Paul Posted April 22, 2001 Report Share Posted April 22, 2001 Hey cool site you have put a lot of work into it. I do hope it starts to grow I can see a lot of potential here, It would be good to see a active NZ board. I am more than happy to display a link for you on my aquatic plant site links page if you have a banner, or you can just use the add your own links section. Nice message boards I look forward to reading all those plant questions. Pauls Aquatic Plants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cees Posted April 23, 2001 Report Share Posted April 23, 2001 Hi Paul, Welcome to the New Zealand Fishroom. Thanks for your complement and the offer for a link to this site. As you can see, not much happening here yet but hopefully this will change in the near future. Spread the word among New Zealand Aquarium lovers. Your website Pauls Aquatic Plants isn't bad either . I'm planning a few additions to this site including an image gallery. I'd like to collect photo's of aquatic plants flowering in New Zealand and display them here with details of who,what,where,when and how. What do you think, good idea? It's good to see we have another plant expert on board. I've seen a few others in the memberslist but they haven't announced themselves here yet, perhaps a little shy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted April 25, 2001 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2001 There are really only a couple of N.Z. plants used in aquaria. Coffrey and Claton have produced a book covering a range of New Zealand aquatic plants but other than this there has been very little research or documentation done and made available. Feel free to use the couple of N.Z. plant pics that I have at my site just credit the pics if you do need to use them. The flowers are so tiny that I haven't been able to get a good pic yet. On another subject I would like to see a list of plants that New Zealanders do have, As you know the range is quite limited here compared to over seas and I have spent years collecting my current collection. It would prove to be a very useful data base as to whats being grown here, and it would also be very useful for people looking for a particular species. Then they could contact the person with the plant to see if any is available. It would be a way of distributing the rare plants across New Zealand so that they are not lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted April 26, 2001 Report Share Posted April 26, 2001 Hi Paul, Nice site. I don;t know how I haven't found it before. I completely agree with your sugestion of a plant database. Cees, any chance of hosting something like that on "The New Zealand Fishroom"? I am especially impressed with your collection of crypts. I did not realise that some of those species had even made it into New Zealand. I've have only recently started to build up a few species myself. Most of them I am growing emmersed in an attempt to flower them. Mainly as a means of confirming their identity. Not a lot of success so far, although I have had C.pontederiifolia and C. x willisi flower. I am still not sure of this plants identity. It was sold as C.nevillii but I understand that this plant is extremly rare in the aquarium trade. Unfortunately there is great diversity in the flowers of C. x willisi and I am still not sure of its identity. There is a very good site dedicated to crypts at http://users.bart.nl/~crypts/ if you are not aware of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cees Posted April 27, 2001 Report Share Posted April 27, 2001 A plant database of auquatic plants available in New Zealand is a good idea and I would be happy to host it here. All I need is some suggestions of what's required for the databae. Would be nice if I could grab a package of the web somewhere, if not I'll make something myself. Give me a few ideas of what's a minimum requirement for such a database. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cees Posted April 27, 2001 Report Share Posted April 27, 2001 I'm starting a new topic called NZ Aquatic Plant Database Online where we can discuss what form that should take. I'm leaving this topic open for all to say Hi to Paul [ This message was edited by: Cees on 2001-04-27 17:55 ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted April 27, 2001 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2001 Hi Derek I am pleased you liked my web site. It is still very new and still being constructed so I will let you off for not finding it sooner //wink. With regard to your Crypt willisii, You are correct in saying that its probably not Crypt nevillii because Crypt nevillii is very rare.(I think I last saw what I thought was a genuine Crypt nevillii about 15 years ago and have never seen it since) I do have a pic of the flower from my C willisii in my profiles just click the pic to view and see if it's the the same as yours. I need to take a couple more pics of this particular plant and will do so very soon. The whole area around Crypt willisii and Crypt undulata and Crypt nevillii is very much misunderstood and confusing because of the wrong naming and wrong identifications in the past. The Crypt pages site that you mentioned is a excellent site and I use it often and it is in my links section. If you are after some plants in the future feel free to contact me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted April 28, 2001 Report Share Posted April 28, 2001 Hi Paul, Thanks for the offer of some plants. I'm sure I will take you up on that sooner rather than latter. Compared to the flower of C. x willisii (C. wallissii??)that you have pictured mine appeared more of an olive colour and did not have what appears to be the dark throat that yours shows. Unless that is just a shadow. What substrate or substrates are you using when growing your crypts emmersed. Presently I am using a mixture of potting mix with osmocote with some well rotted sheep manure mixed in. I haven't yet tried experimenting with other substrates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted May 2, 2001 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2001 When I set up my substrates for Cryptocorynes I use a mixture of 2/3mm pumice and corse sand mix.(propagating sand) In the bottom layers I mix in a little peat and a little clay. Clay and peat both help hold trace elements and help keep them in a form that is more available to plants. With the pumice I dry it out and then soak it in a nutrient solution. I have used PMDD mix at times and also hydroponic mixtures. I then top this all off with a layer of clean pumice mixture. I then give the foliage a spray with some foliage feeder about once a month. Some of the crypts are grown out in the tropical glass house and receive direct sunlight for about 4 hours a day. The others are grow under lights like tritons or power glos I have found that Crypts respond very well to these types of light spectrums. Humidity needs to be very high or the edges of the leaves will dry up. Yes you are correct to question the spelling of C.wallisii because it was wrong it is Cryptocoryne willisii. The dark ring that you spotted on my flower is not a shadow and is very a distinct feature. I have thought about sending a pic to the crypts pages to ask for ID. There is a lot of problems IDing Crypts because they vary so much depending on the conditions they are grown under even the flowers of the same plant can look completely different.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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