# Planted Tanks > Plant Talk > Cryptocoryne Club >  Small Crypts

## aquanick

Are there any crypt species which can be used in small tanks other than parva? Because parva takes 6 months to grow one leaf..  :Very Happy:

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## Urban Aquaria

Parva is the smallest of the crypt species so far. Its indeed a slow grower, but the ones i had did manage to at least grow new leaves weekly (around the same growth speed as anubias plants). 

Though not like just grow one leaf every 6 months type... that's way too slow, would be almost like plastic plant.  :Grin:

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## aquanick

Then you have a green thumb UA.. they never grow for me.. just stay there forever..

Any other species which can be used in nano tanks?

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## TheAquarist

Willisii ?

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## illumbomb

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...sp-pahang.html

This is good alternative if you can get your hands on it

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## aquanick

Nice! This will be perfect, if i can find it..  :Very Happy: 
Thanks for the link, I did not know about this crypt.. great share..

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## sixhunter

hihi newbie to Cryptocoryne, just to ask if all Cryptocoryne needs to be rooted or can they be planted just like other rhizome plants like nana, ferns etc by tying them to something and not burrowing the rhizome/root ?  :Roll Eyes:

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## Urban Aquaria

> hihi newbie to Cryptocoryne, just to ask if all Cryptocoryne needs to be rooted or can they be planted just like other rhizome plants like nana, ferns etc by tying them to something and not burrowing the rhizome/root ?


Thats a good question... cryptocorynes are typically planted into substrates (the more nutrient-rich the better as they tend to be heavy root feeders) and their rhizomes can be covered without issues.

In theory, they could also be simply tied to wood or rocks (most plants can grow like that too), but personally i've not tried it out and seen how well they actually grow without substrate (probably have to make sure the water column is well fertilized). Could be a good experiment to try out.  :Smile:

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## Urban Aquaria

I just did a google search online and discovered that its actually possible to grow cryptocorynes tied to objects, and its already being done by Tropica... check it out:



Sources: 
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/blog...lava-rock.html
http://tropica.com/en/plants/plantde...08AYLS%29/4561

Now i also want to try it out too!  :Very Happy:

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## sixhunter

:Grin:  :Smile: nice

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## aquanick

So that means it is only this particular sp called petchii which can grow on lava rocks?
Also in the picture, it looks strange because you can not see any roots of the crypt, and crypts grow massive root systems.

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## Urban Aquaria

> So that means it is only this particular sp called petchii which can grow on lava rocks?
> Also in the picture, it looks strange because you can not see any roots of the crypt, and crypts grow massive root systems.


Based on Tropica's example... i'd assume most crypts could also be grown tied to objects, since they are all rhizome plants too. Just have to test with other variants and see which types can adapt and also grow well planted this way.

Yeah, the photo doesn't show any of the extensive roots that crypts usually display... i guess the photo was made for "marketing" purposes, so the roots were probably hidden behind the rock or trimmed off to look neater. A whole tangle of roots sticking out does look abit messy.  :Grin:

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## sixhunter

> Based on Tropica's example... i'd assume most crypts could also be grown tied to objects, since they are all rhizome plants too. Just have to test with other variants and see which types can adapt and also grow well planted this way.
> 
> Yeah, the photo doesn't show any of the extensive roots that crypts usually display... i guess the photo was made for "marketing" purposes, so the roots were probably hidden behind the rock or trimmed off to look neater. A whole tangle of roots sticking out does look abit messy.


i just tested with a wenditi  :Smile:  so far so good. yes alot of roots hahaha but once stable, established and the new shoot grows i will trim back the roots  :Very Happy:  crossfingers*

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## DoubleDutch

They'll attach to lava rocks aso, but are defo "substrate-plants".

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