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Re:Problems with Cryptocorynes




>------------------------------
>
>Chazz Hesselein wrote Sat, 2 May 1998:

>I have several species of Cryptocoryne in my 75 gallon community tank.  They
>are all exhibiting he same symptom.  The margins of their leaves curl down and
>inward.  In addition none of them are growing as lushly as I would like.  My
>tank conditions are as follows:
>
>        75 gallon community tank
>        200 W Fluorescent lights
>        pH 7.0
>        KH 1 degree
>        GH 5 degrees
>        Fe 0.1 ppm
>        Nitrate 5 ppm
>        Ammonia and Nitrite 0 ppm
>
>I fertilize with PMDD at 0.5 ml/day and 0.1ml/10 liters of water change.  I
>try to change 15-25 gallons weekly but sometimes only make it every other
>week.  Filtration consists of an Emperor 250 and a Penguin 180.  No carbon
>dioxide.  Any ideas as to the cause of my Cryptocoryne leaf curl and lack of
>lush growth?


The downward curling is natural in submersed C. beckettii, but I have never
seen it in C. wendtii or some other submersed forms I have.  I don't think
it is a symptom of bad health of the plant.  The lack of lush growth may be
due to the substrate not having very much organic matter and possibly to
the lack of CO2 enrichment.  I get the best growth of submersed crypts if I
do three things: (1) I keep them pretty much by themselves, or at least the
most numerous plants in the tank, (2) they have a 50:50 by volume mix of
peat and soil, and (3) they get CO2 additions.

Paul Krombholz, in cool central Mississippi.