Cryptocoryne wendtii is a fairly simple aquarium plant that can be recommended even to beginner aquarists. Caring for it will not be difficult, since it does not require any special knowledge and experience in this matter. However, there are a few secrets and rules that you should pay special attention to.
Cryptocoryne. Where is this guest from?
The birthplace of Wendt's cryptocoryne is the waters of Sri Lanka. This ornamental plant has corrugated leaves and a beautiful bronze tint on a green background. That is why it is especially recommended to grow it in aquariums that have a large depth of the water layer, where over time thick, incredibly beautiful thickets form. Due to its low height, up to 20 centimeters, cryptocoryne is ideal for decorating the average plan of the aquarium, the lower the water level, the more beautifully its leaves are located on the surface, creating a unique landscape. The width of the bush is an average of 12 centimeters. Cryptocoryne grows quite quickly, but when kept in small aquariums, its size will be slightly smaller, somewhere 6 cm high and 8. wide in large aquariums, this plant can reach a height of up to 30 centimeters.
Description
What are such aquarium plants? Cryptocoryne Wendt has the form of a bush, in which there is no central stem. Lanceolate leaves emerge directly from the root, located on very short petioles, almost invisible in a well-developed, dense bush. The roots of cryptocoryne are powerful and creeping. The color of foliage can range from light green to brown and red. Under good conditions, the width of the green part can be up to 5 cm. The leaves can be either straight or strongly corrugated at the edges, which gives additional decorativeness to the plant.
In nature, cryptocoryne Wendt grows on the shallows of small rivers, various streams that do not tend to dry out, as well as on a pebble or rocky bottom, where a fast flow may prevail. Thickets can move with time. It should be noted that in one place various species of this plant are almost never found.
Varieties
Cryptocoryne is an aquarium plant represented by numerous varieties, among which there are the most popular in breeding. They differ in leaf shape, color and density of the bush.
The most common and common is brown cryptocoryne Wendt. The plant has oblong red or olive leaves with a brownish tint. This variety is most popular among aquarists for its decorative properties and unusual appearance, as well as easy care and good survival in different conditions. Brown cryptocoryne Wendt is a rather large plant, which can reach 30 centimeters in height, forming loose thickets. The size can also depend on the volume of the aquarium - the smaller the capacity, the smaller the plant itself will be.
Cryptocoryne Wendt is red, it is also tropical, has oblong green leaves, red on the back, about 2 centimeters wide. The plant is distinguished by its usual standard sizes, as well as simple care and maintenance. In addition, it can tolerate sufficiently low temperatures. This mode does not affect the growth and development rates.
Cryptocoryne Wendt green is a species that has the most brightly colored light green leaves. With good lighting quality, such an aggressive coloring looks good in the aquarium.
Cryptocoryne Wendt. Home aquarium
Vendta well takes root in various conditions, although he prefers a composition of water of medium or moderate hardness. Too soft environment can contribute to the loss of decorativeness and decay of the leaves. Ideal for maintenance will be a temperature of about 24 degrees, at lower rates, plant growth can slow down.
Cryptocorins tolerate both long stagnation of water and its frequent change. Such conditions have no special effect on the development and growth of the plant. Also, the bushes take root well in slightly alkaline or slightly acidic water.
Cryptocoryne Wendt tolerates both artificial and natural lighting, but in the event of direct sunlight, the plant must be covered. To create a comfortable environment, bushes need fluorescent or conventional incandescent bulbs. You can also combine these two types of lighting, providing the plant with a full spectrum of radiation. It should be noted that for every liter of water, a power of 0.3 W is required.
Cryptocoryne Wendta Brown loves moderate lighting with slight shading from larger specimens of aquarium plants, which does not affect the color of its leaves. In such conditions, she will feel as good as with bright lamps. The daylight hours for this plant should be at least 12 hours.
Bloom
In order to force Wendt to bloom, it is necessary to transplant the plant into a separate pot of at least 7 centimeters in diameter, to which soil with an admixture of peat and quartz sand is added , after which they are covered with a thick layer of gravel. This capacity is set at the bottom of the aquarium, the thickness of the water layer in which is about 4 centimeters. At the same time, soil heating is required and good lighting is provided, the duration of which will be at least 12 hours a day. Under these conditions, after 6 months, cryptocoryne blooms.
