# Planted Tanks > Plant Talk >  Is this Bucephalandra?

## bluebubbles

I stopped by at Y618 today, saw this bucephalandra suspect with star dust characteristic on its leaves. Usually crypto's leaf looks plain and smooth. The owner didn't know its English name but told me they tried this plant before, by placing two tap of iron fertilizer next to this plant, it turns totally red in color. It is a soil rooted plant according to them.



Any enlightenment from Bucephalandra or plant expert?
Thanks for viewing.

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## soltari007

Looks like a bucephalandra to me bro  :Smile:

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## soltari007

Come to think of it.. if it's planted in the soil directly, it may not be bucephalandra after all  :Surprised:

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## bluebubbles

Not too sure, the roots structure quite resemble those of nana (roots growing out of the stem node). Than again, can't rely too much on LFS's explanation. I have the guts feel it is Bucep. The leaf seems to be giving off its identity when I look at all other bucep photos in this forum. More of its photos can be seen in my blog.

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## qngwn

Maybe the price will tell you if it is or not..  :Razz:

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## Ebi

Looks like a Bucep. You can wait for it to flower to know its identity. Most of my Buceps have similar flowers when submersed. Color differs though. Flowers differ when allowed to bloom emersed. Though you can plant the Bucep in soil, it doesn't appear to be the best option as new growth are from the rhizome and at the nodes of the flower after it withers. Tied to rocks appears best when it multiples.

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## Ebi

Some Fotos...

Tebakang on wood...
Buce Tebakang.jpg

Lamandau Green on wood... notice the small plantlet from the tiny rhizome
Lamandau G (RS).jpg

Kir Royale on wood with pinkish/purplish flower...
Kir Royale (RS).jpg

Lamandau Mini Purple on rock...
Lamandau Mini P (RS).jpg

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## soltari007

That's a lovely bouquet of tebakang bro!
How long have you kept these species?

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## cephelix

very nice bucephalandras dude!
was wondering though, do they do better in direct strong light or a more shaded area of the tank?

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## deric79k

when i looking at it , 90% same as bucephalandra .

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## Ebi

> That's a lovely bouquet of tebakang bro!
> How long have you kept these species?


Some more than 2 years now. All the Buceps when they grow to a bunch will look nice, especially after they have rooted themselves onto the rocks and DW. But it does take a lot of patience.

Sintang...
Sintang (RS).jpg

the same Kir Royale bunch...
Kir Royale Bunch (RS).jpg

Kapit Sulatan retied for the office tank...
Kapit Sulatan (RS).jpg

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## Ebi

> very nice bucephalandras dude!
> was wondering though, do they do better in direct strong light or a more shaded area of the tank?


I'm no expert but since I keep them in a few tanks with different conditions. i.e. with CO2, w/o CO2, with Seachem Excel, low light, high light, long photoperiod, short photoperiod, etc., I'll just share what I have experienced. I'll just highlight the 2 extremes.

If you blast your tanks with ferts, lights, CO2, etc. the Buceps will even pearl, but not as much as those rotalas, etc. The plant will grow faster (depending on type, up to 3 leaves a week on some) but you will have to deal with the algae issues as the plant grows closely, especially those with small leaves, such as Lamandau minis, Berlindae, Catherinae, Aridarum mini, even Schismatoglottis Roseospatha, etc.

At the other end of the spectrum, where you have low light and shorter photoperiod with just minimum excel, you have very nice clean growth, but it takes a really long while to see a new leaf or plantlet (depending on type, up to 2 weeks for 1 leaf).

Best is to tie to rock. DW is OK, just that I noticed they root faster to rocks than DW.
Worst is to leave it floating. If you do not secure the plant, they tend to slowly melt away.
Planting into soil give you a nice plant that flowers often but won't multiply cos the roots (in the substrate) are those soft white roots.
When I grow them emersed, the leaves appear to lack the stardust, multi-color effect.

Hope that helps.

