Subclass Alismatidae
Order Alismatales
Family Araceae
Continued…
Genus Cryptocoryne.
Cryptocoryne crispatula balansae.
«1» Synonym: Cryptocoryne balansae, kwangsiensis, longispatha, bertilihansenii, sinensis, yunnanensis, tonkinensis. India, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China. In its native habitat, it grows in swamps and standing waters, forming impassable thickets. Its appearance is very different from other Cryptocoryne species because it has very narrow, elongated, slightly wavy leaves. A beautiful plant with long, narrow, corrugated leaves. It reaches sizes up to 50 cm, with a bush width of 20-15 cm. The stem is short, 10 cm long, straight. The leaves are highly variable, from green to brown, smooth or blistered. The leaves are linear, the leaf blade is narrow and pointed, up to 40 cm long and 2 cm wide, narrowed at the base and smoothly turning into petioles, also narrowing and pointing towards the apex.
The upper side in young plants is green with transverse dark strokes, in adult plants – green with prominent brown to dark brown spots and strokes. Their surface is heavily corrugated. The main vein on the upper side of the leaf is slightly sunken, protruding below, lateral veins are weakly expressed. Its color is green, sometimes with a brown tint. Its leaves are located both in the water column and on its surface. It grows evenly in the aquarium throughout the year. A new variety has appeared relatively recently — Cryptocoryne crispatula var. flaccidifolia with narrower leaves.
«2» Forms with wide blistered leaves and forms with very long, narrow leaves that can be slightly wavy at the edge are the easiest to cultivate. Both of these forms tolerate very hard water and temperatures from 18 to 26°C, but both require a lot of light. The optimal water temperature is 24-28°C. In colder water, it grows slowly and does not reach its maximum size. A temperature drop to 18°C can lead to the death of the plant.
It grows well in hard and alkaline water. Water with a hardness of 6-16°, pH 6.8-7.2 is most suitable; it grows better with partial water changes. In softer water, the plant is prone to cryptocoryne rot. The active reaction of the water is of lesser importance, but more steady growth is observed in water with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Lighting can be moderate or bright. Cryptocoryne balansae tolerates shading well. Diffused natural light is very beneficial for it, the color of the leaves becomes richer, and young leaves acquire a brownish color. A daylight duration of about 11 hours is desirable.
«4» The root system is strongly developed. The rhizome is tuberous, sometimes elongated, adventitious roots can spread widely. The soil must be sufficiently nutritious. The best substrate is coarse sand, medium and fine gravel. Since the root system of Cryptocoryne is relatively underdeveloped, the soil thickness can be 4-5 cm. During the period of intensive growth, it is advisable to feed Cryptocoryne with complex mineral fertilizers, which must include trace elements.
«5» The plant is suitable for a large, tall aquarium, and looks most beautiful when planted in the middle or near the back wall of the aquarium. It grows rather slowly, producing a few leaves, but very long ones that droop to touch the water surface. Planting density: 1-2 plants per 15 cm2.
«6» This plant reproduces rather slowly by root shoots, through the formation of basal offshoots or daughter plants on a creeping rhizome, which can grow at a considerable distance from the parent plant. Old 2-3-year-old plants, upon reaching a good condition, should be pulled out, the old rhizome broken off, a piece of young root left, and replanted in the soil. 5-10 new bushes grow on the freely floating rhizome.
Cryptocoryne griffithii.
«1» Synonym: Cryptocoryne grandis. Indonesia, Malacca Peninsula, Singapore. Grows in swamps and other standing waters. Stem is short, leaves are wide, ovate. Leaves 10-30 cm long, from rounded to cordate, reddish-purple underneath usually, green to reddish-purple with a marble pattern on top. Leaves with petioles reach 35 cm, leaf blade is fleshy, ovate, 8 cm long and 5 cm wide.
The base of the leaf is rounded to cordate, the apex is bluntly pointed; in young plants, the upper side is green with transverse dark strokes, and the lower is pale green with a silvery coating and reddish-purple strokes; in adults, the upper side is green with brown and dark brown spots and strokes, and the lower is reddish-purple or green (under insufficient lighting) with reddish-purple spots and strokes. Lateral veins depart from the main leaf vein, with up to 7 veins noticeable in total. The species has several leaf forms. Depending on conditions, the lower part of the leaf ranges from pure green to green with red spots or just a reddish tint, but is always lighter than the upper side.
