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Re: Crypt's pruning



> Trimming/pruning/maintaining Crypts (Wendtii?)
> 
> Can't find much in the APD archives, the Krib, or Jan Bastmeijer's
> (http://users.bart.nl/~crypts/index.html) pages on trimming.  I bought a
> single small crypt which the LFS had (mis?)marked C. willisii 7/4/99.
> The leaves now  resemble pictures of C. wendtii in Baensch I, Tepoot, &
> Scheurmann more than C. x willisii, though it's never flowered.  By
> 7/9/00, it had developed 3 daughter plants each about 3-4 inches away.
> The leaves on the mother  and daughter plants are now about 7-8 inches
> long, perhaps 3/4 - 1 inch wide & slightly ruffled, on petioles about 4
> inches long.  Thus, it's now getting pretty large for my 20 gallon
> long.  There must be 6-10 grandaughters getting larger every week, with
> more sprouting all the time.  How do I keep it from taking over the
> whole aquarium?

It is not C. x willisii. It doesn't not get that large ever.
It always remains green as well. C x willisi is a natural hybrid hence the
cross( x ) in the name.

> I'm thinking that I could uproot the whole family, carefully pot some
> of the smaller grandaughters, and submerge the pots back in the Flourite
> substrate, but I'm slightly concerned this would induce an algae
> outbreak (none now or recently, knock on wood) due to the substrate
> being so dislodged.

If you do say 20 % or less at a time perhaps even less in your case you
should have problem(s). When you do the 50% uprooting and not water change
after etc...your asking for it.

I don't vacuum, since there's hardly a square inch
> that isn't planted, though I guess I could do a 50-75% water change, or
> several, to clear the water.  Scheurmann (p 39, Aquarium Plants Manual,
> 1992) seems to describe uprooting & dividing the whole group.  I'm also
> guessing that if the holes in the pot(s) are small enough, or
> non-existent, the pot will confine future runners from the rest of the
> tank.

No, they will escape out of the pot for sure.

> I've also thought about sticking a knife straight down into the
> substrate (eg after Tom Barr,
> http://www.actwin.com/fish/aquatic-plants/month.200002/msg00551.html)
> between a given plant & it's mother, try to slice the umbilical root,
> and remove just the daughters, but with the reputed fragility of crypts,

Key word: "reputed". This one is a weed for you:) I would not worry as I
have used this procedure for many years. It causes more harm to remove the
entire group than a few escapees.
With the likely species you have, you should not have to worry about how
sensitive it is. Some are but most you find in the aquarium trade are not.

> I wonder if that might kill the daughters -- I'd prefer if I could trade
> them to the LFS instead.
That's the idea. Maintain the original group and cull the daughters.
Hope this helps, 
Regards, 
Tom Barr