# Cryptocoryne tank diary



## mzhulin

Hello guys,

At first, I want to appologize for my English 

I had an empty hand-made (about 25 gal) aquarium in my garage and decided to blow life into it again  I wanted to have easy-maintenance and stable aquarium which doesn't demand every week cutting. So I've chosen cryptocorynes as main, and I hope, single plants in my aquarium. I had little experience to grow them submersed but I decided to start the tank as paludarium with emersed plants there to increase theirs grow speed. I have no experience with it before, but I read a lot about that, so why don't try? 

I'm going to report about that as often as possible 

Cryptocorynes need rich substrate for successful growing, and I read about successful using of soil in aquarium in http://aquaria2.ru/soil-in-aquarium (Russian). So I put about 2'' of park soil at the bottom of tank. The soil consists from lots of humus, plant litter (and glass litter unfortunately, I was happy that I didn't find injection needles there) and clay in it. I may be put there a photo of that park there. I've covered the soil with about 1' of brown quartz (2-4 mm) above as described in the article.

In a pet shop was bought 3 spices of Cryptocorynes: 5 Cryptocoryne cordata, 5 Cryptocoryne wendtii (I don't know exact kind of them), 7 Cryptocoryne lutea. Cordata was almost without roots, wendtii was in slightly better condition and lutea looked very well. One of wendtii had a bud. I spent about 36$ on them.

They was planted at 06-10-2011.



















Light was 1 T8 OSRAM Floura 18W lamp only.


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## mzhulin

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*

I was right when apologizing for English, Admin, could you kindly change thread title to "daily". Thanks a lot.


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## HeyPK

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*

Do you want a moderator to change the thread title to "Cryptocoryne daily tank diary"?


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## mzhulin

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*



HeyPK said:


> Do you want a moderator to change the thread title to "Cryptocoryne daily tank diary"?


HeyPK, I hope you're not going to laugh at me. I think "Cryptocoryne tank diary" is closest to what I mean. Thank you for hint. Of course, I can just stop blogging here, if you suppose that my English is so appalling.


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## mzhulin

*Substrate*

As I wrote before I use as substrate 2" of soil and 1" of quartz (2-4 mm).

I don't refresh water in the aquarium. And after about a week I saw 3 zone in it:










I can guess about 1 and 3 - they are aerobic and anaerobic zones. Aerobic zone lighter and I saw сyclops and very small white worms there. Color in anaerobic zome more deep. But zone 2 looks like gray belt.

I did not tamp soil, you can see lots of small bubbles in it. In middle part of the tank they begin to leave soil. I think, because crypt's roots release them. As a result, substrate in middle part of aquarium lowered about 1/2 ".


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## bsmith

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*

Your English is better than my Russian so your good to go. 

Nice setup there. Even if the crypts melt, which they often do when transitioning between tanks; they will come back in due time.


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## JustLikeAPill

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*

Just wondering... why would you have an anaerobic zone with an aerobic zone underneath it?


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## mzhulin

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*



bsmith said:


> Your English is better than my Russian so your good to go.
> 
> Nice setup there. Even if the crypts melt, which they often do when transitioning between tanks; they will come back in due time.


Thank you for kind words. Well, I'll spell check my next messages before I post them . 
About melting, I'll write about that below. 
And about time, the reason why I've begun this tank emersed is that I read in many places that cryptocorynes grow much faster emersed. Unfortunately they grow not so fast as I expected  Now I understand why it is. In most cases, emersed cryptocorynes grow in pots in higher temperature and nutrients (N-P-K) concentration. May be I should multiply them in pots immersed in hydroponic solution, with heater and small pump. Unfortunately my setup doesn't have heater (and it's impossible to put heater into soil) and I wouldn't risk replace water in soil to fertilizer. At present moment I have some puddles on the substrate, 3 weeks elapsed and I don't see algaes in them (only lots of funguses I suppose).



JustLikeAPill said:


> Just wondering... why would you have an anaerobic zone with an aerobic zone underneath it?


I supposed that zones are (from top to bottom) 1-aerobic, 2-odd grey belt, 3 - anaerobic (without oxygen). Do you suppose that zones 1 - aerobic, 2 - anaerobic, 3 - aerobic (from begin and still)?


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## mzhulin

*Light*

In first week there was only 1 T8 18w Osram Fluora lamp. After that I've added more 3 lamps T8 18w Osram 765. Today I've bought 3 Osram 865 lamps because I read that they have more red light. I'll replace 765 to 865 at monday. Many people tell that cryptocorynes don't like environment changes, but I'm affraid I have no enough patience to replace them one-by-one  I hope they can cope with that.

