# Wendtii, Bronze (Cryptocoryne wendtii v. ‘Tropica’) Pot (med



## MollyFan (Apr 19, 2004)

Ok, I think I screwed up with this one. Every site I see has it as a potted plant. I bought one yesterday, in a pot, and got it home and immediately took it out of the pot for planting in my gravel. Was this a no, no? By the way, I couldn't get entire below-crown roots under the gravel. They were pretty vertical and really become one with the potting medium.


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## eds (Feb 12, 2003)

The pot has some wool and ferts, to help the plant get established. 
But eventually you are going to want to lose the pot and the wool anyway. 
If you have a decent substrate and other factors favorable, you should have no problems planting it w/o the pot.
I always take them out of the pot before planting.

The pot can help if you need something to help anchor the plant, or if you have fish that really like to dig.


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

I always remove the pot too, and as much of the wool as I can without damaging the plant. Sometimes the two are pretty much melded together. Just do what you can.


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

Removing the rockwool is the norm, but expect the leaves to melt down in short order. This is also normal, and the plant will regenerate its leaves within the next few weeks. Bronze wendtii is, IMO, the most beautiful of the varieties.


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## anonapersona (Oct 19, 2002)

Yes, you must remove it from the pot, pick the wool our of the roots with tweezers.

Then see if you can separate any individual plants. If you can, great, then plant them each about 2 inches apart, maybe more. If not, don't worry, it will send out runners soon enough. 

Crypts appreciate rich soil or fertilizers in gravel tanks. They also resent begin moved to different water and differnt light, so expect them to turn to goo shortly after planting. Don't worry, they will use the nurtients they withdrew from the old leaves to make new leaves ASAP. Do not bother them if they melt down. They will be back with new leaves more appropriate to the new tank.


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## MollyFan (Apr 19, 2004)

Wow, ok. Thanks everyone. I like the pictures of it that I've seen and it fits my water/tank parameters pretty well. This is my first tank and I had no clue about substrate. It is regular green gravel. If I had it to do over again....I'd hate to go through the cycle again though.


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## anonapersona (Oct 19, 2002)

You could tear down a tank and put in new gravel and as long as you protected the filter and that bacteria, you wouldn't see a cycle. 

It isn't easy but it can be done, and moving the plants brings aong mser bacteria and more ammonia reducing ability.

But, that isn't necessary, just add stuff to the gravel as you go, fertilizer tablets, for example, will help. As you stop gravel vacuuming, the substrate will get richer and richer.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

MollyFan said:


> I'd hate to go through the cycle again though.


Just because I can't stand it anymore:

Tanks don't go *through* the cycle, they get on the cycle and stay on the cycle unless you knock them off balance. The cycle isn't over, a tank isn't *cycled*, it's *cycling*. That is why we use a circular connotation for a natural process like the nitrogen *cycle*.

OK, who let me up on the soap box again, I told you guys to keep me away from this thing, this is obviously a ride meant for adults..... :wink:


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

I bought a small potted Crypt at PetSmart the other week. When I got it home I took it out of the pot and wool and ended up with three Crypt plants and two other small green shoots. I stuck all into my gravel and luckily the Crypts have kept their leaves and are sending out new ones. Even those two mystery shoots are putting out new leaves for me.


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

Sean, most people talk of a 'fully cycled' tank as one that has gone through and _completed_ the establishment of nitrifying bacteria. Of course, you're reasoning is just as valid as the alternative, but most people speak in the other fashion. What, for example, would you say to someone who asked you, "My tank is still cycling. Can I add more fish now?" Most, I think, would say, "Wait till it's _finished_ cycling."


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

I know Tula, I just like to disagree with what "most people" say, especially when they shorten something improperly to make it easier to speak about. It's just the way English works. 

We should say that "the tank has finished establishing it's (nitrogen) cycle", because the cycle process doesn't stop.

If it’s finished cycling I’d expect it to be a dead stinky mess.

I'm not going to change the vernacular I just wanted to vent. Now if I could only get a handle on irony vs ironic, life would be good. :wink:


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

Hey, I'd gladly adopt your phrasing if everyone would stop calling them Chinese algae-eaters. _They ain't Chinese!_


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## Kris (Feb 27, 2004)

i just bought three wendtii and i am so excited!
i put them into a "new" 10 gallon with a flourescent 16" unknown wattage...
(i'm too lazy to go look at the box)
the new light is much cooler than the light over my 30 gallon-no blue tinge.
the crypts are beautiful-nice reddish tinge.
roud: 
i am hoping that when i come back from wisconsin i can put them into the frog tank biotope.


