Crypt problems ?’s

[Atitagain]

I got some Cryptocoryne wendtii green from ACO a little over 6 weeks ago. Placed in my plant QT. I started with 4 pots that broke down to 7 plants. I hung them off airline holders and 3 of them withered up and became mushy in a couple days. Rest hung in there and started growing new roots. Most melted back then took forever to have new growth. I needed to take it out of my QT because I was getting an algae breakout and didn’t want it to get into my crypts. They all had new growth so I planted them into another tank and the new growth started turning brown. Is this another melt back or something else?  All roots looked healthy to me when planted.
 

[Patrick_G]

My guess is they’re reacting to being moved from tank to tank. My gut says it’s melting, but I don’t have much experience with wendtii. I just have the one pink panther and it didn’t melt at all. 

[Odd Duck]

Crypts are notorious for melting, sometimes even moving from one spot in a tank to another spot, for sure can happen when moving from one tank to another.  They resent their roots being disturbed for what ever reason.  I’ve literally had them melt from being slightly scooched over by 1/2” to get them into more light.

Most of the time they aren’t THAT sensitive, but every once in a while, they will be.  I’ve had Crypts not melt at all, even after shipping.  But every time you move a Crypt, you take that chance.  If you move one more than once, it definitely increases the risk of melting, IME.

When I’m not certain where I’m going to put a crypt, or the tank is not quite ready, or it just needs growing time (like from a tissue culture), I put it in a pot with dirt capped with sand so it’s similar to the substrate it will be going into eventually, then I leave it alone as much as possible.  Plus the dirt capped with sand is soft and fairly easy to remove them from it with minimal root breakage.

Once I decide where it’s going, I try to place it and leave it if at all possible.

[Atitagain]

@Patrick_G @Odd Duck I figured as much. I will not be moving them for a long time now this is their permanent placement. So hopefully they will come back again. I should cut back all the brown leaves and even the partial brown leaves? Correct?

thank you both for your help.

[Odd Duck]

On 11/29/2021 at 6:04 AM, Atitagain said:

@Patrick_G @Odd Duck I figured as much. I will not be moving them for a long time now this is their permanent placement. So hopefully they will come back again. I should cut back all the brown leaves and even the partial brown leaves? Correct?

thank you both for your help.

I wouldn’t cut back any of the leaves I see in your pics quite yet.  Crypts are also notorious for having variable coloration and height depending on individual tank conditions.  None of those leaves look unhealthy.  If the start to fade, get notches or holes in them, lose the tip of the leaf, get “thin” looking, for sure cut.  Just brown but still good texture, that’s just a Crypt color thing.  I have Crypt wendtii ‘Red’ in several tanks and it looks a bit different in each.  More bronze, more green, etc, and they pretty much all started with the same group of plants.

[Dawn T]

Must be Crypt melt season. Seems a few of us are suddenly seeing it. Suppose our crypts are coordinating with each other via the internet when we aren't looking? 😋

[anewbie]

Well I hope all of you stay away from me because the last thing I need to deal with is a melting crypt - this one has been doing ok the past 8 months:

[Odd Duck]

On 12/1/2021 at 12:20 PM, anewbie said:

Well I hope all of you stay away from me because the last thing I need to deal with is a melting crypt - this one has been doing ok the past 8 months:

 

Is this a C. nurii ‘Rosen Maiden’?

[anewbie]

On 12/1/2021 at 5:33 PM, Odd Duck said:

 

Is this a C. nurii ‘Rosen Maiden’?

Yea. I've had that one for about 6 1/2 months; it is slow but steady growth. There is a similar plant that is a bit nicer (which i have in another tank) called Nurii Pahang Mutated (mentioning it since if you are going to run out to buy one that is the one i would target). Actually i take that back - as to which is nicer is really a matter of opinion a lot of people prefer nurii rosen but i've been leaning toward nurri pahang. Might as well as get them both 😉

 

 

However there are nicer crypts - two other crypt i have that I really like is Jacobensii pink and Sprialis 'Red'.

 

There really are a lot of very nice crypts out there - just wish they were more readily avaiable.

