# Newbie in cryptos showing my setup



## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Hi everybody: Mi name is Fernando and I'm very newbie in this great world of cryptos.

I'm fascinated with this plants after I've visited Xema's page, and I've really like this plants.

I'm learning very much reading this forum.

I want to show my little setup, it's "working" since 14th november, but it does very slow.
Is a 15lts (4 gallons) plastic recipient, with a 17W 840 light over it. The water PH is about 6, and KH is 1. I have a 150W heatter at 25°C, and a small pump to move the water. The plants are a C. Nevilli, a very small c.becketti with only 1 leaf, and 2 stalks (wendtii brown and becketti). The sustrat is a mix of peat with small gravel (about 1mm), with expanded clay balls on the bottom, and java moss on the top.
I add some terrestral plant fert once a week. 
I've bought 3 stalks of Crytocoryne crispatula var. balansae from Aquaticmagic, I will received in 10 days. I want to put 2 of them on my aquarium. Can I put the las one on my emerserd setup? Some suggestions?

Well, here are some pictures. Suggestions, opinions, critics, help?
Sorry, because my english is not very good. 
Thank for everything. Best regards. Fernando


























C. becketti









C.nevillii









Here showing the water level and the holes on the bottom part of the pots


----------



## SKSuser (Mar 20, 2006)

Welcome to the forum!!!

Your setup is very nice. I don't have much advice for you, because I am not a crypt expert.

Someday, I want to make a setup like this. Make sure to give updates so I know what to do.


----------



## DaFishMan (Dec 4, 2005)

I think you did a great job ! 

I love crypts also had 11 species last year, no room for emmerse setups though unfortunately.
I think with the Ballansae you may want to start with a small runner as opposed to large plant but the experts here will steer you the right way. Keep posting pics as your setup changes, you add more plants and as they grow will be neat to see.
Cheers


----------



## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Hi, thanks for your comments.
I will post setup changes and evolution.

Any suggestion about the crispatula?

Thanks a lot. Regards

Fernando


----------



## Xema (Mar 24, 2004)

Hi Fernando,

I am glad my page can do more people interested on crypts.

Anyway, your set up looks fine. It´s remember me to my first set up few years ago. I used to use styro-foam boxes to keep warm .

A new set up, only needs time to get mature.


----------



## ballsmyberries (Feb 21, 2007)

Xema said:


> Hi Fernando,
> 
> I am glad my page can do more people interested on crypts.
> 
> ...


Hi, i'm interested to have some potted crypt at home. just wondering, apart from setup like this, can i just have it direct under the sun for the lighting and use my planted tank water to grow em or i need brackish water to grow em as to what i know some of them require brackish water to grow.....


----------



## Purrbox (Jun 1, 2006)

ballsmyberries said:


> Hi, i'm interested to have some potted crypt at home. just wondering, apart from setup like this, can i just have it direct under the sun for the lighting and use my planted tank water to grow em or i need brackish water to grow em as to what i know some of them require brackish water to grow.....


I think that you're confusing brackish water with blackwater (softwater). It's my understanding that you would need a separate setup to be able to grow the more common hardwater crypts and blackwater crypts.


----------



## SKSuser (Mar 20, 2006)

Ahhhh, but this does bring up a good point.

In an emmerse setup, could you not change how the plants view the "water quality" in the tub by changing what soil you place in the individual pots?

Someone should try it. ;-)

(Not me.)


----------



## andrew__ (May 18, 2007)

SKSuser said:


> Ahhhh, but this does bring up a good point.
> 
> In an emmerse setup, could you not change how the plants view the "water quality" in the tub by changing what soil you place in the individual pots?
> 
> ...


I would think that minor variations could be achieved... but when people get talking about going for a pH of 4.7 for some of their blackwater species. Can't see that being too easy to work with the same water for a hard water species.

Now something I was thinking of would be siliconing in some dividers to keep the water separate but could still have the benefits of having one tank (like be able to use 4' shoplights instead of more expensive lights for each of several smaller tanks... Not sure if it would really be anything other than more trouble than it's worth though as you could do the same thing just using two tanks the same height...

-- As for brackish I've read that some crypts like ciliata grow in brackish conditions - how important is it to replicate these conditions for crypts?


----------



## SKSuser (Mar 20, 2006)

I guess it could cause some odd fluctuations. I do like your idea about the divider though. Perhaps even a smaller rubbermaid inside a larger one. Some people have limited lighting. It would also require only one heater. I can see several pluses to that idea.


----------



## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Hi people, here new pictures about my setup:

The nevilli:










a little pontederifolia:










and a new albida?¿










Regards


----------



## Khamul1of9 (Oct 25, 2005)

Very nice albida! Mine is just long and reddish yellow. hehe.


----------



## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks, but I'm not really sure that this is an albida, so I hope some day I'll see its inflorescence


----------



## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Hi people, I'm here again with some new (and quick) pictures of my setup. I need to repot some plantss (spiralis and wendtii brown), but I don't have enough time :-?



















Regards


----------



## Xema (Mar 24, 2004)

Hello Fernando,

Your plant look really healthy!
Congrats!


----------



## ts168 (Apr 13, 2004)

Nice setup, What the tank temperature


----------



## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks. Now, I turned off the heater (because we are in summer ), but is near 25°C, with only a few cms of watter on the bottom.


----------



## Ezequiel Bos (Dec 11, 2008)

Fer, i have just seen your post here  Congratulations


----------



## god91234 (Mar 21, 2008)

nice, and good luck


----------



## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Hi everybody. New photos from my crypts:

C.Wendtii Green Gecko









C.Becketti









C.Wendtii Green









C.Pygmaea









C.Undulata Red ( I suppose)









C.Wendtii Brown 








detail of the leaf









C.Cordata var 'Blasii', recently added









C.Wendtii 'Tropica', one of my favourite









C.Spiralis (or albida)

















C.Usteriana, very nice plant (recently added too)

















I'm no absolutely sure, but I suppose is a C.Wendtii 'Mi Oya', near a green Geecko









C.Retrospiralis, recently added, y hope it will live









C.Crispatula var balansae (submersed leaves)









C.Nevilli?

















C.Cordata var 'Blasii' on "dry"









And this is my moss "sandwich", where I put my pieces of rizhomes and axillary shoots (simliar like Xema method)








A detail pictur about axillary shoots from C.W.Brown and 'Tropica', with small plantlets...









And a genertal picture from te "Cryptoteca"...









Regards


----------

