Xema

Allways you get a new plant, you never know that soil you must use.



C. schulzei is a swamp growner, so I finally decided use a very acid mix with beech leaf mould, akadama, kanuma and peat moss.



What do you think about the mixture? will work right?

Kai Witte

Hi Xema,

For emersed culture, I guess? Sounds like a decent mix but you could also skip all mineral contents.

I prefer to let newly collected or mixed soil incubate for at least a week (better a month or two) before planting precious plants in it. Just to be on the safe side since fresh mixes can favor excessive growth of mould. However, when the ingredients are carefully selected, the quick and dirty approach will usually work out fine, too. Just make sure that the pH is and stays below 4.5 - this will reduce the chances of rotting soil.

Xema

Hi friend,
Very nice advise!!

Akadama and Kanuma are acid stuff... kanuma gets arround pH5,8 and akadama around pH 6.
Half decompossed Beech leaves can get pH around 3,8 and peat moss gets around pH 4,00.

Another stuff (what I don´t add this time) is pine bark, gets pH below 4,00.

I think pH will not be a problem...
and the water of the bottom is 5,8 pH

Piscesgirl

That looks like a beautiful crypt, Xema -- looking forward to seeing your future pictures of it

Kai Witte

Hello Xema,

I tend to think of the pH of natural rainwater (i.e. 5.4-5.6) as "neutral" - similar as in "skin-neutral" soap...

That's what I'd be aiming at.

It's pretty inert otherwise - so hardly any nutrients for the crypts.

How about a dedicated tank for blackwater crypts?

If you add something less acid or nutrients/minerals to the beach leaf litter, decomposition will usually be enhanced which *may* favor rotting under waterlogged conditions as well as mould growth.

Xema

Hey Kai, appreciated advices again.

Do you are keeping C. schulzei?? maybe you can show us how we should keep them.

Hiroshi Shirakawa recommended to me a mix of peatmoss and ADA aquasoil malaya...


Yeah!!! it´s in my mind... Actually i am working in a Crypt Room. I am planing 2 kind of set up, for swamp grower and for neutral... But I have some dudes, C. uenoi C. nurii and C. bullosa grow in fast flow waters, and with very acid reaction... which would be your recommendation about keep them???

Note: actually I keep a peat bag into the reverse osmosis water... and add acid ferts and the most of my plants growing well (except C. affinis), including C. aponogetifolia, C. usteriana, C. pygmaea (now blooming) and C. coronata.

A pleasure speaking in deep on crypts!!!

Kai Witte

Hello Xema,

Well, I can tell you what NOT to do:
1. Don't plant them in small plastic pots.
2. Don't let them grow large and setting buds.
3. Don't remove neighboring pots for making pics.
4. Don't raise the water level to hide the pot.
5. Don't wait for the "dust" to settle and for opening of the spathe.
6. Don't go on a weekend vacation.
7. Don't let a top-heavy plant try a salto mortale and ending up upside down while you're not watching...
(I usually have no problems to recover at least a healthy portion of the rhizome after stupid accidents like this and grow them back to former glory but, alas, this time rotting was really fast...)

Nowadays, I always make sure that pots can't topple over and also routinely add a thin bottom layer of heavy stuff into the pots of crypts growing only in leaf litter.

I kept mine in pure leaf litter but since it can also be found in streams like nurii, this obviously isn't the only possibility in nature. Moreover, there's often a difference what works best for oneself vs. what works best for other experienced growers. That being said, I still think that acid leaf litter is one of the more easy ways to success with blackwater crypts...

Yeah, affinis needs enough calcium and a pH well above rainwater. All local varieties that I experienced are great submersed growers and among the best (and most beautiful) crypts for a tapwater aquarium (thriving even in alkaline water). I think it's a real shame that it's hardly available in the aquarium trade anymore!

Thanks for posting all those pics - keep them coming!

Xema

Sorry, I have a no long vocabulary (my english is quite poor)...

What do you mean with:



Cryptocoryne schulzei from Hiroshi Shirakawa´s page (aka=Pyocorine)
Cryptocoryne schulzei from Sigezo´s page
Cryptocoryne schulzei from Mirage of water´s page
Cryptocoryne schulzei from Symphysodon´s page
Cryptocoryne schulzei from Slow Aqua Life´s page
Cryptocoryne schulzei from Cryptocoryne´s page
Cryptocoryne schulzei from カブさん´s page
Cryptocoryne schulzeifrom まつさん´s page

EDGE

Kai, can you explain why we shouldn't do some of the Don't do? How does removing neighboring pots affect other plants? Why don't we wait for dust settle? How small is small plastic pot? Can they be grown in large plastic pot?

Thanks

HeyPK

It is interesting that Sigezo is growing his plants in what looks like a dry atmosphere.

That is a nice collection of links, Xema!