Edited December 2, 2021 by anewbie

[Odd Duck]

On 12/1/2021 at 6:26 PM, anewbie said:

Yea. I've had that one for about 6 1/2 months; it is slow but steady growth. There is a similar plant that is a bit nicer (which i have in another tank) called Nurii Pahang Mutated (mentioning it since if you are going to run out to buy one that is the one i would target). Actually i take that back - as to which is nicer is really a matter of opinion a lot of people prefer nurii rosen but i've been leaning toward nurri pahang. Might as well as get them both 😉

 

 

However there are nicer crypts - two other crypt i have that I really like is Jacobensii pink and Sprialis 'Red'.

 

There really are a lot of very nice crypts out there - just wish they were more readily avaiable.

I have some Rosen Maiden.  I like it, but it is a bit slower growing than some, for sure.  I’ll have to look for some C. nurii ‘Pahang Mutated’.  I bought some jacobensii ‘Purple’ and it melted completely due to overheating during shipping.  I’ll look for more and for spiralis ‘Red’.  I remember you mentioning both those last 2 before and I’ve been on the look out.  I don’t really have spots for them right now so I haven’t been intensive in looking like I have for hummingbird tetras.  Still no luck with them, but this 14 G cube tank will be perfect for them, so I’m determined to find them.  I need to get a better light for the cube, I’m not impressed with the one I have, so that’s on my list, too.  If I get a new light, I will look harder for the Crypts you’ve mentioned.  😃 

[Odd Duck]

I’d really like to find some Crypt. pontederifolia ‘Red Lips’.  Those look really cool and great color (I’m sure the really strong colored ones I’m seeing pics of are emerse or in CO2).

I didn’t even know pontes had color mutations since I’d only seen the light green ones, then, well, Hello, rabbit! And away I went reading more than I needed or should again.  😂 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I second spiralis red and Jacobensii - I’ve loved the slow but steady spread of the Jacobensii I’m sure it’ll eventually carpet the whole bottom of the Sad Bowl. There’s a seller in AQUABID with spiralis red and tiger. @Bentley Pascoehooked me up with the Jacobensii at the Fishtoberfest. Spiralis red tiger is another one that’s stupendous. I lost it when the sad bowl went down the 3rd time. 

Ive sourced green gecko a couple times. I have one that is one of the bigger crypts I’ve had outside spiralis and balansae. The intensity of the green and the purplish color of the veins and stems are just great. Makes me wonder if it green gecko. I also got some from UNS tissue culture growing out in my plant growout tank and it’s been slow but very steady 1-2 leaves a month. Very green with minimal color changes in the veins and leaves but it’s still fairly tiny. Lighting is very different in each setup. 

Nurii maden is great and agree on slow growing in a low tech setup. Happy to have had some from LRB that was different from my other plant source so I find that variation you were discussing interesting. Both “nurii madens” I had it was impressive how well they did in a dirted tank - pond soil, lava rock and (ala MD Fishtanks) I have a mix of my old setups soil in a couple tubs streaked with old laterite it has crushed coral, aquasoil, flourite, eco-complete and gravel to top off the soil. Lighting is a 20 w LED spotlight, Aquaneat white and blue led and a grow light bulb in one of those reptile lights. the pink came out much more on that one then in my low light setup.

[anewbie]

fyi: The picture i presented above was from my 5 gallon which is low tech with inert substrate; I do have some of these in my 40B which is hi-tech (inert substrate). One thing that i really like about most crypts is they will grow without rich substrates; that doesn't mean you won't get better colours or faster growth from rich substrate but still it is better than some stem plants that absolutely require rich substrate. The other thing is that even in high-tech environment most will be well behaved (again a difference from stem plants that require constant baby sitting (cutting, pruning, replanting); i.e, they tend to be low maint. The biggest problem i have with my crypts is many of them respond very very badly (and will melt) if over shaded and depending on the species i have to keep them in the 'sun' as they say.

--

I was looking at the nurri (pictured above) this morning and i realized the picture really does not due it justice. First the plant is smaller and the leaves glossier then shown in the picture also they are in better condition  - none of them have degraded  - last but least the plant is smaller and more 'delicate' looking than shown in the picture.

Edited December 2, 2021 by anewbie