# Bucephalandra and experience



## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

Hello all fellow hobbyists
I recently got into trying to grow different bucephalandra plants currently have

Mini coin
Mini red
Green wavy
Pink lady
Godzilla
Cathrinae
Purple Lamandau

Also just last week added pressurized co2. I have a Satellite Pro light and been using Metricide and EI dosing with weekly 50% water changes. I have fairly good success with all the plants i named except for the Mini Coin. So I hope adding co2 would make the difference. I know Bucephalandra plants are slow growers. And maybe I just need more patience. But if anyone would like to share their experience with them I would really appreciate it.


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## Delapool (Mar 12, 2016)

Too slow for me  Found a spot halfway up tank it liked that algae didn’t but fish destroyed it every so often in retaliation for skipping feeding them a night...


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## JJ09 (Sep 11, 2014)

I have buce 'green wavy' and several others diff from yours (or at least I know them by diff common names). I've tried growing buces in all my tanks and they do best for me in my low-tech 10g which has a finnex stingray light for 6hr/day and diffused intensity. It gets 50%wc once a week, then 4ml of Thrive liquid ferts. I used to do EI with the powders, but something about my measurements must have been not quite right, because when I switched to using Thrive my buces _really_ started to look nice (conversely, my java fern windelov now looks poor, but it's the only plant in the tank that doesn't do so well w/the new conditions). I've also found that my buces do a lot better if I have them planted in the substrate, rather than tied on to stuff.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

I've had green wavy for years and only flowered once.

Catherinae red that flowers monthly.

Theia blue that can grow to a monster.
3" pieces plant like stems will reach the surface with many branches in about 9 months.

All grown @ 75PAR at substrate, double EI dosing, and 40ppm CO2.


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## nbgolds (Aug 21, 2018)

A couple of weeks ago, I got my first buce and attached all three varieties to a piece of driftwood using superglue. I got:

Red Blade
Black Pearl
Mini Coin

So far, even in my low-tech setup, I’ve seen several new leaves on all three varieties. They do seem like slow growers, though. I’m dosing Thrive and Excel.


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## Tinanti (Aug 25, 2005)

They really like ammonia-based fertilizer. A lot. Flourish Nitrogen is great or Osmocote+ if you root feed. And it's a myth that you can't grow them or any other so-called low light plant in really strong light.


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## Mike A. (Jan 6, 2018)

The mini varieties are harder I think. They do best for me if I leave them as a larger mass vs breaking them up. A clump like that will grow OK. About like any other buce if not a little more dense. Smaller pieces just never really seem to take off. Usually drop leaves and then remain stubby little things.


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

Hello, thanks for all the replies. I find bucephalandra to be a finicky plant. I can have the same buce plant, planted next to eachother and some will thrive while others slowly die off. I searched the web about the plants and I find very mixed reviews about them. I don't think buce plants can thrive is the same conditions as another. I would love to see pictures of others buce plants and water conditions they are being grown in. Thanks all


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Here's one of my buce shelves, lol. Parameters are pretty simple - 7.4 pH with a drop to 6.4 pH during CO2 on, 2 dKH, 6 dGH, and a good amount of ferts.

Per week:
Macro bottle: 24 NO3, 15 K, 6 P
Micro bottle: .6 Fe, .2 Mn, .18 B, .2 Zn, .006 Mo, .008 Cu, .002 Ni
Water change: 14.3 Ca, 3.3 Mg, 20 K

Still playing with this a bit as the custom micros made me have to change my macros...


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## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Tagging for future referencing. I really want to try some buce but I'm trying to work out the kinks with my other slow growers before taking the dive.


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## TacitBlues (Aug 4, 2016)

I have several types in the tank that is also mostly low light/slow growing plants. It was in there for almost a year basically doing nothing until I started being a lot more diligent with a regular fertilizer schedule, and now at least you can tell from week to week that it's growing. And honestly, the variety that seems to do the best is the cheap regular green one that I got from a big box pet store as a tissue culture.


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## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

My buce grows best in low light tanks that I generally leave alone. Here's a quick video of a small, 1 gallon tank I had set up in my office with a 6 watt compact fluorescent desk lamp. You can see the buce are doing well, as are the Anubias. The tank was too small and the Amazon frogbit roots extended down into the substrate if I was away from the office or put off trimming for more than a couple days. A 2.5 gallon tank has replaced it but I'm wondering just how big I can go before management objects!


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## artgecko (Aug 8, 2018)

I have Godzilla and green wavy. Of the two, the green wavy is doing better, but it is getting more light (fugeray planted plus clip). The green wavy just flowered this weekend...It has been in this tank for about 3 months now, so it must like everything. 

I do flourish excel every other day by bottle dosage. 12 hr. light cycle, and ferts once a week after a 50% waterchange. I does flourish, flourish iron, and excel. 5gl tank.


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

I have the same experience with the Green Wavy growing the fastest. Atleast compared to the others I have. Cathrinae too is pretty diligent and fast growing. I been told and noticed that once you start to see new roots from the rhizomes start attaching themselves to scape is when the growth actually starts to get going. Patience and diligently keeping up with co2,ferts, water changes. Is the key, for this plant and hobby. Please keep sharing your plants, experience and photos. Thanks all


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## redchaser (Apr 27, 2015)

I added a big bunch to my tank early this week. It was a tissue culture cup from Petco, just the plain "Green". A lot for about $10 though. I planted it as a dense clump because I like the look.


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## Kehy (Feb 5, 2012)

I just treat them like a fancy anubias. They seem reasonably hardy and willing to at least try growing in just about any conditions, assuming the water isn't pure ammonia


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

I see you guys have a lot of nice Buce. I hope I can get mine to successfully grow. Only time will tell. Wow redchaser you score a lot of nice buce for a great price.


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## JeremyDMeyer76 (Sep 7, 2018)

I'm trying to get Buce Mountain going in my first planted tank. For only a month old, so far so good. Starting to see signs of growth...its slow but better than dying.


I'm thinking about adding a few more soon.


























































Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk


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## KZB (Jan 3, 2018)

Great looking tank Jeremy. Keep us posted on the progress.


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