# What is the best way to grow Bucephalandra ??



## Sarlindescent (May 14, 2015)

Disclaimer: I am not even close to an expert.

While I have only had great success bringing out the blue color in mine, I have attached it to lava rock and driftwood with fishing line. It took a solid 2-3 months to root. I would caution against high light personally as I have had many hair algae issues even with dense floating plants. I have great luck with the speed of my anubius, but my buce is MUCH slower growing. I would say of the 40-50 types I have, 35% experienced significant melt. I didn't use excel long enough to determining the liquid carbon question.

My lighting is planted plus 24/7. Multiple tanks with varying parameters.

BTW, do not throw away buce with no leaves on it. As long as the rhizome is green and not soft, it will come back. I have a few I throw in a spare tank. 4 months later, a 3 inch bare rhizome now has 2-4 leaves.


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## jw.cS (Jan 13, 2005)

SpaceLord said:


> Its hear its related to a Anubis plant with a rhizome that you never want to bury.


I have buried all my _Bucephalandra spp._ into the substrate with only the growing tips showing. They have all done well. I have not seen any rhizome rot, even those whose rhizomes have been buried under 4 inches of substrate. I just pulled out some yesterday and there were healthy white roots, with no signs of browning rots. Of note, branching only occurs above the substrate line--probably due to more light access.



> What is best? Attach to drift wood, lava rocks, egg crate, or just on the floor of the aquarium,etc...?


This depends on your aquascape vision and mature plant size. The plant is pretty versatile. For example, I bury my _B. sp._ 'Sintang Mini' individually into the substrate because I didn't like the labor of finding small rocks, attaching individual plantlets, waiting for them to fill out and hide the rocks, etc...So, I stuck them into the substrate. Quick. Easy. Instant aesthetic. 



> Can you use liquid CO2 or is this one of those plants that melt if you use liquid C02?


_B. spp._ are slow growing things already so gaseous CO2 will be tremendously helpful. I have mine growing in both liquid CO2 and gaseous CO2. Aside from growth rate, I have not experienced any melt...even at 2-5x the recommended dosage.



> What type of lighting to they like and how should they be placed by the light? Can they grow immersed, etc...?


All (if not most) of the _B. spp._ you'll find for sale can be grown fully submerged. They can grow under all lighting conditions. I have seen competition tanks with this plant growing and flowering directly under the water surface. I also have some out in the open under direct light and some in almost complete darkness. The main differences are growth rate and leaf sizes. I also put some in a bucket under complete darkness for 2 months. Some leaves drop, some became pale white; but no rhizome was dead. Within a week of being placed under favorable conditions, the rhizomes sprouted a ton of side shoots. Resilient little things.



> If you attach it to something, do you use a washed rubber band, fishing line, sewing thread ?


Anything you'd desire. Even cyanoacrylate-based glues.



> Please let me know any advice you may have dealing with Bucephalandra?


Feed the kids...then feed your Buce-obsession. Not the other way around. I also hear that sharing photos of your _B. spp._ actually accelerates their growth and reduces algae. I don't know if it's just hearsay; but I wouldn't chance it if I were you.


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