# Crypts and estimative index



## melgrj7 (Jun 9, 2007)

Has anyone kept crypts (submerged) while doing the estimative index way of fertilization? Did they do ok or did they melt? I would think with just drastic weekly changes that the crypts wouldn't do well, but I was wondering if anyone has tried it and what the results were. Thanks.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

The Crypts should be fine with water column dosing. I've never been a big fan of EI, but it would work.


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## melgrj7 (Jun 9, 2007)

Thanks. I am going to try it in my tank and have a few crypts. I am doing it a little toned down though. I was mostly concerned about the 50% water changes it entails. I am doing a lower dosing of ferts and a smaller weekly water change.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

I've done this for years and it's not a problem - they don't seem to use EI dosing as an excuse to melt.

But, I'm not sure I'm convinced yet that crypts don't do better with supplamentel root feeding at the very least.


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## Angry the Clown (Aug 26, 2006)

I keep four different crypt varities in a 75g with EI, and with the addition of root tabs, they grow quickly (for crypts, LOL!) I only add the root tabs about once a month, and am very consistant with the EI dosing. So far, minimal melting, which only occurs when adding a new plant to the tank, or moving existing plants, but that's normal.


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## shewey (Jun 19, 2006)

I am using the EI method and my Balansae are growing beautifully. All I use is eco-complete substrate and no substrate ferts.

Cheers,
Mark


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## Purrbox (Jun 1, 2006)

Since the large water changes are done so frequently, the water parameters won't change much and therefore the crypts shouldn't melt as a result. Now if you did a large water change after letting the tank go without one for a long time, the water parameters would be very different from the tap water, and crypt melt would be likely.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

Well... I"d amid to awful abuse and say I've had a tank packed with crypts that never got changed in months. When I did change (a lot) of the water - they didn't melt. Not even a little bit.

But, when the cannister filter failed and the water stratified because of the hear put ouy by the lights, I had noting but stems in a matter of hours.

I don't see crypts melt too much these days; I used to a lot. I have a suspicion that if they have all the nutrients they need in the water column it tends, to some extent, to mitigate their desire to melt.

A melt is an awful thing though, I've seen melted (molten?) crypt leaves fall on other plants and where they touch the other plant will die. I expect this to happen to other crypts, but not other spcies of plants.

I suspect this is an evolutionary adaptation where if plants are disturned the crypts kill everything but because they have such strong rhizomes they may all come back whereas stem plants wont.


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## melgrj7 (Jun 9, 2007)

I have had crypts melt in my home tank once, it was after I had gone awhile without doing a water change, did one, and they all melted. At the petstore I worked at up until a month ago (I managed the fish room) we had a malfunction in the automatic water change system and a 75 gallon I had planted almost completely with crypts melted. It was one nasty mess to clean up and the tank looked horrid for quite awhile.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

I've used EI for a couple of years. No problems.

Funnily enough I got a couple of crypts from germany, planted them, no melt. They were in the mail about a week.

I got some from a local petshop, planted them, they melted. They were 2 hours from tank to tank and not subjected to any extremes of heat or cold.

Weird huh?


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