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## bluebubbles

> I'm no expert but since I keep them in a few tanks with different conditions. i.e. with CO2, w/o CO2, with Seachem Excel, low light, high light, long photoperiod, short photoperiod, etc., I'll just share what I have experienced. I'll just highlight the 2 extremes.
> 
> If you blast your tanks with ferts, lights, CO2, etc. the Buceps will even pearl, but not as much as those rotalas, etc. The plant will grow faster (depending on type, up to 3 leaves a week on some) but you will have to deal with the algae issues as the plant grows closely, especially those with small leaves, such as Lamandau minis, Berlindae, Catherinae, Aridarum mini, even Schismatoglottis Roseospatha, etc.
> 
> At the other end of the spectrum, where you have low light and shorter photoperiod with just minimum excel, you have very nice clean growth, but it takes a really long while to see a new leaf or plantlet (depending on type, up to 2 weeks for 1 leaf).
> 
> Best is to tie to rock. DW is OK, just that I noticed they root faster to rocks than DW.
> Worst is to leave it floating. If you do not secure the plant, they tend to slowly melt away.
> Planting into soil give you a nice plant that flowers often but won't multiply cos the roots (in the substrate) are those soft white roots.
> ...


As a newbie, I find your explanations quite interesting and informatives. Did their leaf melt away when you first introduced into your tank or it just stay there until a new leaf emerged? Do you need to feed them with medum to strong water current?

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## bluebubbles

Oops! duplicate posting

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## cephelix

> I'm no expert but since I keep them in a few tanks with different conditions. i.e. with CO2, w/o CO2, with Seachem Excel, low light, high light, long photoperiod, short photoperiod, etc., I'll just share what I have experienced. I'll just highlight the 2 extremes.
> 
> If you blast your tanks with ferts, lights, CO2, etc. the Buceps will even pearl, but not as much as those rotalas, etc. The plant will grow faster (depending on type, up to 3 leaves a week on some) but you will have to deal with the algae issues as the plant grows closely, especially those with small leaves, such as Lamandau minis, Berlindae, Catherinae, Aridarum mini, even Schismatoglottis Roseospatha, etc.
> 
> At the other end of the spectrum, where you have low light and shorter photoperiod with just minimum excel, you have very nice clean growth, but it takes a really long while to see a new leaf or plantlet (depending on type, up to 2 weeks for 1 leaf).
> 
> Best is to tie to rock. DW is OK, just that I noticed they root faster to rocks than DW.
> Worst is to leave it floating. If you do not secure the plant, they tend to slowly melt away.
> Planting into soil give you a nice plant that flowers often but won't multiply cos the roots (in the substrate) are those soft white roots.
> ...


Thanks, very informative and it did help. Wasn't sure as I saw photos on some other forum saying that it's better to keep them shaded than directly exposed to strong light. This clears up the questions I have. Hopefully mine would turn out healthy...

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## bluebubbles

> Wasn't sure as I saw photos on some* other forum saying that it's better to keep them shaded than directly exposed to strong light*. This clears up the questions I have. Hopefully mine would turn out healthy...


Such question also linger in my mind for a long time. Those who have kept Bucep well have different version and I think Bucep is hardy enough to be kept both in shade and under strong light, so we need to give those versions the benefit of doubt. As long as they are healthy and growing, I am very happy. Another way of getting the answer is to look at their natural habitat. In youtube, the japanese explorer deliberately show us the ambience around the river bank where Bucep was found, and sunlight was filtered through heavy tree leaves, thus not too hot and not to dark My main concern is whether they are "well fed" since I do not have CO2 system, hopefully EXCEL solution works equally good.  :Laughing:

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## cephelix

Interesting indeed.Their growth rates have been compared to anubias, so is it safe to say they are slow growers? Therefore the main concern would be more algae related problems under high light and low CO2 instead of stunted growth like what is seen in stem plants.
Am I correct in saying that? 
If there are differing opinions, do let me know. I want to learn as well

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## soltari007

Yeah you're more likely to get algae issues under hi-tech/high light setup, and even under such conditions growth rate is at a crawl. You also get plants which were previously harvested/cultivated emersed which may struggle to convert to aquatic conditions, so extensive melting of leaves and rhizomes is not extraordinary. A true test of patience indeed!

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## cephelix

thanks for the information. I superglued mine to lava rocks and so far they are doing well, no melting of anything as yet. As of now my photoperiod is 6hours but will be increasing it by 1hour next week.

Crossing my fingers that there'll be no problems. How long usually would it take before melting can be seen??

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## deric79k

they can live well on lava rock or DW . i also try plant into soil . it also grow well

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## Ebi

> As a newbie, I find your explanations quite interesting and informatives. Did their leaf melt away when you first introduced into your tank or it just stay there until a new leaf emerged? Do you need to feed them with medum to strong water current?


