Crypt Question

[edkrueger]

1. Light? Are crypts going to do well with 2 WPG. I have some growing very well in a shaded area of a 2 WPG. Will they do well in a unshaded area?
2. Substrate? I've heard that they do best in inactive substrate I've heard the do best in mud.
3. Ferts? Some people say that they need half doses, I've been giving min overdoses, but there are a lot of bid swords in the same tank.
4. CO2? Mine haven't been getting any other than excel. I heard a DIY system for them is bad. Is this true? I tried it once on a small tank, they melted, but i wasn't nearly as good back then.

BTW: When I say crypts I'm talking about the SE Asian, not the Indian (S Asian) ones.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Crypt Question

1) They will do fine in either.....don't jump too high in the wattage from what they were though cause they will melt
2) I think they did much better in nutrient rich substrate
3) I have always dosed the minimum or overdose...never less but then again I always run about 10x what everyone else "thinks" is high light
4) I think they love co2 like any other plant.....Never  had a problem with either DIY or pressurized but I have had them melt with a bit too much Excel.

Crypts will melt if they are not acclimated well or if the parameters are on two ends of the world.....happens all the time and it's normal.

[edkrueger]

Re: Crypt Question

Thanks! I haven't had any bad experiences with them. They seem pretty hardy after the come back from the first melt. How do you acclimate them so they don't melt?

The thing with the DIY CO2 was someone thought that when the yeast runs out and the CO2 goes away they would melt.

Do you really mean 10x light? 20 W might literally melt them.  

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Crypt Question

Either drip in a bucket but mostly light acclimation.
DIY co2 has to be insane for it to produce enough co2 to have it melt.
And yes probably 10x.....I have a 70w metal halide on my ADA Mini-M which is around the woods of 5gallons, what would you put in a 5?

[edkrueger]

Re: Crypt Question

If I were growing stem plants I'd go for 36 watt florescent. So 360 watts...
If I were doing swords I'd go for a 10 watt next to a window south or east exposure or a 15-20 watt in the dark. So 100-200 watts.

Would any one use a 7 watt bulb on a five gallon?

Whats light acclimation?