# Why Bucephalandra? What is so special about them?



## MsNemoShrimp (Apr 25, 2011)

I have seen a noticeable amount of these Bucephalandra plants posted lately. Either someone selling or someone looking for them. Any such benefits in your tank other than to show off your $$$ collection of these?

I see that they are rare, but so what? They all look the same to me. For me they look like a deformed anubias plant. Lol.


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## Axelrod12 (Jun 28, 2013)

I believe their look is what attracts people to them. They have different leaf shapes and colors as does anubias. Some of the buces even have a really nice blue shine or white speckled look to them that you would be hard pressed to find in any reasonably priced anubias. In my opinion its all about how they look the price is just based on how rare they are in the hobby. And the price is going down as they become more commonly seen.


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## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

I think the key is that they're a rare, expensive, _shiny_ anubias.


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## Possumburg (May 12, 2014)

Well, for me, I think they are beautiful. I really like anubias, and these are similar and some have amazing colors. They are super easy from what I've read and don't really require any special treatment. As for price, they seem to be getting more affordable all the time. But I suppose it's all in the eye of the beholder. I like em and plan on getting some. Is it really any different than spending massive amounts of money on a co2 system to keep a cheap plant happy? Seems like it all evens out in the long run.


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## samee (Oct 14, 2011)

They are similar looking to anabuis and we need more low light plants like these. The only buce I like are the thin, long leafed ones. If they have streaks of brown and different shades of green then thats a bonus. Ive been thinking of buying one but just dont have the space and am waiting for them to drop to $10 to $15 level (for the thin, long leafed one).


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

They're the hot new thing. It'll wain. 


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## aquarist (Aug 29, 2012)

There have been several threads about them recently and seeing more and more people selling them, so it just seems they are the new fad plant right now, look at how Alternathera Reineckii Cardinals, and "mini" took off about a month ago, people were actually paying $50 a stem!! The majority of a plant price comes from two factors, how hard it is to get into the country, and how fast it grows. Some of the "rare" plants aren't rare at all, they are just hard to get out of their native countries, and some of them don't ship well. The biggest factor in price it seems is the rate of growth, if it takes a plant an entire year to produce one plantlet it will cost more for that plantlet than it will for a stem plant and you can trim once a month.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

I didn't really care for buce when they came out. Honestly, I can't even tell the difference between 90% of the varieties. However, I bought a brownie red to try out, and I will concede that it is a very attractive looking plant.

Its nice to have a plant that can attach to hardscape that is not green in color, as african fern, anubias, and java fern are, and they do have a rather attractive sheen to them. They also come in different sizes, colors, and leaf shapes, which seems to make them very versatile.

However, they are pretty damn expensive, and even though the price is coming down, its not like stem plants where they grow super fast and super large and propagate easily. These guys will probably hold their value for a few years given their growth speed and all.

I think they would be more mainstream though if there were a few profiles for some of the different varieties though. I have no idea what to expect a buce to look like just from the name, and google isn't super helpful for that either.


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## samee (Oct 14, 2011)

This plant has been in the hobby from around 2005 to 2006.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

It was Toninas a few years ago, then all the more difficult Ludwigias, then the Erios... we'll see what the Hot Plants are in a few years. 

It's always something.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

The only problem I have with buces is the silly names to describe each plant. Why they don't have proper scientific names is beyond me.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

Monster Fish said:


> The only problem I have with buces is the silly names to describe each plant. Why they don't have proper scientific names is beyond me.


I think because they haven't been described by science yet. Or at least, no one in the hobby seems to know how to properly ID any of these.


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## MsNemoShrimp (Apr 25, 2011)

Interesting to hear they are "glossy" looking. Seen videos and can't see that they are THAT glossy. But perhaps better in person.

Well on a recent post I saw, this one doesn't look at that glossy but looks like it is pretty affordable.

$15 for each, anyone think I should get one for starters?


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

MsNemoShrimp said:


> Interesting to hear they are "glossy" looking. Seen videos and can't see that they are THAT glossy. But perhaps better in person.
> 
> Well on a recent post I saw, this one doesn't look at that glossy but looks like it is pretty affordable.
> 
> $15 for each, anyone think I should get one for starters?


Pretty sure I'm going to grab that one from that seller. And the black titan because I like larger aroid plants. Might look nice with lagenandrha


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Plant collectors gotta collect. 

Think Red Dragon Acro

Zebra Pleco

Betta Macrostoma

Genicanthus personatus

Ebi-ten PRL

Bucephalandra

See the connection? :biggrin:


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## MsNemoShrimp (Apr 25, 2011)

Probably, but I dunno. I'll see about them


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## Subtletanks91 (May 29, 2013)

as far as i know there are maybe 2-3 species of buce. dont ask me scientific names because that i have no idea lol. but buces are originally named from the location there found. of course there all in one small place in the world which is what makes them rare. but as more hobbyist collect and cultivate them they become chaper and more abundant. 

once they get shipped over here to the us whoever recieves them generally makes a name for them themselves. which gets iritating because you can have two plants brownie red and both look different. because they are different. this is what makes it most confusing.

when i first seen buces coming out i thought they were ugly and couldnt see why anyone would pay upwards of 50-60 for one. but as the price came down i started getting them. needless to say when you see them in person they are amongst the most beautful plants. new leaves show variances of colors from light blue to pink. red to brown. white speckles and blue speckles. to a new leaf getting its color. i have one buce i believe its my rainbow centipede has a purplish hue through part of its leaf.