To the 2nd part of your question, afraid I can't help as I am brought up in the hobby always to have good/strong water circulation/flow. I use 500-600L/H cannisters for 1.5ft tanks of 30-40L capacity.

To the 1st part of your question, as most already opined, Buceps are hardy plants and they do come back from the brink most of the time but not all of the time.
You can always safely transfer them from different tanks, from emersed to submersed w/o any issue as long as the plant is healthy and better still nicely rooted onto the rock or wood. Of course best would be into a matured tank. At the least it should be a cycled tank.

If you transplant the plants into a newly setup uncycled tank, i.e. new soil, new water, etc. you will face issues of melting. If the plant is healthy and rooted the matured plant will likely survive but you will probably lose most leaves, i.e. months of growth. But sad to say the plantlets don't usually make it, i.e. another few months of lost growth.

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## Ebi

> Thanks, very informative and it did help. Wasn't sure as I saw photos on some other forum saying that it's better to keep them shaded than directly exposed to strong light. This clears up the questions I have. Hopefully mine would turn out healthy...


My preference is low light and slow growth as I am not used to having algae issues. My tryst with high-tech was due to coaxing fast growth for the HC carpet.

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## Ebi

> Such question also linger in my mind for a long time. Those who have kept Bucep well have different version and I think Bucep is hardy enough to be kept both in shade and under strong light, so we need to give those versions the benefit of doubt. As long as they are healthy and growing, I am very happy. Another way of getting the answer is to look at their natural habitat. In youtube, the japanese explorer deliberately show us the ambience around the river bank where Bucep was found, and sunlight was filtered through heavy tree leaves, thus not too hot and not to dark My main concern is whether they are "well fed" since I do not have CO2 system, hopefully EXCEL solution works equally good.


Don't worry about the ferts. They will grow even w/o any excel or ferts, but it will be a hell of a long time before you see new growth. Ask any crs keeper with Buceps in their crs tanks and they can probably tell you how long it takes.  :Laughing: 
If you grow them together with nana petite, the nana petite will appear as the fast grower.  :Grin:

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## Ebi

> Yeah you're more likely to get algae issues under hi-tech/high light setup, and even under such conditions growth rate is at a crawl. You also get plants which were previously harvested/cultivated emersed which may struggle to convert to aquatic conditions, so extensive melting of leaves and rhizomes is not extraordinary. A true test of patience indeed!


Hi Soltari007, sorry I don't use watapps. Don't worry about the plants previously being harvested, cultivated, emersed or submersed, so long as it is healthy and not placed into an uncycled tank, it won't die. The weaker leaves may melt if they are damaged or injured during transport but its ok and normal. Once stabilised, you should see new root growth and then new leaves. Just make sure you secure them to the hardscape and not left floating.

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## soltari007

thanks for the insight bro  :Smile:

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## cephelix

Agree with soltari007, thanks. I learned quite a bit from this thread. But I'm sure there's still alot more I dont know.

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## soltari007

Bro cephelix, which sp do you have? How are you keeping yours?

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## alvinchan80

Very nice Bucephalandra Uncle Ebi...

I started keeping some too..  :Razz: 

This is my favorite one out of approximately 55 variants..
Anubis White
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370710412.393074.jpg

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## cephelix

To Bro Soltari007

I just bought a few stalks of the pompondoi recently to try my hand keeping buceps. But the want I really want is either the lamandau purple mini or catherinae(is this how you spell it?)

Superglued the stalks to a lava rock and keeping them slightly shaded. They've been in my 1foot for less than a week but the healthier leaves are already getting to be quite a dark green and you can see the characteristic white spots on them.

Hopefully they plants perk up in the following weeks/months. And if these do well, then I'll try with more species in my 2footer.

Currently my nano is running on;
Lights/photoperiod: Green Element 3W LEDs Plant white/6hours
CO2: Pressurised with inline diffuser, drop checker kept at a slightly darker shade of green, about 1 bubble per 4 seconds
Substrate: ADA Amazonia 2
Water Temp: on average, I would say about 27-29 degrees
Ferts: Dry dosing with EI; CA(NO3)2, KH2PO4, K2SO4, LushGro Micros, twice a week.

Hopefully it all works out, crossing my fingers as this is the most expensive plants I've ever had, even compared to the Tropica 1-2 Grow.

