Name Your Favorite Crypt and Why!

[LindaC]

Now that I have turned my 10 gallon tank into a low light, low tech tank, I have purchased a couple of Crypts for it but had a hard time deciding just which Crypts I wanted. I finally decided on Crypt Lucens and Crypt Wendtii, but would like to hear from others about their experience with Crypts, how many they have and what type.

Many thanks for any information you can give.

Linda

 

[Purrbox]

I currently have Cryptocoryne Lucens, Cryptocoryne Parva, Cryptocoryne Wendtii, and two unknown crypts that were originally identified as Cryptocoryne Willisi but are too large for this to be a correct ID and the appearance isn't quite right either. I think that they're all great and look forward to collecting more varieties in the future.

 

[LindaC]

Purrbox, is Crypt Parva the one that is supposed to be the smallest? I think that was the one I thought I was purchasing a long time ago when actually it was Crypt Petchii, which I do not have a problem with, it looks great in my tank, but it's not the least bit small.

 

[Purrbox]

Cryptocoryne Parva is very small and requires a lot more light than most Crypts. I don't know for sure that it is the smallest, but it is definately one of the smaller ones available.

 

[fish_4_all]

Toss up between Lucens and Red Wendtii. Lucens because it grows really fast for me and it also provides a real nice look for fish to hide under. Red Wendtii for the color and the shape of the leaves. The only other one I have is becketti and it is just laying on the bottom and being boring.

 

[czcz]

Crypt parva, because it is cute. I want to try the harder and rarer Crypts but don't have a tank big enough. I think C. wendtii "Green Gecko" looks awesome in pics.

 

[Jchillin]

I have to agree regarding C. wendtii, probably because it is done well for me as well as others. I'm actually sorry to have given up my parva, but with the larger plants in my tank, you could no longer see it.

 

[JustOneMore20]

Red wendtiis are my fav. I love the color of them. The leaves can get fairly long...I had one grow ~8 inch long leaves....but it melted in a move and had to regrow. The color is very nice though.

I also like crypt lutea. The shape of the leaves is a bit different then the wendtiis, so it is interesting to me.

 

[travis simonson]

I love the C. wendtii variants for durability and ease of growth but my favorite is C. nurii. I've had a sample of it for almost two years now and have never gotten it to produce more than three leaves at any given time, but those that it does produce have a wonderful tiger-stripe pattern. I think I like this one because I still haven't figured out how to make it happy yet

 

[Glenc]

I currently have three species, Parva, Undulata, and Becketti. I like them all, Becketti gets huge, goes a nice gold-brown colour in any light, more brown in high, send out lots of runners. Real easy to grow. Undulata goes a reddish brown in high light, olive green in med or low. It has pencil thin leaves, real pretty. You got to be careful with it as Undulata melts easy. Parva is my fav as it stays compact and gets real thick. Grows slow, but once established it send out lots of runners. Also Parva is one of the few crypts you can move around and it doesn't seem to mind, hasn't melted on me yet.

 

[LindaC]

Glenn, glad you posted about Undulata, I have been seriously thinking about purchasing this particular crypt but haven't heard anyone speak about having it in their tank, I've seen some great photos of it.

I'm not sure if any of you subscribe to Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine but if you do, there is a great section in this month's edition on the Cryptocoryne and some great photos too.

 

[czcz]

Was it written by Steve Hampton? Anything on emergent/emersed growth or flowering? Thanks.

 

[Zezmo]

Cryptocoryne are one of my favote plant types too. There is at least one in every tank.
Right now I have: C. parva, C. wendtii "brown", c. pygmaea, C. pontedefolia, C. beckettii "petchii", C. wendtii "X hybrid", and C. wendtii "green". Most of them do well in any tank, from very hard to very soft, high light or low light. Very easy, very nice looking.
As for favorites. parva is for sure one, nice color thick growth, and very small. Pygmaea which I have only had a few months, is turning out to have some real nice color.
Here is a shot of the pygmaea, the parva is on the left.

This shot has 5 species of crypt in it: C. wendtii "brown", C. wendtii "X hybrid", C. beckettii "petchii", C. wendtii "green", and an unknown kinda melty one that is just planted.

 

[LindaC]

Zezmo, those are nice looking crypts, the one on the far left in the photo about (unknown species) looks a little like photos I've seen of Undulata. The Parva is nice too, I think that's going to be my next Crypt, I like the thickness and also the fact that it's smaller.

czcz, no the article in TFH was not written by Steve Hampton, it's the Nature Aquarium article by Toshiko Amano.