small leaves. The one near the surface did only shoot the flowers emersed. But even so close to the water it isnt moist enough, they withered away. 🙂
 
zozo said:
They are hard to keep emersed in open top tank. 🙁 Had already 2 of them dying after a few weeks. Dont even open up.. Never flowered again after that
Click to expand...
This is what i don't understand with Buce's. It is not bio- logical (see the pun:lol:) to flower UNDERWATER. I can understand they can flower, for instance if a flashflood occurs, underwater, but there are no pollinators underwater. I always see them as emersed plants that can withstand being underwater (in the wet season), while i see Crypto's as underwater/bog plants which can survive emersed (dry season). Their flowerspikes are raised above the waterlevel.
 
Like anubias, they act the same.. I did monitor humidity for months an inch above the water level with small electronic hygrometer. It rarely goes higher then 75%. Avarage is 60-65%. Thats obviously not enough for them to survive long time. 🙂
 
Some scientist say its a myth but still some farmers do add extra Potash and phosporus to stimulate flower development. dunno.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top