# First time Crypt grower....does my Nurii look normal? UPDATED PIC 1/12



## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

I received the crypt about 3-4 weeks ago and it finally started to grow. Couple leaves melted when I first put it in but now it's growing strong. I pump a ton of co2 and light in this tank so not sure if this is the way it's supposed to look when healthy.

That's not algae on the leaves by the way....it just looks like it in the pic but that's the pigment of the leaves.


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## MartyD (Dec 29, 2006)

That doesn't look so good. You better box it up and send it to me


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

Aside from the above, it looks bloody fantastic.
Now, surrender to me your Nurii


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Your Crypt looks amazing! Keep up the conditions.


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## thefisherman (Oct 15, 2011)

i think your nurii is sick... luckily for you i'm a crypt doctor and i have a special care unit all ready for your plant!


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

One of my favorite Crypts. 

Yes, they look normal. All Crypts are heavy root feeders, I feel to look EXCEPTIONAL, they need their roots in high quality MTS.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

That soil is brand new ADA Africana capped with Amazonia...I over did it with the substrate since it's about 3.5 inches thick in my 60-P. 

Judging by the comments the Nurii is supposed to look like this so I'm pretty happy being that this is a fairly rare plant. haha


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Older pic from my tank, C. Nurii in grown in MTS:










Not saying ADA substrate is bad, just I think for crypts Mts is a better option.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

DogFish said:


> Older pic from my tank, C. Nurii in grown in MTS:


That looks nice...maybe I should start adding more iron to get the red leaves.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Here is a cool comparison pic from 1 week of growth. You can see that the leaf in the middle is getting larger.


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## MartyD (Dec 29, 2006)

Here's mine newly planted


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Fe is part of the answer. I believe MTS works because of the balance of all minerals, organics, bacteria etc., etc. there's a symbiosis to it that I don't feel one can achieve by just adding parts.

But, then again I still believe in Santa Clause :smile:


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

looks good to me!
I want one now! lol


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## babydragons (Mar 14, 2012)

Sorry but what is MTS?


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

babydragons said:


> Sorry but what is MTS?


I believe it stands for Mineralized Top Soil.



h4n said:


> looks good to me!
> I want one now! lol


Once it takes off I'll send you a few plantlets. The first pic I posted shows some small ones that I ripped off my mother plant...they are towards the front of my tank.


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## pepperonihead (Jan 17, 2004)

I can't wait to get this plant, I have an order of ten coming! YEAH!!!


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

1 month update:

So shortly after my previous pictures, the Nurii started to melt on me for some reason. I probably lost about 10 leaves but it seems to have stabilized and is growing pretty nicely. I think the original melt from the "new tank syndrome" lasted a good 4-5 weeks. It's amazing how slow this plant grows. All my stemmed plants get a weekly trim but the crypt seems to be staying the same size. My mistake was planting it all the way in the corner and then putting stems in front of it. I cannot wait until it finally fills in the entire corner!


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

What is you water PH & Temp? How long is your photo period.


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## AaronT (Apr 11, 2004)

Is your water soft? It might need a little Mg.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Oh I really like this crypt, nice leaf color.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I've never seen so many pics of C. Nurii - now I understand what all the hullabaloo is about! Guess I'll have to get one too (just to fit in - lol).

Sweet looking plants, everyone!


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

AaronT said:


> Is your water soft? It might need a little Mg.


Aaron -What have you kept yours at?

My water is 7.5 out of the tap, I keep the temp around 72ish, lights 10-12 hrs


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## AaronT (Apr 11, 2004)

DogFish said:


> Aaron -What have you kept yours at?
> 
> My water is 7.5 out of the tap, I keep the temp around 72ish, lights 10-12 hrs


My tap water is similar, but I have a major lack of Mg in my tap water and I notice a deficiency if I don't add a little extra.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

Seems like you are on the right trick. That moss is also impressive, what kinda moss is that?


