# Planted Tanks > Plant Talk > Cryptocoryne Club >  Teach me about Crypts

## rtcc86

hi can anyone enlighten me wat are crypts? some sort of plant?

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## |squee|

Crypts are short for Cryptocoryne, a genus of plants.

This website gives a good introduction to crypts.

Common crypts include _C. Wendtii_, _C. beckettii_, _C. crispatula var. balansae_.

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## rtcc86

so crypts are like stemmed plants...then wat is the diff btwn crypts and what is so special about them?

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## celticfish

rtcc86,
welcome to the wonderful world of crypts!!
i had the same thoughts when i got back to fishkeeping last year.
after some time i just got to love the shape of the leaves and the fact that some of them are tough to keep (challenging would be the better choice  :Opps:  )
well, not really though if you know what you're doing.
i'm still learning the quirks of the various species.
i think the more experience forumers like them because they are relatively slower growing. 
but some just love the crumply shape, textures and colours of the various types. i do!  :Grin: 
btw i think the best way to learn is just "do it!" ala nike.
get a common and easy type like wendtii for a start.

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## Goondoo

Not forgetting the awesome waxy on the leaves look under strong lighting like MH.

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## |squee|

They're different from stemmed plants; they're rosette plants, as in they grow by putting leaves out all from a centre point. Echinodorus plants are also rosette plants.

There are many differences between crypts, but for some species it's difficult for us to tell apart which is which species because they almost look the same when grown underwater. The only reliable way to tell them apart is from the spathe (or inflorescence, or simply flower) of an emersed specimen.

What's so special about them? I've no idea, but they're good plants to keep! When cultured properly they can look very nice and "exotic", helping the planted tank look more "natural" imho. It has also captivated people who are growing them emersed.. just ask Xema!

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## rtcc86

but are they fully submersible or not?

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## Weirong

> but are they fully submersible or not?


Most of the Crypts you can lay your hands on will do well fully submersed. I just got hooked on Crypts since last month. Now have about 20 pots in my house already...

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## |squee|

Of course! Lol... otherwise why would so many people be keeping them?  :Wink:  They're bought in emersed form, and when planted in your aquarium will go through a melting phase (as in almost all the leaves melt away) to transform to submersed form. Note that submersed leaves may look totally different from the emersed leaves.

If you want to learn more about how to keep them and their various characteristics, I think I'll move this to Plant Talk so it's more appropriate.

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## rtcc86

ok thanks...anyway are they hardy?

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## |squee|

A few are hardy, like _C. Wendtii_. Others are more difficult to cultivate, or are sensitive to changes in the water. 

Crypts pros help him out!

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## PeterGwee

Keeping conditions good and stable is the key. Don't keep moving it around.

Regards
Peter Gwee  :Wink:

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## valice

Why not just try them out?
Try out the easy one first like some of the guys suggested... And you will understand the quirky world of crypts...

And you will sometimes be boggled by the melting mechanism of crypts, which I still think is amazing... And also how hardy some varieties are... Like left only the roots and nothing else, plog it into substrate, leave it there for a couple of weeks, provide good nutrients, and it comes alive!

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## rtcc86

ic..i went to wu hu shi zu today...didnt see much crypts.. anyone know when he restocks?

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## StanChung

there is special club for crypt lovers called cryptnuts  :Grin:  
... most are sensitive to copper. leaves melting when just introduced to tank even if submersed form is normal. as long as root ok leaves will sprout back[pray it does anyway!]

IME, i once brought back 5 pots of tropica C parva and all melt... :Exasperated:  [$$$ fly]

but luckily didn't throw away the roots...grew back a small portion. spreading slowly but surely.

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## ranmasatome

Rtcc86... Go to the website suggested by squee... READ IT.. and then surf around... READ somemore... a good suggestion would be to go to the "how to" link. We can give you info and answer your queries...but not spoonfeeding. you can find a lot of general info out there..

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## celticfish

goondoo,
i second the waxy look under MH lights! Sweeet  :Kiss:  

Rtcc86,
i'm sure you can guage by the response on these plants there are many crypt nuts around!!  :Grin:

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## e-mini

Only have experience with C. balansae. Fairly easy plant.

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## bclee

Some of the easy and common crypts you can start off with are:

C. wendtii (various forms)
C. undulata
C. ponterderiifolia
C. crispatula var. balansae

Other more "advanced" :Roll Eyes:  crypts are:
C. albida
C. bullosa
C. grifithii
C. parva
C. keei
C. retospiralis

BC

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## anttz

> Some of the easy and common crypts you can start off with are:
> 
> C. wendtii (various forms)
> C. undulata
> C. ponterderiifolia
> C. crispatula var. balansae
> 
> Other more "advanced" crypts are:
> C. albida
> ...


IMHO, C. retospiralis is easy too.