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## anonapersona (Oct 19, 2002)

SCMurphy said:


> We should say that "the tank has finished establishing it's (nitrogen) cycle", because the cycle process doesn't stop.
> ..... I'm not going to change the vernacular I just wanted to vent.


Hmm, it would be interesting to try, however.

Challenge: From this point on, you and I will refer to "establishing the cycle" rather than "completing the cycle". Let's see how long it takes to turn the tide. 

I've already begun, in other posts, other boards. 

anona, who believe one person can make a difference


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

One slight glitch with this concept, as I think about it more, is that the overwhelming majority of aquaria don't actually complete the cycle. Ammonia is oxidized through to nitrate, which in most tanks is removed via water changes. It's only in higher-tech tanks that we may have to add nitrate to the water and can afford to leave decaying plant and animal matter to decompose back to ammonia/um. This begs the question of how literally should things be defined? And is it really necessary? After all, there is little ambiguity when, for example, someone refers to a fish as a Chinese algae-eater, after all. Mind you, I'm not trying to thwart you two in your efforts, but just offering some food for thought.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

MollyFan,

Good luck with your crypts, I would also recommend the removal of the rockwool and the placement of the plant directly into your substrate. 

And I appologize for misdirecting your topic thread, I hope we answered your question.


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## Kris (Feb 27, 2004)

i pulled the crypts apart today-
removed their wool and discovered that there were indeed several plants in each bunch of wool.
i planted them into the plain substrate (filled with mulm but boring nonetheless) and will be adding some laterite etc after payday.
surely there is a thread around here about what to add...


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Kris said:


> i planted them into the plain substrate (filled with mulm but boring nonetheless)...


Hey, don't knock mulm. I had a fish only tank for several years before I got into plants, and as a result had a substrate rich with mulm to work with.

Other than weekly ferts, that's all my plants have and they're doing great.


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## Kris (Feb 27, 2004)

thanks amanda for that note.
i am really please with the way the tank looks. i am going to keep it limited to crypts and the occasional java fern. this will be the "home away from home" for my school tank's guppies. 
they are such nice plants!


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## Mustang5L5 (Feb 1, 2004)

Yeah i usually find when you buy a potted plant at a LFS it's usually 2-3 plants inside the rock wool.

I have about a dozen wendtii plants. It started with 3-4 but they quickly thickened out and spread out. I have a nice crypt grass in one corner of my tank.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

> And I appologize for misdirecting your topic thread, I hope we answered your question.


No way Sean, you ? I find that hard to believe ! And then you went and dragged poor tula into it ! :lol: 

After reading this entire thread I need an aspirin... lmao 

Just weed through all this Molly and you will find that theres some good suggestions in here, just ignore them *other* 2 guys ... :lol:


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## MollyFan (Apr 19, 2004)

Could we just get back to my thread??? Anyway, I did pull them apart and there were 6 little separate plants. Planted them all. Came apart just as easy as daylilies. Mixing topics here a little. They look pretty terrible right now.

Oh, yeah. Saw some absolutely top notch crpto luteas at LFS. Wanted to impulse buy a couple of pots, but didn't know much about them. Any big difference from Wendti? Other than green leaves.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

We did get back to your thread, right before I apologized for misdirecting it. :wink: 

Not much difference between the two plants, C. lutea always grows much faster for me than C. wendtii. My 'crypt farm' tank has C. lutea as the under story plant and it is on a rampage in there. As many of them as I pull out, twice as many pop up in a week or so. If you can get a deal on them, go for it, they are a pretty plant.

Hey Buck, I didn't drag Tula with me, he was a willing participant.  If it actually merited any further discussion we would have started a new topic.


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## MollyFan (Apr 19, 2004)

Do any fish eat crypts? I've seen my mollies and platys chowin' down on the anachris.


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## Rhodophyta (Jul 16, 2010)

2la said:


> Hey, I'd gladly adopt your phrasing if everyone would stop calling them Chinese algae-eaters. _They ain't Chinese!_


I prefer the other more accurate common name, Sucking Loach.

Not only are they from southeast Asia, not China, they eat more fish scales than algae if they eat any algae at all. If you throw fish food in their tank, or add tank mates they can eat or descale, they stop eating algae.

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball, Chinese Algae Eater.htm

Unfortunately when someone could not sell their sucking loaches, they made up a cute new name that would sell. What can you do!


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