# Planted Tanks > Plant Talk > Cryptocoryne Club >  Emerse Cryptocoryne culture

## lorba

Here are some of my emerse cryptocoryne grown in pots.

Cryptocoryne keei

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## lorba

Cryptocoryne ferruginea

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## lorba

Cryptocoryne Usteriana.

Very small, still growing out.



More to come in future when the rest are in better photographing state.
Who else keeping crypts this way?

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## budak

Me! Me! See here!

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## ciscube

i have some crypts in my tank, but would like to try out emmersed  :Smile:  . how do i go about it? do i need to keep the soil very "muddy"? I intend to put them along the corridors, just as other non-aquatic plants.

thanks.

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## budak

Except for a few species like C. ciliata, most crypts, when emmersed, need very high humidity. Our usual household/corridor humidity level is too low, unlike their natural habitat in shady, humid streams and swamps. So a totally enclosed container is best. You can use plain gravel mixed with a little base fert or soil.

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## Justikanz

I am trying to keep 1 emersed in my vivarium... Roots dangling in water ok? But what crypt is it? Will it eventually flower?... If this is successful, I will add more...  :Smile:

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## lorba

Seems like a wendtii green. Give it some bed of mosses or whereever it can root on and hold. It will take very long to do it on the root.

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## TS168

Nice Crypt.
Cryptocoryne keei is nice. Does it show different when grown submerse?

I have just try out 1 crypt(2 Plantlets) on a plastic container. I place it on the windows.

If i m correct? Crypt will only flower on emerse.
Hi Roland,
Do you have picture of them emerse vs submerse? Thanks

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## lorba

Hi,

I will show it after a while, when they have start to grow well. C. keei is one of the easier one to grow among the rarer species. I think the leave might get broader and more translucent when you view it underwater.

I believe the flowering will take place under water or half submerged. I have balansae flowering in this tank, see here. Its in a 2ft tall tank.



I've got a wendtii fruiting in my home tank 2 years ago as well.

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## lorba

you guys can take a look here in RVA, how mr. Pieter van wijngaarden keeps his crypts emerse.

how http://www.rva.ne.jp/gallary2/crypto...ijngaarden.htm

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## |squee|

Is there no chance of me keeping a Crypt emersed without having to cover it with something that fogs up?

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## TS168

Thanks Roland for the reply. :P
I still find crypt more "pretty" when grow them submerse. but if you like them flower? Hmm.

You mean the flower is in submerse? Or it out of the water surface?

Hi squee, 
You need to make sure that the crypt do not dry up. I have try them even without cover and the leaves are above water level and the leave did not dry up. But they get more green. :P


mr. Pieter van wijngaarden crypt are BIG!!
Not sure how many like big crypt in their tanks?

Me personally like crypt for it leave pattern and it color.

Still exploring Crypt...

Cheers.

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## lorba

As long as you can keep the humidity high, there shouldnt be a problem. Some crypts can endure less humid environment.

I am keep a pot of Cryptocoryne becketii emersed, in a small vivarium with a weak PL on top. This is a standard 2x1.5x1.5 tank, without a cover. The crypt still grows well along with ferns, moss and anubias and other stem plants.

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## lorba

> Thanks Roland for the reply. :P
> I still find crypt more "pretty" when grow them submerse. but if you like them flower? Hmm.
> 
> You mean the flower is in submerse? Or it out of the water surface?


Hi TS,

Crypt is beautiful or not, depends on how generous you are, feeding them with good root tabs and the equivalent of liquid ferts. Personally, I find crypts attains the bright, waxy appearances underwater, with bright lights, good root fertilization.

The balansae flower actually grown from a very shady plant, blocked by a lot of java ferns. The water is about 1.5ft deep and the flower is entirely submerged. I saw it when I was doing the maintenance.

For me, keeping crypt above water is an entirely different challenge. It is more tricky to get nice looking plant and the set up takes up a little more space. You have much better chances of getting them flower nicely.

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## lorba

Let's see some of the set up of Mr. Jan D Bastmeijer, owner of the Cryptocoryne website.

You can view more here in RVA.

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## lorba

And this is how some other japanese hobbyists keep their crypts.

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## StanChung

c. keei emersed looks like c bullosa in water! does c keei grow big?

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## lorba

actually, variants of keei, bullosa and affinis looks alike, apart from flower and some other minor differences.

Same for the similiarity in some variants of aponogetifolia, usteriana, and coronata.

I think it should haev at least 10cm long of leaves when matured.

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## StanChung

10cm is very manageable...

c. usteriana and c. ferruginea looks nice and fresh. pity they have to be locked up like how japanese do it. maybe that's their nursery?
maybe can use a mister to grow it nice in vivarium?

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## lorba

A mister might be good for the crypts. Perhaps put it on timer. It might get too wet on the leaves and cause rotting if its on all the time.

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## StanChung

that's an idea. azoo sells a mister... is there other brands in lfs... maybe i should check out vivarium section... thanks.

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## Alfred

What are you all using for substrate?

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## lorba

for potting, you can try live moss, ADA soil mix lapis sand, lapis sand, aquaclay etc.

I tried live moss, not bad but seems a little slow on the plant.

Some of the crypts grows better with sandy base, such as griffthii, coronata, aponogetifolia.

But generally, ADA soil diluted with some lapis sand is fairly good for most.

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## bluedempsey

Lorba

Do you use water in the container? and what´s the level

what´s the correct temp inside the container to grow crypts ?

thanks

Ricky
Buenos Aires - Argentina.

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## lorba

Hi Ricky,

I have about 2cm of water in my container.

I don't know whats the ideal, but in the shade part of the jungle, its rather cool. Perhaps you can keep it around 25-28C.

Mositure is required for the plants. Heat and mositure will most like cause melting. I open the lid by a little for several hours a day, I observe better growth this way. Covering them entirely seems to starve them of fresh supply of air and growth is quite stagnant.

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## bluedempsey

thanks lorba,

sorry i´m not good with english,

What is mositure?, to spray plants with water?

Ricky
Buenos Aires - Argentina

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## lorba

Sorry, it is moisture. Amount of water in the air?

There are few options.
- Use a mister
- Cover the tank top to prevent rapid lost of water
- do a water curtain on one side of the tank wall if you have the pump and hose

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## Alfred

Can you use regular potting mix?

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## lorba

Hi Alfred, i've tried it. Not too bad.

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## Alfred

> Hi Alfred, i've tried it. Not too bad.


Thanks for that info. I am in the process of collecting some crypts, but have no tank to put them in yet, so I will try this method to keep them alive, while waiting for my tank to come.

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## itssg

Wow...wow....All my emersed crypts was attacked by the spider mite. Due to i was keeping them open air which just next to other flowers. Roland, your crypts really make me...  :Flame:  ...

Going to collect few crypts and keeping inside my terrarium.

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