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## Justikanz

I guess it depends on the person... Somehow I find C.parva easy too, just plonk them there and leave them alone... Also can recommend _C.walkeri_, as well as _C.becketii_ and _C.patchii_ (forgot which is the variety of which...  :Opps:  )

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## StanChung

nurii
lutea
tokinensis
x willisii
affinis
schulzei
 :Razz:

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## rtcc86

> Rtcc86... Go to the website suggested by squee... READ IT.. and then surf around... READ somemore... a good suggestion would be to go to the "how to" link. We can give you info and answer your queries...but not spoonfeeding. you can find a lot of general info out there..


read the webbie already... anyway which crypts are best for non co2, non fert nano tank

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## |squee|

Crypts don't look good in nano tanks less than 1feet cubes. Wendtii.

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## Ibn

How hard is it to regrow C. keei back from just roots? I had one C. keei, one C. rosanervig, and a few C. nurii shipped to me this past week. They all came in looking fine, other than the C. keei. All the leaves melted by the time that I received it and was left with just roots.

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## lorba

Eric, float the plant/rhziome in your good tank until you see new roots or leave develop.

Planting directly might destroy the plant.

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## Ibn

Thanks for the heads up, Roland. The rhizome/roots are currently just sitting around at the bottom of the tank, unplanted. Roots are still melting off it, but the rhizome still looks intact.

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## lorba

this should be the best way to recover sensitive crypts according to documentation and experience. I've managed to keep aponogetifolia, coronata and longicauda alive this way.

Made a mistake by planting keeis into a new tank and they are left with roots!  :Sad:

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## rtcc86

i just bought my first crypt today! its c. parva...anyone knows how to maintain it?

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## |squee|

Hmm, not really a idea first crypt. 

Cut off all the leaves except the last two (don't cut the roots if possible) and plant them securely where you want them. Leave them alone for a few months. By then you'll be seeing small submersed form of leaves. They grow *very* slowly and Anubias is a bullet train compared to parva. 

Get Wendtii next time. Bioplast (Systems Control and Engineering) has a range of beautiful crypts and mosses for sale.

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## Justikanz

Hmm... Seriously, I have no problems plonking the plant right into the substrate...  :Opps:  After cleaning off the rock wool, of course...  :Opps:  Maybe I was lucky...  :Razz:  Cos I have melting with wentii and balansae...

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## joe

OMG parva ... they grow REALLLYYY slow ... so slow u will wonder if they are even growing at all ... take squee's advise and get some wendtii  :Smile:

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## StanChung

ditto...4 months 8 leaves... :Knockout:

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## |squee|

I've gotten 3 months 1 leaf.

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## StanChung

so i seem to be lucky...then again it's like a bunch of parva... not like one rosette... so about the same i guess.

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## Weirong

Have you guys tried cultivating C. parva with sunlight? I got a really tiny leave in a few weeks. But I cheated by cutting a lot of the leaves before planting them.

It seems to work faster.  :Smile:

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## freezze

does using monster root ..boost the grow speed? other stem plant grow like siao when monster root is been use.

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## bclee

> does using monster root ..boost the grow speed? other stem plant grow like siao when monster root is been use.


No... C. parva is by nature a slow growing plant.

BC

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## rtcc86

hi guys..just wondering.. you all are talking about cutting the leaves of c. parva when planting it...i just planted it directly...do i need to cut the leaves first?

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## |squee|

You don't need to. The leaves can stay there, but I recommend you to cut off some because most of the emersed leaves will be algae magnets.

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## Ibn

Don't know what's happening to my C. parva. It managed to put out 2 new leaves on two separate rosettes (only 2 in the tank). Might be the sunlight hitting it during the day or something since I've just recently cut back the lighting while upping the macros and micros (dumping a lot of nitrates, 1 1/2 tsp, and micros, 12 mL daily, into the tank to keep up with 500W of lighting, which has been cut back to 6 hours).

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## |squee|

It's the sunlight. I remember someone telling me that sunlight is great for parva too.

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## GaspingGurami

> It's the sunlight. I remember someone telling me that sunlight is great for parva too.


I agree. But rather than jumping to conclusions, I offer my observations below: 

I've tried growing Cryptocoryne parva in 5 different conditions, here's my tank's conditions to share with all:

*Tank a)* Old, very rich lapis substrate, further supplemented with Ferka rosetta and old root monsters, high CO2 injection using misting method, 3.5dkH, pH 6.2. KNO3, KH2PO4 daily, TMG trice weekly 72watts lighting over 8-inch water depth, 10 hours daily. Chiller cooled, 26 degrees C (This is my hi-growth EI regime tank where Echin oriental plantlets grow up to harvestable size every fortnight and Hottonia palustris grow 6 inch a month).
*Observation:* After 1 week's planting, some cobra-shaped (possibly emersed) leaves turn yellow. New growth leaves are straighter, narrower, darker green and tend to curl downwards. This plant is slow growing. Even moss outgrows it. But some plants are able to maintain their cobra-shaped leaves even after 4 months.

