Trying Crypts

[Tom499]

Still waiting for the crypts to properly flourish. But they are past the melting stage. Not keen on the big green one, doesnt seem to fit the scheme. And the little java fern is at the front there just because i havent the heart to throw it out.

Fish stocking:
8 neon tetra
4 head and tail light tetra
3 Bristlenose plec

Probably too much right?

 

[lljdma06]

Can you take a picture with a different exposure. I can barely see what you have in your tank.

 

[KittyKat]

Ya, toss something over the top to cover the light so that it doesn't show on the photo when you take it! I hope you don't mind - I took the liberty of cropping, straightening and brightening..

What is the other fish in the top right?

Anyway, I think it is a good start, but you need to wait for the plants to spread.. also the front right corner looks a bit bare, but again, the Crypts should spread there too.

 

[roadmaster]

I think the layout looks nice. The largest plant with ruffled edges appears to be some type of Aponogeton and may out grow the height of the tank. Cryptocoryne Spiralis might be what I would consider. It too grows tall but not nearly as fast.

 

[Tom499]

Oh I forgot about the honey gourami I adopted.

Thankyou for making the picture more viewable, I haven't got the hang of aquarium photography just yet.

Sadly Im not sure what it is, Aponogeton could be it. I'm not too keen on, its abit straggly. It was kept from before when I had amazon swords which completely filled the tank. I'm hoping that slower growing crypts will be more managable.

 

[KittyKat]

I wouldn't trust those Crypts to be slow growing! At least for me they grow quite fast once they settle in.

 

[Ferg1985]

I have a few crypts (1 x Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green, 1 x Cryptocoryne Wendtii Brown.. and I forget the other two as I threw away the pot tabs )

I've found one to be completely dominating (but I did keep that one potted, so that is perhaps why) the others are healthy and growing but they are no where near on par with the potted one, I love it mind - it is my favourite plant because it is so dense and compact but every leaf sways in the current.. (saying that it isn't hard for me to have a favourite plant, as the rest always die lol)

 

[Nick16]

crypts are easy to keep as they are heavy root feeders much like echinodorus sp. get them a decent substrate or substrate nutrition and they will be happier. then if you want to delve further, perhaps add some co2 and ferts...
but remember you can just add tons of ferts and expect the plants to grow if there is another limiting factor. (e.g co2 levels)


as per the comment above... that seems strange, normally the plants in the pots become small and very pot bound. without knowing your exact tank specs and set ups and what you have done, its hard to find a solution for that.

certainly, fish love crypts as they provide food and shelter.

heres 2 of my tanks that contain crypts, you can really see how fast they CAN grow given the right conditions. ive had leaves 50cm long before now.

as you can see they can make excellent mid ground plants.