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April-May 2014, what is going on recently…

Due to a long business trips I had no time to update my site. I have written some posts in Czech… and now for something completely different – English update..

So… here it is.

Plants are growing just fine. I am trying to do a regular changes of water and from time I measure water parameters. As I wrote before, some new species are making me happy. But more on that topic later in a new post. I have uncovered my glass cover a bit more to lower humidity and for better air circulation. Some of my plants really resemble submersed condition. It is time to toughen up!

Oh, and I nearly forgot… My C. wendtii ‘Green Gecko‘ got nice reddish pattern on leaves also in an emersed form.

Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘Green Gecko‘ (April 2014)

Cryptocoryne albida (emersed)

In emersed form it is not that beautiful, but I added more light. I am looking forward to see how it changes.

Since January it grew a lot. Hoping to see a spathe next summer.

Cryptocoryne albida (emersed) Oct 17 2013

Cryptocoryne albida (emersed) Jan 16 2013

Here it was in my emersed window setup.

Cryptocoryne albida (submersed) turns red

I have Cryptocoryne albida (or C. costata if you prefer) for some time. It grew quite big, but since I neglected my tanks during summer it was nothing fancy. Recently I have started to add CO2 and PMDD again and the results came quite quickly. New leaves are turning red/brown and the plant became huge.

It is placed in my tank “Metamorphoses“.

Cryptocoryne albida (submersed) Oct 17 2013 (1)

Cryptocoryne albida (submersed) Oct 17 2013 (2 - detail) — Cryptocoryne albida (submersed) Oct 17 2013 (2 – detail)

Cryptocoryne sp. ‘Flamingo’ in low tech tank

During last year I put my Flamingo(s) into several tanks to propagate it and to try it in different conditions. This one is from a low tech tank (in fact, most of my tanks are low tech). It is in approx. 40x25x25cm tank, without CO2 (never added), clay based substrate mixed with gravel, tiny hang-on filter and just a 9W bulb as a light. It is on the table near the window so it gets an “extra light” from there. Except of several Dennerle Cryptocoryne tabs (for roots) I do not fertilize it (my fish do the job).

I would say the results are satisfying. Plant is approx. 15 cm wide, healthy, quite pink and only old leaves tent to go brown/green.

Update, 2014,Feb 04:
Recently I measured some water parameters, so here they are:

pH: 8,3
EC: 830 μS/cm
(GH: 17 dGH) / may not be very accurate
(KH: 13 dKH) / may not be very accurate

Cryptocoryne sp. ‘Flamingo’ 15.10.2013 in low tech tank (1)

Cryptocoryne sp. ‘Flamingo’ 15.10.2013 in low tech tank (2)

Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis – submersed

A few months ago (April 25, 2013) I bought a gel culture C. crispatula var. tonkinensis. Since then I tried to convert it into submersed and emersed form. To tell the truth, I was not very succesful with my emersed trials. I planted several plants, but most of them died. Luckily, I still have one pot with tiny plants (and some submersed plants). I will try to replant it to another substrate and find a better place for it in my emersed setup (maybe I will be more successful this time).

And about submersed form. So far so good. But…It is growing really slowly. I am curious about submersed condition – how long can it last?

Link to gel culture form: Gel culture plants arrived

Some photos (please excuse low quality and algae – mainly because of low nutrition due to a lack of time)…

Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis - submersed (1) — Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis – submersed (1)

Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis - submersed (2) — Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis – submersed (2)

Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis - submersed (3) — Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis – submersed (3)

Photo update 6.11.2013:

Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis - submersed (4), (Nov 6, 2013) — Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis – submersed (4), (Nov 6, 2013)

Cryptocoryne lingua – thriving

Cryptocoryne lingua (in my temporary window setup)

I got my C. lingua 3 months ago. It had 2-3 leaves for a long time. I was really surprised when I saw it making this nice “rosette”. I am curious whether it will last (I am a bit skeptic).

(Photo is quite blurry, I will try to find a better one).

Oh, and also my H. pinnatifida grows well (It shares a pot with my C. affinis).

Hygrophila pinnatifida (May 18, 2013)

Gel culture plants arrived – C. pygmaea

The plan was to buy Cryptocoryne pygmaea from a small aquatic plant nursery. But the prize of gel culture plants was interesting so I also bought some Crypts I already have (the more the merrier, right?).

I could not find anyone else who was selling this Crypt in here. Sadly, it is quite common to sell Crypts under different names. Lets see what this Crypt truly is. I am going to give it a try in an emersed form.

Gel culture Cryptocoryne pygmaea (April 25, 2013) - 1 — Gel culture Cryptocoryne pygmaea (April 25, 2013) – 1

Gel culture Cryptocoryne pygmaea (April 25, 2013) - 2 — Gel culture Cryptocoryne pygmaea (April 25, 2013) – 2

Gel culture Cryptocoryne x willisii (April 25, 2013)

Gel culture Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia (April 25, 2013) - 1 — Gel culture Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia (April 25, 2013) – 1

Gel culture Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia (April 25, 2013) - 2 — Gel culture Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia (April 25, 2013) – 2

Gel culture Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Tropica' (April 25, 2013) — Gel culture Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘Tropica’ (April 25, 2013)

Gel culture Cryptocoryne tonkinensis (April 25, 2013)

See growing submersed: Cryptocoryne crispatula Engler var. tonkinensis – submersed

Gel culture Hygrophila pinnatifida (April 25, 2013)

Gel culture Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov' (April 25, 2013) — Gel culture Microsorum pteropus ‘Windelov’ (April 25, 2013)

Cryptocoryne lingua – A new addition to my small collection

Recently (March 17, 2013) , I got Cryptocoryne lingua from a friend. The collection is growing slowly but surely. I am really happy about it. Now I will try to get a bit more expensive Crypts.

For this spring and summer I also plan to re-do my emersed setup. Oh, and when the snow melts down I hope to get C. pygmaea (it is sold under this name, so I hope it truelly is pygmaea… we shall see!)

Cryptocoryne lingua (April 3 2013) — Cryptocoryne lingua (April 3, 2013)

Cryptocoryne affinis – “The Old Beauty”

Last week I paid a visit to my friend. He has got several tanks but what amazed me the most was the one with his Cryptocoryne affinis.

We can say it is a common Crypt that almost everybody had in his tank 10 or 15 years ago. But since it is quite hard to cultivate it in emersed setup (and submersed cultivation would be expensive), the plant nurseries supply this Crypt almost rarely. And that is a pity! See the picture to understand why. The photo is from his 10 or 15 years old – and still running – tank. Simple tank with quite large gravel (but to be honest well nutritioned by fish…), sponge filter with power head and some blue-ish tube above it (I will ask later what light did he use). The result – dark green leaves and I fell in love with them. I was told his affinis blooms quite often so I am looking forward to take a photo next time I have a chance.

Thank you, Karel.

Cryptocoryne affinis - The Beauty (Karel´s tank) — Cryptocoryne affinis – The Beauty (Karel´s tank)

Cryptocoryne wendtii – blooming spree! (3rd time this summer)

Good news: Another 14 days passed and C. wendtii is blooming again. Actually this is 3rd spathe this summer. I can say it is almost regular, every 2 weeks.

And of course, some photo documentation:

Cryptocoryne wendtii - blooming spree - 3rd time - Sept-20-2012 (detail) — Cryptocoryne wendtii – blooming spree – 3rd time – Sept-20-2012 (detail)

Cryptocoryne wendtii - blooming spree - 3rd time - Sept-20-2012 (huge plant) — Cryptocoryne wendtii – blooming spree – 3rd time – Sept-20-2012 (huge plant)