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## cephelix

> Very nice Bucephalandra Uncle Ebi...
> 
> I started keeping some too.. 
> 
> This is my favorite one out of approximately 55 variants..
> Anubis White
> ImageUploadedByTapatalk1370710412.393074.jpg


Those are nice. Last I read on other forums they were quite expensive. Going for about approximately USD150.
Any chance you could spread the love?? :Razz:

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## alvinchan80

> Those are nice. Last I read on other forums they were quite expensive. Going for about approximately USD150.
> Any chance you could spread the love??


Thanks..  :Smile: 

On that rock I have about 3 stalks only.. They grow very slowly just like the other species around..  :Sad: 
And yes they are that expensive... (Slightly cheaper actually..)

I will start a thread on these buce species I am keeping once I completed tying them as most of them are semi-rooted at the moment.. Can't find nice rocks for them as I want to have 1 rock per variant...  :Razz: 
Sorry for OT to threadstarter..

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## limz_777

> To the 2nd part of your question, afraid I can't help as I am brought up in the hobby always to have good/strong water circulation/flow. I use 500-600L/H cannisters for 1.5ft tanks of 30-40L capacity.
> 
> To the 1st part of your question, as most already opined, Buceps are hardy plants and they do come back from the brink most of the time but not all of the time.
> You can always safely transfer them from different tanks, from emersed to submersed w/o any issue as long as the plant is healthy and better still nicely rooted onto the rock or wood. Of course best would be into a matured tank. At the least it should be a cycled tank.
> 
> If you transplant the plants into a newly setup uncycled tank, i.e. new soil, new water, etc. you will face issues of melting. If the plant is healthy and rooted the matured plant will likely survive but you will probably lose most leaves, i.e. months of growth. But sad to say the plantlets don't usually make it, i.e. another few months of lost growth.


interesting observation , any idea why new soil and new water cause melting ?

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## Mystikboy

I don't think it's so much new soil new water but whether the tank is sufficiently cycled to provide a stable environment for the plants to grow it

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## cephelix

> Thanks.. 
> 
> On that rock I have about 3 stalks only.. They grow very slowly just like the other species around.. 
> And yes they are that expensive... (Slightly cheaper actually..)
> 
> I will start a thread on these buce species I am keeping once I completed tying them as most of them are semi-rooted at the moment.. Can't find nice rocks for them as I want to have 1 rock per variant... 
> Sorry for OT to threadstarter..


Is it ~ 150 for 1 stalk or for all 3? Really Liking them.
Back on topic though, anyone know which species/where.I can get bucephalandras have small long-ish leaves? Was thinking of getting a bunch for when I set up my 2 feet. But that won't be for another few months. Just thought I'd get a head start in locating the plants I need.

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## deric79k

some of the bucephalandra is very expensive. usd 80 - 100 each also have

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## soltari007

@alvinchan80: nice plant! but isn't that anubias, not a buce? white variant is really slow, mine comes out with one leaf every 2 weeks.. and agreed, expensive haha.

@cephelix: your tank conditions look good for plants! hope they grow fast for you. You may wanna try lamandau narrow to get that effect, it's pretty good for nano  :Smile:

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## alvinchan80

> Is it ~ 150 for 1 stalk or for all 3? Really Liking them.
> Back on topic though, anyone know which species/where.I can get bucephalandras have small long-ish leaves? Was thinking of getting a bunch for when I set up my 2 feet. But that won't be for another few months. Just thought I'd get a head start in locating the plants I need.


It's like USD150 for a single stalk if not wrong.. Hahaha..

I think bro soltari007 said the right variant.. Lamandau variants have long leaves.. I have a couple of them in different colors.. You will like them..




> @alvinchan80: nice plant! but isn't that anubias, not a buce? white variant is really slow, mine comes out with one leaf every 2 weeks.. and agreed, expensive haha.


I think I should ask the same question of this post.. Is Anubis White a Bucephalandra? Hahaha.. 1 leaf every 2 weeks is ok I guess.. I like slow growing plants..  :Razz:

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## cephelix

Wow,that is definitely expensive for a single stalk. I think anubias white are anubias. If i'm not mistaken,they are found somewhere in africa right? While the bucephelandras are from borneo.

Anyone have a Source for lamandau minis??

Soltari007: thanks.hoping they do grow well in my tanks.just increased my photoperiod by 1hr to 7.monitoring to see any effects

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