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

DogFish said:


> What is you water PH & Temp? How long is your photo period.


-Thick layer of aquasoil which is only 4 months old (about 3-3.5 inches)
-Temp is @ 76-77
-PH is around 6.5
-dosing EI
-Photoperiod: 4 hours on, 4 hours off, 4 hours on again. I don't really have algae in this tank and my other plants are growing pretty well.
-Light: Finnex Ray2 24inch plant LED light hung about 5 inches above the 60-P (18 gallons about).
-TDS of aquarium water is about 320. TDS out of tap is 175.

I have never kept Crypts so not sure if everything is met in terms of their needs. I also insert Osmocete Pills in the substrate just for the crypt.




AaronT said:


> Is your water soft? It might need a little Mg.


Water is very soft due to the aquasoil and there should be plenty of Mg. I dose half a table spoon of Seachem Equilibrium at water change (50% each week). Mg is also found in my micro solution @ 11ppm. Maybe that's not enough?

My fertilizers which are dosed in liquid form:
Concentrations(as per wets calculator):
Micro-
B- 0.09ppm
Cu 0.01ppm
Fe 0.50 ppm
Mg 0.11 ppm
Mn 0.14 ppm
Mo 0.0038 ppm
Zn 0.03 ppm
dGH 0.02

Macros:
N- 7.5ppm
P- 1.3ppm
K- 4.27ppm

Iron:
Seachem Iron (1 milliliter added 3x a week with Micros).




HybridHerp said:


> Seems like you are on the right trick. That moss is also impressive, what kinda moss is that?


It's regular Christmas Moss. That's my ok looking specimen since it's in a high light and ferts tank. I notice that if I dose Iron, the moss gets darker patches on it which is not algae....if you look closely in the pic you can see it. My shrimp tank, on the other hand, has some amazing looking christmas moss.


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## kochman (Jan 25, 2012)

Some of the nicer crypts I have seen. I have tons of them,very jealous lol


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Nurii is doing awesome. It's not really growing any taller but it's spreading its wings like crazy. There are a bunch of new shoots starting in all directions. I'm not familiar with crypts but it looks like they send out a long stem which starts to grow little roots/leaves at the end. Should I be thinning the leaves out a little bit?

Some updated pics:




















Right there in the center is a new shoot being formed.


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## toksyn (Aug 15, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> Nurii is doing awesome. It's not really growing any taller but it's spreading its wings like crazy. There are a bunch of new shoots starting in all directions. I'm not familiar with crypts but it looks like they send out a long stem which starts to grow little roots/leaves at the end. Should I be thinning the leaves out a little bit?
> 
> Some updated pics:
> 
> ...


It's creating a daughter plant - that's how it spreads. You did a great job with your nurii! I had nurii before, but sold all of it because it was becoming a chore for me to keep up with its growth. I've never had plants grow more invasively for me than nurii. It certainly is a beautiful plant ...


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## TheRiverRat (Feb 13, 2013)

Looks really great, if you would ever want to trade a plantlet for a florida sunset let me know! My LFS never get any cool crypts in.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

I need this plant like, 6 months ago lol

you sir, and doing a fantastic job of this


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Thanks for the kind words everybody.

Does anybody know why my plant has multiple colored leaves whereas all the ones I see on the internet seem to be of consistent color? All the leaves on my plant are healthy upon inspection but they range from green to yellows.


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## toksyn (Aug 15, 2011)

*Re: First time Crypt grower....does my Nurii look normal?*



hedge_fund said:


> Thanks for the kind words everybody.
> 
> Does anybody know why my plant has multiple colored leaves whereas all the ones I see on the internet seem to be of consistent color? All the leaves on my plant are healthy upon inspection but they range from green to yellows.


Cryptocoryne coloration is incredibly variable. You may have had changing light or nutrient conditions between each of the different colored leaves.