Priming
Coarse river sand and fine pebbles are best suited as a soil for comfortable maintenance. In the coarse-grained substrate, lateral basal shoots reproduce heavily, which can lead to a problem such as the growth of young shoots too close to the mother bush. This is fraught with the fact that new plants will take away all the vital forces of the main, which will lead either to its death, or to weakening and loss of decorative appearance. A strong shrub with a well-developed root system may require soil with a thickness of at least 6 centimeters, which will avoid depletion of nutrient reserves and starvation of plants.
Top dressing
Over time, the soil silts well, so the plant does not require additional mineral fertilizing for good development. If the soil is completely fresh, cryptocoryne will periodically have to be slightly fed with mineral fertilizers, such as clay mixed with peat. To do this, it is necessary to roll a small ball from these substrates, put it in the place of branching of the roots and fill it with the main soil. Such a recharge for a long time will provide the plant with all the necessary minerals for successful development and growth. With a transplant and a good level of siltation of the soil, such funds will no longer be required. If cryptocoryne needs to be transplanted into fresh soil, repeat this procedure again.
As a top dressing, once every two weeks it is necessary to add small doses of such trace elements to the aquarium water: copper, boron, molybdenum, manganese, and ferrous iron. These substances are taken in a dosage of 0.1 mg per 1 liter of water.
Features
Cryptocoryns of Wendt really do not like frequent transplants, therefore it is recommended to change their habitat no more than once a year. Each time after the transplant, the plant may need several weeks in order to normally take root in a new place and form young leaves.
The bushes are quite unpretentious to the content of carbon dioxide in the water, so an additional supply of carbon dioxide to the aquarium is not required.
It is not necessary to grow cryptocoryne in a special soil. It feels great, growing on wood snags and stones, especially if they are covered with silty formations that do not have a putrefactive nature.
Breeding
Cryptocoryne Wendt lends itself well to such reproduction methods as vegetative, abduction of root processes and division of rhizomes.
When propagating with the help of young plants, you need to wait until at least three of your own leaves appear on the process. Then it can already be cut off from the mother and transplanted separately.
It is also easily propagated by dividing the bush, while it is enough to carefully divide it into 2 or 3 parts, leaving on each several leaves and part of the rhizome.
Cryptocorynes can be successfully propagated and grown in humid greenhouses. With this content, they grow and bloom a little faster, but it is impossible to obtain seeds in artificial conditions. For this method of growing, a mixture of soil consisting of turf, peat, humus and sand is required. Such soil should be swamped and very well moistened. Light will need diffused, but bright. Cryptocoryne grown in such conditions can be transplanted into the aquarium without any problems.
Growing Benefits
Cryptocoryne Wendt is good for growing in aquariums in that it is not damaged by various pests and fish. This is due to its bitter taste, which, apparently, does not attract other inhabitants to its eating.
In addition, the plant adapts well to various conditions and chemical properties of water. It is great for decorating any aquarium or terrarium, where it will feel great, even rising above the water.
All about the aquarium: cryptocorin Wendt and her illness
The diseased plant is easily determined by the condition of the leaves. If any problems arise, the leaf blades darken very quickly, become soft, transparent and begin to decompose. The development of the disease can be triggered by a sharp change in water, a change in its parameters, intensity or spectrum of illumination. Sometimes this condition of the plant can be caused by other reasons. Often, the disease is transmitted with a transplant of plants from other infected aquariums. The only way to combat this is to remove the leaves, replace the water and clear the soil of dirt. In this case, the rhizome, freed from the leaves, is allowed to float freely on the surface of the water. As a rule, after such a procedure, it releases daughter processes on which young leaves form. In this way, the mother plant can be saved and propagated.
Cryptocoryne Wendt is often called a universal aquarium decoration, suitable for use even by inexperienced aquarists, who first encounter the cultivation of living underwater plants. Nevertheless, being such an unpretentious representative of the flora, this wonderful bush pleases with its unusual appearance and numerous varieties that can please the most demanding amateur or professional. The main thing is care and patience, then your plant will serve as a wonderful decoration of the aquarium for a long time and create comfort for numerous underwater inhabitants.