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## tanan (Mar 20, 2009)

The new paper by Peter Boyce described some 27 new species. 
The thing about them being crazy expensive is that they are slow to grow. I've seen white anubias being sold for 3 times the price of a common bucephalandra. You will know what the craze is about when you have seen the submersed plants. They are simply breath taking. They have crazy color which changes as you change/play with lights and they have this tiny white dots on them that make them look like stunning.


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## gus6464 (Dec 19, 2011)

I just got some Buce's and now I know why they are the hot new thing. Super easy to keep and can turn awesome colors.

Here is a couple I have which are turning interesting colors:

Kinda hard to tell true color in this pic because my phone sucks but that leaf in the middle is new and the color is a gold metallic.









And then these 2 are turning purple metallic.


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## wabisabi (Jan 31, 2011)

Until you keep them yourself or see them in person, you will never understand why they are so popular. You will never 'Get it'.

I don't know why people are complaining they are so expensive. The first plants offered here in the states went for $300. You can buy them for $10 a plant now. Rotala 'Sunset' still sells for $10/stem and that thing grows 100 times faster than a Buce! Go figure.


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## gus6464 (Dec 19, 2011)

Hell look at Anubias white. It's been around for a while and people are still selling it for $80+ a pop. All for a plant that's just white.


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## wabisabi (Jan 31, 2011)

gus6464 said:


> Hell look at Anubias white. It's been around for a while and people are still selling it for $80+ a pop. All for a plant that's just white.


That's a little different. Most of the bucephalandra being sold at lower prices are wild collected and being imported, so the supply is there. Where as most anubias white is being grown out here in the states and cuttings being sold. This is a slow growing plant so supply is low.


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## jczz1232 (May 8, 2008)

Anubias white grows pretty slow even with co2. Maybe a new leaf a week or every 2 week for me tho...


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## samee (Oct 14, 2011)

Its the same thing with crypts, the rare crypts go for hundreds of $.

I just dont like how there are only a few species but hundreds of made up names. But could someone clear this out. So there are only a few species, doesnt this mean there are only a few different looking buce? Ive seen people sell buce with different names but they look the same. But then Ive seen a site with someone who has a ton of buce and they all look different. Perhaps my definition of species is not right.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

tanan said:


> The new paper by Peter Boyce described some 27 new species.
> The thing about them being crazy expensive is that they are slow to grow. I've seen white anubias being sold for 3 times the price of a common bucephalandra. You will know what the craze is about when you have seen the submersed plants. They are simply breath taking. They have crazy color which changes as you change/play with lights and they have this tiny white dots on them that make them look like stunning.


+1

He said there's likely close to 50 species, whether or not that many are in the hobby is another matter.


To the other post and OP:
As someone who cares less about price and $$$, I focus on growth and they are hugely variable as they grow from side shoots, or in low vs say high light.

This leads sellers to cook up hogwash names. 
The leaves and coloration of the leaves are very pretty, deep darker purples and reds and blacks. 

Anubias are among the most popular of aquatic plants in the hobby. 
Any comparison would be a good thing.


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## MsNemoShrimp (Apr 25, 2011)

Oh wow. Didn't know they can grow on top of the water surface like that. That's something I could definitely do. Do you need to mist it often or spray it or it'll remain "moist" like that? 



plantbrain said:


>


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## r45t4m4n (Feb 12, 2014)

In nature they spend most of the time our of water. Only time they are underwater would be during seasonal flooding. They would need to be misted regularly to grow emersed like that.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

I've been growing a single buce now for a few months and I can see why they're so popular. They're extremely hardy and can produce a wide range of colors as the leaf ages. Think of them as a cross between a crypt and an anubias.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Good reference:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...rsed-culture/87637-bucephalandra-all-one.html


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

jeffkrol said:


> Good reference:
> http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...rsed-culture/87637-bucephalandra-all-one.html


That actually makes me feel a bit different about them, just the photos really describe what people say. I wouldn't buy them until they are affordable as someone else mentioned, the names are strange and it seems hard to verify what you are getting. It also seems like it would be pretty easy to get ripped off.


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## r45t4m4n (Feb 12, 2014)

man, I need this one for my collection!


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

r45t4m4n said:


> man, I need this one for my collection!



What IS that? I want it lol


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## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

*takes a picture of one more plant I'll never have


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## r45t4m4n (Feb 12, 2014)

HybridHerp said:


> What IS that? I want it lol


Bucephalandra "High Society" Snow Marble. Anyone in Thailand?


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## MsNemoShrimp (Apr 25, 2011)

I like THESE! But looks like you need pretty intense lighting for it to show like these?


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