One of the most beautiful aquarium crops is the cryptocoryne aponohetonolithic, belonging to the aroid family. This unpretentious plant can be successfully grown even by a beginner. To do this, it is enough to know some care features.
Description
There are several types of cryptocorins. Aponohetenolate is the most striking representative of this genus. On a straight stem are narrow long leaves with a pointed apex, with a distinct central vein.
The surface of the sheet is embossed corrugated, rough, green. Moreover, its upper part is darker, and the lower one is lighter. The width of the leaf blade does not exceed 4 cm, the length can be 50–70 cm, and in the natural environment - up to 1 meter. Red-brown petioles are about half the length of the leaf.
The flower of this plant looks rather unusual. Cryptocoryne apo-hetonic leaves during flowering ejects a tube from 7 to 17 cm long with a narrow, pointed purple plate. On one plant, 6–8 female flowers and up to 70 male flowers can form. True, in captivity this happens infrequently.
Habitat
The birthplace of this plant is the Philippines, where in the waters of fast-flowing rivers it grows at a depth of up to two meters, preferring shaded areas. In such places, whole thickets of cryptocoryne are formed. It also occurs in spaces well-lit by the sun. The plant is also widespread in the waters of Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and Hindustan.
Care Features
For cultivation in an artificial closed water system, cryptocoryne aponohetonolate is absolutely adapted. Plant characteristics require only compliance with the general conditions of detention, which should be as close to natural as possible.
Given the fact that an adult plant reaches a height of 50 cm or more, it should be planted in a large, spacious and tall aquarium, best of all alone. Cryptocoryne is growing rapidly, and it requires a lot of free space. It is recommended to place the fit along the back or side walls of the tank. Maintaining the stability of the aquatic environment is of great importance, because the plant reacts very sensitively to any sudden changes.
Water requirements
Cryptocoryne aponohetonolate (or ysterian, as it is also called) naturally grows in tropical reservoirs, therefore it has special requirements for water. Its temperature should be at least 24 ° C. Otherwise, leaf fall and deformation of young plants may occur. Particular attention should be paid to the acidity of water. The recommended pH is 6–8 units, and the preferred hardness is from 8 to 16. The plant itself has the ability to increase the acidity of water, so you need to responsibly approach the issue of neighborhood - some aquarium species of plants can not tolerate an acidic environment and die.
Accustomed to certain indicators of water, the cryptocoryne aponohetonolistic very painfully tolerates their sharp fluctuations. Therefore, it is necessary to replace water with an equivalent in all respects, in an amount of not more than one quarter of the total volume, and do this as rarely as possible (no more than twice a month). In order to ensure the accumulation of carbon dioxide in water, round-the-clock air blowing is established.
Priming
Given the powerful root system of cryptocoryne, it is important that the soil layer is at least 8 cm. Its composition should also be taken into account in order for the plant to feel favorably and fully develop. A mixture of river sand with small pebbles is best suited for the base of the soil. When planting a plant under the root, you can put pieces of clay, peat or charcoal.
Quite demanding on the temperature of the soil is cryptocoryne apo-hetonic, the origin of which is associated with the tropics. This indicator should strictly correspond to the water temperature. In order to ensure such conditions, apply a variety of measures. The bottom heaters, which are installed on the bottom of the tank, help to level the temperature of the substrate and the liquid medium in the aquarium. It is advisable to place insulating material under the vessel to prevent heat loss.
Top dressing
Despite the overseas origin, which has a cryptocoryne aponohetonolate, its content is not much different from other representatives of the aquarium flora. It also responds well to dressing, so a high concentration of organic compounds has a very positive effect on the development of the plant. However, complex mineral fertilizers must be applied carefully. It is best to do this once a week in the minimum dosage - no more than 1 gram per 100 liters of water.
Lighting
Cryptocoryne perfectly settles in aquariums with fairly low light. But prolonged shading tolerates very poorly. It will be much better to feel in a well-lit space, so it is recommended to use lamps that combine incandescent and fluorescent lamps when growing it. They are selected in accordance with the size of the tank. So, for one liter of volume, fluorescent lamps are installed in a proportion of 0.4 W, and incandescent lamps - 1.2 W.
Natural lighting is also welcome, the main thing is that direct sunlight should not fall on the plant. It should be borne in mind that with an excess of natural light, the leaves can become covered with algae, the presence of which the cryptocoryne aponohetonolate transfers quite difficult.
If the lighting is too bright, you can place some types of small-leaved floating algae in the aquarium on the surface of the water, which will act as a kind of light diffuser. Plants such as azolla, wolfia, salvinia are well suited for this.
Insufficient lighting affects the appearance of cryptocoryne. Its leaves are finer, become pale in color, growth is slowed down. Having found these signs, it is necessary to think over and change the lighting system.
Breeding
When breeding this species in the aquarium, the vegetative method is mainly used. Shoots are formed on the creeping stalk of the plant on their own, the main thing is to timely and correctly separate them. This usually occurs when one year of age is reached. As soon as the root system and rosette of leaves appear on the shoot (it is desirable that there are at least five of them), it can be safely separated and transplanted.
In rare cases, only with very good care, is the aquarium cryptocoryne aponohetonolate able to bloom and give seeds. Reproduction using seeds is used to develop new varieties of plants. In an aquarium, this method is quite a challenge.
One of the main problems is the fertilization of the flower. This procedure is carried out using plant-safe insects as pollinators. Not quite usually the development of seeds occurs. Inside the seed peel, up to 40 leaf primordia are formed.
After the fruit ripens, the tube of the bedspread opens, and the seeds fall into the water. Separated from the cotyledon, the seed falls to the bottom and after some time sprouts. This happens without the intervention of an aquarist. It will be possible to transplant the plant only after a year.
Diseases
Critocorin disease is the most common disease to which the plant is exposed. Leaf blades suddenly soften and begin to decompose. The cause of the disease is usually a sharp change in the parameters of water or lighting, the addition of unverified chemicals or infection from plants transferred from another aquarium.
With the timely detection of signs of almost any disease and taking the necessary measures, many plants are restored, including the cryptocoryne aponeto-leaf. Recommendations from experienced aquarists include actions such as removing affected leaves, thoroughly cleaning the ground, and changing large quantities of water. All this is aimed at saving the root system in the first place. As a rule, the plant recovers after such measures.
Cryptocoryne in greenhouses
This plant is native to South Asian swamps, therefore it is quite suitable for growing in wet greenhouses, paludariums. It is enough to transfer it from the aquarium and lower the water level so that air leaves form. Here, cryptocoryne is transformed in some way - the leaf blades become slightly shorter, remaining corrugated, and their shape changes dramatically to oval.
It is very important to observe a number of requirements so that the plant feels comfortable. For this, the ambient temperature should be maintained within 28–30 ⁰. Soil should for the most part consist of river sand. The cryptocoryne apono-leafaceous contained in the greenhouse, by all rules (photo of the plant is placed in this article), may well please with its flowering, there is only little chance of getting its seeds. Reproduction is carried out in the same way as in the aquarium - in a vegetative way.
With proper care, cryptocoryne can become a real decoration of a greenhouse or home mini-pond. No wonder it is very popular with both experienced and beginner aquarists.