Before planting, I removed the old leaves of some plants till its last 2 crown leaves left, these grew faster than those I planted whole. Floating some of the plants at the surface does not improve their growth. 

Pulled out 1 plant after 4 months to inspect its root growth - roots grew only 1 cm longer!  :Crying: 

*Tank b)* 2-year old lapis over JBL basefert. Daily excel dosing, weekly LGA dose equivalent to 6ppm NO3, plus some PO4, divided into 3 doses. Monthly Ferka rosetta tabs, no water change. 48w T5 for 10 hours with a 4-hour midday blast of additional 48w T5 over 1ft of water depth. 25 degree C, fan cooled.
*Observation:* After 1 week's planting, same observation as in tank a, but even slower growth. BBA spots appear on leaves despite it being a tank of over 100 malayan and cherry shrimps. (C. wendtii leaves growing beside it, and even the gravel is unaffected by BBA). Some of the C. parva get uprooted by shrimps, some simply disappear.

*Tank c)* 2-year old 5mm sized gravel + crushed coral over vista basefert. Similar fert regime as Tank b. 18w FL over 1 ft water depth, 10 hours daily. 25 degrees C, fan cooled.
*Observation:* This tank, all cryps perish quickly. This tank seem to be able to support only some wendtii (growing weakly) and is my only tank that is able to sustain C. aponogetifolia, probably due to the substrate. But Anubias flourish in this tank with nary a hint of algae.

*Tank d)* 3-month plus setup, 1ft cube. ADA powersand topped by ADA amazonia aquasoil. Daily excel dosing, weekly LGA amount is equivalent to 6ppm NO3, and 3ppm PO4 divided into 2 doses. Monthly, 2 Ferka rosetta capsules for good measure. Fortnightly water change 50%. 18W PL for 10 hours daily, Fan cooled. Planted C, parva the same time as the tank is set up using plants that were floated in tank a for one month.
*Observation:* Absolutely no change except for a leaf turning yellow occassionally. No BBA too, thank God.  :Grin:  Its companion C. pygmaea also don't show any growth. Hairgrass, HC and C. tonkinensis have grown well and gone through trimming twice.

*Tank e)* Recycled base of a dish drainer. Cocopeat + garden sand + mud taken from Teo's emersed hairgrass, making appx 1cm deep substrate. 1 tiny wagtail platy, no feeding. No fert, only topup water, ambient daylight. Left on the common corridor beside my door. No direct sun, water depth 2-3 inches. 
*Observation:* The clay and mud will rise up and coat everything each time I top up water. Planted the C. parva as is, without trimming leaves nor roots. Noticed only 1 or 2 yellowed leaves in the first few weeks. 4 months down the road, it is a tight clump of plants. Leaves still maintain its cobra shape and its whitish-green colour :Grin: 


So.. perhaps I should insert laterite balls into the substrate of my other tanks and see if it is the sunlight or the substrate that spurs this plant to grow.

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## StanChung

wow, that's great post lawrence...me only just grasping bits and pieces on crypts in general...

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## jacquetlc

rtc88, they once mentioned to me they restock plants on Mons and Thurs. :}

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## joe

> Pulled out 1 plant after 4 months to inspect its root growth - roots grew only 1 cm longer!


wahahhahahahahhaa this shows how slow this guy can grow  :Very Happy:   :Very Happy:

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## rtcc86

> rtc88, they once mentioned to me they restock plants on Mons and Thurs. :}


which LFS u talking about?

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## evolim83

> which LFS u talking about?


Sounds like C328!

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## joe

> Sounds like C328!


yup c328 does restock their plants only on Mon & Thurs  :Grin:

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## rtcc86

sigh..im staying in the east.. i wont be able to go to C328 unless i have a car

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## 3es

Quick question - will crypts survive if attached to driftwood or do they need to be planted into the substrate?

Toshi

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## jacquetlc

jo, evo, rtcc ... nope... i'm talking about Wu Hu. Never beent o C328 yet.  :Razz:

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## Justikanz

Eh... Jacquetlc, are you sure? That day we met you at C328 what... With Benny and all...  :Huh?:

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## |squee|

> will crypts survive if attached to driftwood or do they need to be planted into the substrate?


I believe they can survive on driftwood if you do water fertilisation. People have floated crypts in water and they've grown. No personal experience though.

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## 3es

> I believe they can survive on driftwood if you do water fertilisation. People have floated crypts in water and they've grown. No personal experience though.


Thanks Terence, just wanted to make sure. I've already tied down my crypts to some driftwood and they've been doing great in the last couple of days (with water fertilization).

Toshi

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## jacquetlc

JuzTKZ, yeah... i just wheeze past cos i went to the wrong C328. I didn't evey take a good look at what's displayed outside the real mccoy. Will pop down one day if i need any equp.  :Smile:

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