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## apfunk (Oct 23, 2012)

Wish I could get color like that out of my crypts! They look really good.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

So I tore the plant apart yesterday and replanted in my mid-ground since it was taking up prime real estate in the back left corner (this will now be used for L Tornados that I picked up from Tom Barr). For some reason the Nurii just kept spreading and did not grow tall so my tank looked uneven. The one original mother plant became four and I also have a bunch of baby plantlets that I gave out/sold off. Since moving it over to the new spot, the Nurii has been pearling but that's probably coming from damaged spots when I was ripping it all apart. I made sure to trim the roots and put in Osmocote pills in the substrate prior to planting. 

I like it much better in this spot...it should look really nice once the HC fills in.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

So do we have you hooked on Crypts yet? :hihi:

Looks very nice! Do you have enough room in front once it fills out? I plant mine at lead 6" from the front of the tank glass.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

DogFish said:


> So do we have you hooked on Crypts yet? :hihi:
> 
> Looks very nice! Do you have enough room in front once it fills out? I plant mine at lead 6" from the front of the tank glass.


Thanks!

LOL. Yup, I like my Nurii very much. As you can see it's become the center piece of my tank. :icon_mrgr

The plant is about an inch from the glass but I won't really let it take over....I'll probably just keep ripping it up and replanting to the side until I run out of room.

Another quick front shot:


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

The Nurii was starting to take over my 60-P so it was time to move it out. Glad I did since there were tons of shoots coming out all over the place once I got to the roots. Hydrocotyle Japan just went in its place as a foreground plant. At the same time I decided to set up a Nurii and moss tank with a bare bottom. 

I planted the crypts with soil, crushed up almond leaves and capped it with ADA Africana mixed with Akadama. Here are some quick pics of the plants and how they look inside their new tank. I will fertilize lightly and inject a ton of co2 going forward. Since I just dropped them in there the water is a bit cloudy.....should look nice next time I do an update.

And yeah, I started with one plant not too long ago.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Since moving it into a new tank two of the plants started growing black flowers. Does anybody know anything on this subject? Should I trim the flowers or will they eventually wilt away?


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

*Re: First time Crypt grower....does my Nurii look normal?*

Just saw this thread. I have serious catching-up to do. My nurii just got replanted. All 3 leaves of it...


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## idex (Apr 15, 2010)

I get lots of flowers. (3 so far this year) I just let them wilt away when done.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Update on the above pics....nuriis starting to take off.


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## johnson18 (Apr 29, 2011)

Wow! You've done really well with your C. nurii!! I just got 10 of them that I split between submersed & emersed. I hope I can be as successful with these as you have! Beautiful plants!


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

johnson18 said:


> Wow! You've done really well with your C. nurii!! I just got 10 of them that I split between submersed & emersed. I hope I can be as successful with these as you have! Beautiful plants!


Thanks! :icon_cool

These work really well and they come from a sponsor on here...can't go wrong for 10 bucks.

http://ripariumsupply.com/products-page/categories/gro-soil-tab-18-pack/


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

Looking very nice.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

UPDATE 7/25:

I am really starting to see the potential of this plant. The colors are all over the place which makes it rather unique.


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## tattooedfool83 (Mar 15, 2013)

Wow man, the colors are amazing. Beautiful crypts there. I just got one they I'm growing emersed 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

tattooedfool83 said:


> Wow man, the colors are amazing. Beautiful crypts there. I just got one they I'm growing emersed
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


Thanks. You can see from the first pic that I posted a few months ago that the colors are totally different. In the original pics I was using an LED light whereas now they are sitting under 5500K power compact bulbs from AHSUPPLY. Also, I have started using the Gro tabs from riparium supply.


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## johnson18 (Apr 29, 2011)

Wow! Looks great! I'm definitely diggin the variety of colors.