4 T8 18W lamps give much enough heat, I think that they raise temperature to 85 F (or even more) to end of day, but cryptocorynes look good and I don't see reason to reduce temperature.

I don't worry about humidity. Every morning I see lots of condensate on tank's glasses. I read that Cryptocorynes need 70% or more, I hope they have that 

*Cryptocoryne lutea*










As I wrote they was in better condition when I bought them, and I think they was grown emmersed because they lifted theirs leaves on next day and looks good, like there were no replanting. I don't count theirs new leaves, each has not less then two ones. And I even have first runner!


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## countcoco

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*

Your crypts appear to be doing very well. Are the Osram 6500K bulbs inexpensive, or are they priced higher like the bulbs specifically designed for plant/aquarium use?

For a strong red wave length, nothing beats the sylvania/osram gro-lux standard bulb (not the full spectrum). They're rather expensive, but they work extremely well and emit a beautiful purple/indigo light. The AIM Biolux bulb also seems incredibly popular amongst European planted tank enthusiasts.


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## mzhulin

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*



countcoco said:


> Your crypts appear to be doing very well. Are the Osram 6500K bulbs inexpensive, or are they priced higher like the bulbs specifically designed for plant/aquarium use?
> 
> For a strong red wave length, nothing beats the sylvania/osram gro-lux standard bulb (not the full spectrum). They're rather expensive, but they work extremely well and emit a beautiful purple/indigo light. The AIM Biolux bulb also seems incredibly popular amongst European planted tank enthusiasts.


Hello countcoco,
I'm sorry about very long delay in reply...
Osram 865 is usual daylight lamp for lighting offices etc, of course it's cheeper than special aquarium lamps (about 3 times) and plant lamp (about 2,5 times), but it seems to me that 765 works better.

Yes, I use an analog of "gro-lux" - Osram Fluora. This is a picture of my lamps










Second one is "Fluora"
Osram has built a factory in Russia and its lamps easy to bue in any place of Russia


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## mzhulin

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*

After 2 month of waiting I've thought that growth speed is too slow and desided reassemble the setup. And made very big mistake. I should be more accurate with drugs. OK, I'll describe what I've done.

The setup before I've reassembled it

Front view:










There are luteas in right part, vendtiies in left and cordattas in rear of the setup.

Side view:










Cordatas "dieing slowly", Luteas are good enough and, Vendtii are so-so.

I decided remove soil and use liquid fertilizer instead. It's the main change in the setup.
I also bought 2 plants of Pontedrefolia just for curious. 
I read that some hormones can decrease replanting stress, I've bought Indole-3-acetic_acid It can be bought in Russia as Geteroaucsin (Russian) A pack contains 2 pills and an user guide. I wanted to finish faster and didn't read guide. I just must read internet before use it! Well, I've overdosed it in 20 times! It's in 3 times less then letal dose for plant only. And I've submersed entire plants in solution instead roots only.

A picture how it looks just right after replanting










As you can see, I *HAD* much more Luteas than at the begining ... Well, may be they can cope it, I'll hope.


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## undertaker

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*

i also have those osram luminox 865 t8s
they do better than almost all other t8s i have tried
too bad they have stopped importing it.
what we had was made in italy[smilie=n:


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## countcoco

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*

I think your cordatas are dying because they prefer acidic conditions. You could try putting some sphagnum moss or humus in the substrate where the cordatas are planted to acidify it.

Sphagnum moss may be very difficult to find in Russia. I think ground up pieces of pine bark are also very good for acidifying the planting media.


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## mzhulin

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*



countcoco said:


> I think your cordatas are dying because they prefer acidic conditions. You could try putting some sphagnum moss or humus in the substrate where the cordatas are planted to acidify it.
> 
> Sphagnum moss may be very difficult to find in Russia. I think ground up pieces of pine bark are also very good for acidifying the planting media.


Hello countcoco, thank you for replying 

I tested PH of fertilizer's solution before pour it into substrate. It was about 6. I suppose it's enough for cordatas. Nevertheless, thank you for advise about pine bark.


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## mzhulin

*Re: Cryptocoryne tank dairy*

Hello guys, I continue the diary.

3 days ellapsed, and I publish pictures how crypts have coped replanting and huge dose of stimulation.

