# difficulty growing Cryptocoryne Wendtii



## Will1983 (Dec 6, 2009)

hi i got 5 Cryptocoryne Wendtii plantlets in a collection i bought off the internet, everything else is growing fine but the crypt's aren't.. in fact they look dead!

the plants have been in the tank (180ltrs) for about 2months. substrate is sieved aquatic compost topped with a layer of 10mm single sized gravel. lighting is 2x 45W T5s and CO2 is tetra's optimat system.

hardness is about 12GH & 3KH, pH is 6.7.

i dont add any extra ferts at present as the growth of the other plants has been great. *** read online that some crypts lose all their leaves when transplanted but they will grow back, thats why *** not removed them so far but there doesn't seem to be any sign of any regrowth yet.

has anyone any idea what may be the cause of the slow growth? as i say the other plants are doing great but the bottom right hand corner is starting to annoy me.










thanks Will


----------



## austinramirez (Aug 15, 2009)

the only thing i can think of is not enough nutrients to go around...my wendtii only had 2 leaves melt when i put it in ,y tank, and after a week new leaves have already sprouted, but i use ecocomplete substrate, weekly ferts,CO2, and have 2W per gallon


----------



## Will1983 (Dec 6, 2009)

that seems to be the only thing that i can think off to

it shouldn't matter according to everything *** read on the internet though, it says that its a fairly undemanding species that doesnt need CO2, extra ferts and high lighting requirements.

i may try some extra dosing and see if that changes things.


----------



## austinramirez (Aug 15, 2009)

True, i would think the same, but you never know with heavily planted tanks.good luck :thumb:


----------



## pistolpete (Dec 28, 2009)

You could try some Jobe sticks for ferns (from a garden store) break off about 1 inch pieces and stick them in close to the roots. Crypts are temperamental and sometimes they will flourish in one setup and die in another seemingly identical tank. They hate having their roots folded during planting and often melt when water parameters change.


----------



## Will1983 (Dec 6, 2009)

pistolpete said:


> They hate having their roots folded during planting


this might be the cause of the problem! i wasn't particularly careful about perfect planting technique when i set up the tank so the roots may have been folded over.

the leaves are still on the plants though they are a rather unsightly brown colour.
if i dont see any new growth in the next week i think i'll replace them with something else.

Will


----------



## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

*Will1983* I believe it is a combination of, damage from planting, insufficient light, and out competed for nutrients. At the far end of a T5 bulb, very little light is produced. This means that the crypts cannot regain their health because they simply can't compete against the plants at the center of the tank. Crypts are very easy plants to grow provided you do not disturb roots, and provide light right above them.

What I would do in your shoes would be to remove them, use filterfloss to make a bowl of substrate, close up the filter floss with a bit of fishing line or cotton thread and plant about 3 inches further into the tank center. Within a couple of months, they will have repaired their roots, grown, and you can begin to slowly push the entire filter floss ball more towards the corner. Because we don't break their roots again, the plant won't hate the gradual move and get weakened. It will adapt to the gradual loss of light, and before long, the crypts should fill out that entire corner.

Hope that helps.


----------



## Will1983 (Dec 6, 2009)

cheers number6

i'll give it a try.


----------