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## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

Lookin good man... im starting to get some crypt ich


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

nice crypt i might have to try that one. only kinda rare one i have may not be rare to most but i dont see it sold often and that is mioya. i love the pink color to it. maybe once moved we could trade. they do get pretty tall. i can show a pic of it if you want


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

wicca27 said:


> nice crypt i might have to try that one. only kinda rare one i have may not be rare to most but i dont see it sold often and that is mioya. i love the pink color to it. maybe once moved we could trade. they do get pretty tall. i can show a pic of it if you want


Yeah the Mioya is a nice one as well but unfortunately I have it in one of my tanks. As you said above, you do not see this plant sold here all that often. If I did not have it then I'd definitely be up for a trade.

I am currently on the hunt for a pink flamingo but nobody seems to have it. I have been trying to buy one for the last few months.....I almost want to import it from Germany.


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## johnson18 (Apr 29, 2011)

I know there are a few members on here with 'Flamingo' so it can probably be found. I've also been looking around trying to figure out what I want to add to my collection next! Haven't quite decided yet, there are so many cool crypts available!


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

i have loved that one since i first saw it. i am wanting to get alot more crypts. right now i have one i dont know what it is and the only other one i keep is lutea. i guess mine just gets alot of light cause my lutea turns red alot lol


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

dude, if you were closer....if only you were closer....I'd split an order of pink flamingo with you in a heartbeat.


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## toksyn (Aug 15, 2011)

I've got a few emersed plants of the C. "Flamingo". They are growing slow at the moment but they are growing. I'd be willing to split some in the future if anyone is still looking .


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

toksyn said:


> I've got a few emersed plants of the C. "Flamingo". They are growing slow at the moment but they are growing. I'd be willing to split some in the future if anyone is still looking .


Nice, glad to see more and more people growing it out. Just means that soon it's going to be all over in the for sale section.



HybridHerp said:


> dude, if you were closer....if only you were closer....I'd split an order of pink flamingo with you in a heartbeat.


I'm only 40 minutes from NYC via train....hint hint. :icon_cool



You guys must be good since I haven't really been able to find it over the last 2 weeks.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

No, I meant that me and you should order some, then split the order so that we each afford half lol


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

HybridHerp said:


> No, I meant that me and you should order some, then split the order so that we each afford half lol


Ahh I see. For me it's not really about the money...it's just that I can't find them. If I do come across a seller then I'll let you know and you do the same. But yeah, we can definitely split if they require a large order.


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## johnson18 (Apr 29, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> Ahh I see. For me it's not really about the money...it's just that I can't find them. If I do come across a seller then I'll let you know and you do the same. But yeah, we can definitely split if they require a large order.


I would definitely be interested in a source if you find one!


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

hedge_fund said:


> Ahh I see. For me it's not really about the money...it's just that I can't find them. If I do come across a seller then I'll let you know and you do the same. But yeah, we can definitely split if they require a large order.


Cool. And no, the only reason that money is a concern for me....is cause I'm still a college student and all and feel weird spending more than $15 on a singular plant lol


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

HybridHerp said:


> Cool. And no, the only reason that money is a concern for me....is cause I'm still a college student and all and feel weird spending more than $15 on a singular plant lol


No worries, we've all been there. I started in 2005 as a broke college student asking people for free plants on here and APC. Luckily, there were tons of nice people giving out their plants to newbies like myself...a small priority box was only $3.85 back then! Usually when I RAOK off a plant I tend to give it to college students as I indirectly feed them in a strange way. As a student I remember occasionally having to decide between lunch or plants and there were multiple instances when I would choose the latter. :wink:

7 years ago I used to start threads like this....check out the date
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=25353&highlight=


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Is this normal with C. Nuriis where the roots tend to grow out of the substrate? I've had this happen in multiple setups with varying substrates (akadama, aquasoil and eco-complete). It's never the full root system growing out of the substrate but just a few stragglers here and there. This isn't some type of deficiency, is it?


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## toksyn (Aug 15, 2011)

It's not all that uncommon for me either.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Took two random pics today as I was enjoying my morning coffee. First pic is just a regular Crypt Nurii and second is an Ideii and Nurii side by side.


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