# Trial # 45



## king kong (Jul 2, 2012)

Well it seems like that many trials. These bullosa and hudori are testing me to the limit. Sometimes the leaves melt. Sometimes the roots melt. Now I am taking my emersed tank and flooding it with water 3 inches above the leaves for 2 days and dumping it below the pots for 8 hours. No more ro carbon filtered purified Publix water. That is history. I have great well water that I live on and all my fish as well so these plants better learn to enjoy it. If I sound a little testy well I am. These plants are a challenge that have me doing crazy things to pamper them.... well those days are over. They are getting the home water tide system and that is all I got for now.


----------



## looking4roselines (May 10, 2008)

Gary, 

Is there a reason why you specifically want to grow these two emerged? Have you tried growing them fully submerged? 

My experience with these two crypt is that they grow a lot better submerged rather than emerged. If you want to see them bloom, reduce the water levels once you see a developing spathe.

My neglected crypts are doing fine in very hard city water. There is no time to pamper them!!


----------



## king kong (Jul 2, 2012)

looking4roselines said:


> Gary,
> 
> Is there a reason why you specifically want to grow these two emerged? Have you tried growing them fully submerged?
> 
> ...


I wish you could see the smile on my face. I am seeing better plant health submerged. Blooms I don't need, just roots and leaves. I am willing to do whatever to get these plants to grow. 
I really wonder what nature intended for these two crypts? Thanks for the info!!
I am going to try "tidal" water levels with my very hard well water for a period of time.
Something has got to break. My emersed culture was not getting it done that is for sure.


----------



## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

hey man, long time  
how about you post some pics


----------



## looking4roselines (May 10, 2008)

ddavila06 said:


> hey man, long time
> how about you post some pics


Here are some old photos of my crypts grown in hard water. They don't even get chemical fertilizer.

Water level is reduced to take photos and/or allow them to bloom.


__
https://flic.kr/p/7738017626


__
https://flic.kr/p/7738018244


__
https://flic.kr/p/7373838704


----------



## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

looking4roselines said:


> Gary,
> 
> My neglected crypts are doing fine in very hard city water. There is no time to pamper them!!


depends on the species ... which species do you have and how hard is your water?

edit: the picture shows a flower of C. affinis, which is indeed a hard water species.


----------



## king kong (Jul 2, 2012)

Water levels reduced for photography....this is what fooled me. I assumed these plants were grown emersed. I would think the sphagnum moss would float off those pots when water was re-added to tank? Thanks L4R, I have a new strategy now.


----------



## looking4roselines (May 10, 2008)

illustrator said:


> depends on the species ... which species do you have and how hard is your water?
> 
> edit: the picture shows a flower of C. affinis, which is indeed a hard water species.


Not convinced?

Here is c yujii Sg Nibong


__
https://flic.kr/p/7738110944


__
https://flic.kr/p/8391712628


__
https://flic.kr/p/8391712836

C sp kota tinggi also grow well in this tank but I did not take photos of it.


----------



## king kong (Jul 2, 2012)

Here is what I have at this point. I put pots on pvc lifts to get the units out of the water at first. The holes in pvc I put fod added circulation. I still run power filter for circulation and I run air stone for what I don't know but it looks good.

A remarkable collection of plants you grew L4R. Such a wide variety and all peek growth. You have allot of talent.


----------



## saddletramp (Sep 16, 2012)

All hudoroi are grown emersed. The same goes for bullosa 'Pakan'. They grow and multiply very well.
Other bullosa varieties have proven to grow and reproduce very slowly emersed.
So, recently I broke my promise to grow everything emersed and set up a small submersed tank with strong aeration specifically to see if Xue was correct about growing keei, uenoi and some of the bullosas much better that way. 
The results were astounding. As usual, Xue was correct, .....again.
About three weeks later a pot of longicauda was added. After three weeks it started to produce a spathe!
All this was done in Chicago tap water with heavy aeration, nothing else.
Phase 2 will be adding CO2 to see if growth improves again and to see if the plants get that great color we so desire.
Anyway, the experiment was worth it, if we, as a community, learn from it. 
The moral of the story, sensei Xue is always right....most of the time!?#%?
May the team you bet on win the Super Bowl!! It's time to fire up the snowblower again, here in the Chicago area. Bill


----------



## king kong (Jul 2, 2012)

Interesting, I am having much better luck growing submerged with about 2 inches of water above foliage plus water movement and air.
At times I wonder if the new ADA substrate was too hot for virgin emersed cultivation. Now that I am growing submerged I have diluted harmful chemicals? Who knows but plants seem much more responsive now with little die back.


----------



## king kong (Jul 2, 2012)

Experiment # 46:
I have betta fish. So I was reading about this supplement growers use to help the water with their betta fish. They soak a Ketapang leaf (Indian almond) in the water with the fish to supply tannic acids and a host of other of other beneficial things to simulate black water. Sound familiar?
So I see on Ebay you can buy Sea Almond leaves or Terminalia catappa leaves to soak in your water for the black water affect. The tree looked familiar and as it turns out it is also called the Tropical Almond. Bing go we have it growing here in S Florida. Messy darn tree with 6" leaves that turn red in the winter which I guess is now, so I will try them out when they are ready. Just brown, not green/red, not too dry but just brown. Good heavens.


----------



## Johnson18 (Mar 28, 2013)

king kong said:


> Experiment # 46:
> I have betta fish. So I was reading about this supplement growers use to help the water with their betta fish. They soak a Ketapang leaf (Indian almond) in the water with the fish to supply tannic acids and a host of other of other beneficial things to simulate black water. Sound familiar?
> So I see on Ebay you can buy Sea Almond leaves or Terminalia catappa leaves to soak in your water for the black water affect. The tree looked familiar and as it turns out it is also called the Tropical Almond. Bing go we have it growing here in S Florida. Messy darn tree with 6" leaves that turn red in the winter which I guess is now, so I will try them out when they are ready. Just brown, not green/red, not too dry but just brown. Good heavens.


Indian Almond Leaves are pretty common in the SnS of most forums. Unless you were looking specifically for a free option. 

The plants in this thread are pretty impressive! I really need to expand my collection beyond the more common crypts I've been keeping!


----------

