Growing crypts emersed

[HummingBird]

I'm looking for a little advice on starting to grow some crypts emersed. I'm thinking I'll put them in my brown tree frog tank, which recieves regular misting and has almost fully submerged deep gravel that has good water circulation (thanks to a pump in the gravel in an upside down pond basket).

So my questions are:

How do I do it? Can I just take a currently submerged plant and plop it in the gravel? Or do I need to gradually lower the water level on it or something?

As far as fertilizing goes, I'm assuming their needs are pretty similar to when they're submersed. I currently dose with PMDD, and would do the same while they're emersed. Maybe throw a JBL ball underneath it. Anything else special that it needs? Flourish Excel wouldn't have any effect on it emersed since only leaves absorb co2, right?

What are their light requirements like? Similar to submersed, again? How would they stand sunlight? (the tank isn't in sunlight, but just wondering)

Thanks in advance

[ryanjury]

Something like this?

http://fishkeepers.co.nz/forums/viewtop ... =50&t=1766

Supasi is the one to talk to about it

[kiwiplymouth]

Here is another great link that im sure will inspire you.

Its more of Supasi's magic

http://www.fishkeepers.co.nz/forums/vie ... ypts#p2503

[HummingBird]

Amazing specimens! Yes, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about! If supasi doesn't reply here I'll harass him on fishkeepers

[N1CK]

for a start they need high humidity (mine are in a tank with a full glad wrap cover) and most of them do better with some kind of warmth (mine have a heater in the water with a small pump circulating)

All of mine have a substate of about 1 part fine sand, 1 part topsoil and 1 part daltons, and a few oak leaves then a thin layer of gravel on top (isn't really needed) then a single JBL ball underneath all of this is in pots with a single plant per pot

fert wise I don't think they need much else apart from that ^ but I have started to stick a drop or 2 of PMDD directly into the pot to see if it will make them grow faster, excel won't have any effect

sunlight should be fine for most of them, mine have a single CFL over top(with whatever else light gets to it) but they will probably grow faster with higher light

with replanting them just stick the whole thing in, then it will most likely melt (the leaves will decintergrate) you can cut all these leaves off and after a while it will grow back with emersed growth keeping the water leave a few cms above the base of the plant seems to help

HTH :lol:

quite a few of the really nice ones we don't get in NZ though

[alanmin4304]

You can grow them in a belljar setup as Nick describes or in a glasshouse like a normal potplant once they are converted to fully emersed growth. The conversion is the hardest part. Some plants do best moist and others don't worry. In either case they need to be well watered. In a wet situation the fertilizing is similar to hydroponics and in a drier situation you need to add fertizers as you would for a potplant. Some prefer some sunlight and artificial light, others just sunlight and others do not do well with just artificial light. There is a lot of "try it and see" involved. C. balansae and the ones from Sri Lanka prefer harder water and a bit of calcium.