«2» They are undemanding to maintenance conditions, but grow best in water with a hardness of 8-10°, neutral or slightly acidic pH 6.0-7.2. At hardness above 10°, it grows poorly. Water temperature 23-28°C. Leaf coloration depends on lighting conditions. Under bright lighting, a pattern appears on the leaves, fading with age. Under less intense lighting, the leaves have a smooth green color. Despite the fact that this plant is so beautiful under strong lighting, it is still prone to rotting and develops worse under such conditions. It does not tolerate rot at all. To prevent this phenomenon, it is necessary to systematically remove rotting leaves and equip the aquarium with a high-performance water filter. The plant requires intensive lighting of 0.7 W/l.
«4» With normal development, the root system is well developed and consists of a single white tuft. Coarse sand or gravel 2-4 mm in size, mixed with rich clay, is recommended as soil. It should be noted that Cryptocoryne griffithii does not like peat or frequent replanting, so its planting in the soil must be approached with all seriousness so as not to disturb the plant in the future.
Cryptocoryne lingua.
«1» Synonym: Cryptocoryne spathulata. Distributed on the island of Kalimantan. A small plant with rough, fleshy leaves and a short stem. Total height of the bush up to 12 cm. The leaves are tongue-shaped and reach 5-7 cm in length and 2.5 cm in width. They have a bright green color with a shiny upper leaf surface, with a darker pattern on the underside; the upper end is slightly pointed, often almost blunt. The base of the leaves is also blunt. The petiole is approximately equal to the length of the leaf. Growing it in aquarium conditions is not difficult, although it develops much slower than other Cryptocoryne species.
«2» The plant is undemanding regarding water composition. It should be kept in clean, periodically refreshed water and under good lighting; water hardness should be 6-8°, with a near-neutral pH reaction of 6.5-6.8, and a temperature of 25-28°C. It can also grow at a temperature of 20-22°C, but its growth slows down under these conditions. It needs powerful filtration and regular water changes in the aquarium. Lighting in the aquarium should be diffused, weak, about 0.4 watts per liter of volume. The daylight duration is at least 12 hours.
«4» It has a short rhizome with a tuft of numerous roots. For plants to grow well, they need nutrient-rich soil that should not be deficient in iron. It is desirable to use nutrient-rich coarse sand laid in a layer of at least 5 cm for the soil. Cold soil slows down plant growth, so the soil temperature should not differ significantly from the water temperature.
«5» It is recommended to plant them in small groups in the foreground. It is necessary to monitor the intensity and duration of lighting to avoid the appearance of algae in the aquarium, which can destroy weak plants. It does not like replanting, taking a long time to get used to conditions before producing its first new leaf after replanting. It grows very slowly. It should be noted that during transportation and temporary maintenance in pet stores, plants are often damaged. Therefore, we often acquire specimens with rotted rhizomes, leaves, and roots.
Such plants cannot be planted in the aquarium without prior quarantine and treatment. Before planting in a quarantine aquarium, it is recommended to remove all rotted leaves and roots, and if necessary, trim the rotted rhizome as well. After this, the plant must be thoroughly washed in a strong peat solution. If the acquired plants have lost all their roots to rot, they should not be planted in the soil. First, they should be allowed to float freely in the water until new roots appear, and only after that planted in well-washed coarse sand.
«6» Plants are most easily propagated by shoots, which can be separated after the formation of several leaves 4-5 cm long. Alternatively, all leaves can be removed from the plant’s rhizome, and it can be left to float on the water surface. After 1-3 weeks, daughter plants will form on it. When they develop a few leaves 4-5 cm long, the rhizome is cut, and the plants are planted in the soil. If only one plant has formed, it is separated with a small piece of the rhizome, and the remaining part of the rhizome is left to float until the next daughter plant forms.
Cryptocoryne minima, nevillii, moehlmanni, parva.
Cryptocoryne cordata, Cryptocoryne cordata blassii. 
