What is the safest way to move Buce to new tank

[Little]

Hi everyone.
I’m shutting down my existing tank and moving to a new one.

I still remember the huge volume of Bucephalandra melt when starting out my current tank, despite months of dark start, CO2 and water changes etc…

I have rare Brownie Ghost 2011 and some other unique Buce that I really don’t want to lose.

My question is, what approach may be safest and what tips do people have.

So far I plan to:
1. Seed the new tank by squeezing the old filter foams into the new tank weekly for a month.
2. Month one, dark start.
3. Month two, lots of floating plants with light on low and CO2.
4. Month three, move the Buce.

Thoughts?

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Just move them, they are very robust as are most plants. I've had rare varieties in a damp plastic bag for 3 months before now and they just bounce back.
You might get a few leaves drop but nothing to worry about. 👍

 

[nijat11]

Just move them, they are very robust as are most plants. I've had rare varieties in a damp plastic bag for 3 months before now and they just bounce back.
You might get a few leaves drop but nothing to worry about. 👍

In my expirence, this plant hates ammonia, any ammonia interaction and it melts

 

[Hanuman]

So far I plan to:
1. Seed the new tank by squeezing the old filter foams into the new tank weekly for a month.
2. Month one, dark start.
3. Month two, lots of floating plants with light on low and CO2.
4. Month three, move the Buce.

Cycling a tank does not equate it being mature and stable. If you want the least amount of melt/loss in your Bucep, I strongly suggest you make sure your new tank is mature with absolutly no ammonia readings, or better yet use a susbtrate with little organics to prevent ammonia release even after the tank is cycled. Contrary to what was said above, Bucep is actually a plant that is quite sensitive to water paramater changes and fluctuations. As an epiphyte plant, it is a robust plant in the long term but can very quickly shed all leaves if parameters are fluctuating.

I have grown a significant amount of Bucep sp in different contexts (high tech, low tech, emersed, semi emersed) and although they can better tolerate a move from submersed to emersed (as long as humidity is very high), most are very sensitive to water paramater changes/instability and will either tend to melt quite rapidly or virtually stop their growth untill their environment stabilizes. This can take several months in some instances depending the sps.

So if your objective is to maintain the largest plant mass as possible, make sure your tank is mature and water parameters are stable before proceeding to the move. Don't just move them unless you are ok with a general melt.

 

[Little]

Thanks everyone.

I’m in no rush so can afford to spend / waste time letting the new tank settle in first. I’m more tortoise than hare.

I have also decided to not use aqua soil in the new tank being its epiphyte only and I use an auto doser fertiliser system anyway.

I plan to do a journal of the new tank but it’s not arriving for 8 weeks or so (it’s a custom build) and there won’t be much to see during the dark start so may be a while.