I can say that all crypts (except cordatas) have increased theirs petioles, and it seems to me that luteas did that in 1,5 times, but may be I'm mistakeing. Generally, plants look good, they lifted more part of leaves.

Luteas









Wedntiies









The best of my wendtiies








The plant has lost 3 leaves, but I hope it will spring new ones instead soon.

Cordatas are still waiting something (you can see them behind vendtii on previous picture). May be they will begin grow further, or not. I don't know, francly speaking I don't beleave that they will grow but I'll give them one more chance.

Pontedrefolias








I bought them submersed and they are little enough. I think they are still under stress by submersed-emersed moveing. I hope that they will be OK, but it is to early to estimate theirs condition.

I've bought a termometer at long last! If it doesn't lie, temperature is very good (about 82F) in my setup.








I was going to make bottom heater (under tank bottom) by Nichrome wire (I'll publish pictures of all its parts if I done it), and decided to measure temperature before. Well, I'll make heater later, at autumn (It's summer in Russia now), when it will be really necessory.

You can see my "humidityer" on picture below








It's just a plastique bottle with water. I decided to organize ventilation of the setup. At present moment humidity in my city about 70% (it's summer  ), so I even can remove tank cover. When the tank was closed only, I saw condesate on glasses every morning. There is no condesate now, but now I'm sure that there is atmospheric CO2 concentration. When I had a lot of soil in substrate I didn't worry about CO2 because soil supply it. Now I have very thin layer of "biohumus" (about 1/4") I prefer to have enough CO2 than humidity.

This is a picture of the substrate








Bottom layer is "biohumus" (I've bought it in a mall), middle layer is qartz (2-5 mm), upper layer is dark-yellow gravel (1-3 mm). Substrate height about 2,5". I use fertilizer solution (a half of recomended concetration) instead pure water. 








This fertilizer contains NPK in 6:3:7 proportions, micronutrients and grow stimulator Succinic_acid
Francly speaking I don't know exact NPK concentration in the solution, I just believe in its guide . PH is about 6. Solution level is about 1". My experience shows that semi-emersed (solution level is the same as substrate level or even slightly more) growing is worse than pure emersed. Crypts feels much better when they have at least 1" ventilated substrate. It gives an opportunity to theirs roots to breath freely and crypts give new roots better in these conditions. All these conditions are very close to pure hydroponics.

Well, let's wait a couple of week to see results.

I hope to see your comments and advices here.
Thanks.


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## ferchu22

Nice thread mzhulin!! 
Maybe cordatas like more acid conditions, like countcoco mentioned before. If you have several of them (as I can see), maybe you can try put a pair of them in different culture condition. For instance, I've had good results with peat moss and distiller watter in a closed pot, maybe you could put it into your tank.

Keep us informed!! Regards


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## mzhulin

ferchu22 said:


> Nice thread mzhulin!!
> Maybe cordatas like more acid conditions, like countcoco mentioned before. If you have several of them (as I can see), maybe you can try put a pair of them in different culture condition. For instance, I've had good results with peat moss and distiller watter in a closed pot, maybe you could put it into your tank.
> 
> Keep us informed!! Regards


Thank you for good advice about isolated pot with other culture condition. Cordata is very beauteful crypt and it would be well to have it growing. May be I'll do as you've described later.

And, OK, I will do (keep you informed).


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## mzhulin

*Petioles increasing*

I wrote about petioles increasing before. I have 2 picture of pontederifolia, I've connected them. Scale differs slightly but you can see that increasing is significant. It's unbelievable that so increasing is normal for a plant for 3 days. Drug works, and it worries me.


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## mzhulin

*Heater*

*Heater*

I've done bottom heater. I desided to begin from 25W and use it turned on always.










This must be put under tank's bottom.
As you can see it is very simple. The base is a packing cartons sheet. Two pieces nichrome wire 0,5 mm diameter and 2 meters length each, connected parrallel to 12 V halogen lamp transformator. It must give 25 W power. I begin from this tiny power, and can increase power very easy by cutting wire (and make it shorter).

*Trail result*
Heater raises temperature on 2 oC only.


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## mzhulin

*Updated trial result*

Temperature is raised on 4 C (I think that's more than enough, 32 C).


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## mzhulin

*Strange insects*

I see strange insects in tank. They are not accidental insects, they live and reproduce there. Does anyone have any idea about what species they are?

This is the best picture I could take. It's real size is about 1-1,5 mm.


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