Cryptocoryne wendtii is a fairly simple aquarium plant that even beginner aquarists can recommend. Caring for him will not be difficult, since it does not require any special knowledge and experience in this matter. However, there are a few secrets and rules that you should pay special attention to.
Cryptocoryne. Where is this guest from?
Wendt's Cryptocoryne is native to the waters of Sri Lanka. This ornamental plant has corrugated leaves and a beautiful bronze hue on a green background. That is why it is especially recommended to grow it in aquariums with a large depth of the water layer, where dense, incredibly beautiful thickets form over time. Due to its small height, up to 20 centimeters, Cryptocoryne is ideal for decorating the middle plan of the aquarium, the lower the water level, the more beautifully its leaves are located on the surface, creating a unique landscape. The width of the bush is on average 12 centimeters. Cryptocoryne grows quite quickly, however, when kept in small aquariums, its size will be slightly smaller, somewhere 6 cm high and 8 cm wide. In large aquariums, this plant can reach a height of up to 30 centimeters.
Description
What are these aquarium plants? Cryptocoryne Wendt has the form of a bush, which lacks a central stem. Lanceolate leaves emerge directly from the root, settling on very short petioles, almost invisible in a well-developed, dense bush. The roots of Cryptocoryne are powerful and creeping. Foliage color can range from light green to brown and red. Under good conditions, the width of the green part can be up to 5 cm. The leaves can be either straight or heavily corrugated at the edges, which gives additional decorativeness to the plant.
In nature, Cryptocoryne Wendt grows on the shallows of rivers, various streams that do not tend to dry out, as well as on pebble or rocky bottoms, where a fast current can prevail. Thickets can move over time. It should be noted that different species of this plant are almost never found in one place.
Varieties
Cryptocorina is an aquarium plant represented by numerous varieties, among which there are the most popular in breeding. They differ from each other in leaf shape, color and bush density.
The most common and most common is Wendt brown cryptocoryne. The plant hasoblong red or olive leaves with a brownish tinge. This variety is most popular among aquarists for its decorative properties and unusual appearance, as well as easy care and good survival in different conditions. Cryptocoryne Wendt brown is a rather large plant that can reach 30 centimeters in height, forming loose thickets. The size may also depend on the volume of the aquarium - the smaller the tank, the smaller the plant itself will be.
Cryptocoryne Wendt red, aka tropical, has oblong green leaves, red on the reverse side, approximately 2 centimeters wide. The plant is distinguished by the usual standard sizes, as well as simple care and maintenance. In addition, it can tolerate fairly low temperatures. Such a regime does not affect the rate of growth and development in any way.
Cryptocoryne Wendt green is the variety with the most brightly colored light green leaves. With good lighting quality, such an aggressive coloring looks good in an aquarium.
Cryptocoryne Wendt. Home Aquarium
Wendt takes root well in various conditions, although it prefers the composition of water of medium or moderate hardness. Too soft environment can contribute to the loss of decorativeness and rotting of the leaves. Ideal for maintenance will be a temperature of about 24 degrees, at lower rates, plant growth may slow down.
Cryptocorynes tolerate well both long stagnant water and its frequentshift. Such conditions do not have a special effect on the development and growth of the plant. Bushes also take root well in slightly alkaline or slightly acidic water.
Cryptocorina Wendt tolerates both artificial and natural light, but in case of direct sunlight, the plant must be covered. To create comfortable conditions, the bushes need fluorescent or conventional incandescent lamps. It is also possible to combine these two types of lighting, providing the plant with a full spectrum of radiation. It should be noted that each liter of water requires a power of 0.3 W.
Cryptocoryne Wendt Brown loves moderate light with slight shading from larger specimens of aquarium plants, which does not affect the color of its leaves. In such conditions, she will feel as good as with bright lamps. Light day for this plant should be at least 12 hours.
Flowering
In order to make Wendtu bloom, it is necessary to transplant the plant into a separate pot at least 7 centimeters in diameter, into which soil mixed with peat and quartz sand is added, after which a thick layer of gravel is covered on top. Such a container is placed on the bottom of the aquarium, the thickness of the water layer in which is about 4 centimeters. This requires ground heating and good lighting, the duration of which will be at least 12 hours a day. Under these conditions, cryptocoryne blooms after 6 months.
Ground
As soil for comfortablecontent is best suited for coarse river sand and small pebbles. In a coarse-grained substrate, lateral root shoots are difficult to propagate, which can lead to such a problem as the growth of young shoots too close to the mother bush. This is fraught with the fact that new plants will take away all the vitality of the main one, which will either lead to its death, or to a weakening and loss of a decorative appearance. A strong bush with a well-developed root system may require at least 6 centimeters of soil to avoid nutrient depletion and plant starvation.
Feeding
Over time, the soil is well silted, so the plant does not need additional mineral supplements for good development. If the soil is very fresh, Cryptocoryne will periodically have to be slightly fed with mineral fertilizers, such as clay mixed with peat. To do this, you need to roll a small ball of these substrates, put it in the place where the roots branch out and cover it with the main soil. Such feeding will provide the plant with all the necessary minerals for successful development and growth for a long time. With transplantation and a good level of silting of the soil, such funds will no longer be required. If Cryptocoryne needs to be transplanted into fresh soil, this procedure should be repeated again.
As a top dressing once every two weeks, it is necessary to add small doses of such trace elements to the aquarium water: copper, boron, molybdenum, manganese, ferrous iron. These substances are takendosage of 0.1 mg per 1 liter of water.
Features
Cryptocorynes Wendt do not like frequent transplants, so it is recommended to change their habitat no more than once a year. Each time after transplanting, it may take a few weeks for the plant to settle down normally in a new place and form young leaves.
The bushes are quite unpretentious to the content of carbon dioxide in the water, so additional supply of carbon dioxide to the aquarium is not required.
It is absolutely not necessary to grow Cryptocoryne in special soil. It feels great growing on woody snags and stones, especially if they are covered with silt formations that do not have a putrefactive nature.
Breeding
Cryptocorina Wendt lends itself well to propagation methods such as vegetative, abduction of basal processes and rhizome division.
When propagating with young plants, you need to wait until at least three of your own leaves appear on the shoot. Then it can already be cut off from the mother and transplanted separately.
Also easily propagated by dividing the bush, while carefully dividing it into 2 or 3 parts, leaving several leaves and a part of the rhizome on each.
You can successfully propagate and grow cryptocorynes in wet greenhouses. With this content, they grow and bloom a little faster, but it is impossible to obtain seeds under artificial conditions. Forthis method of cultivation requires a mixture of soil, consisting of turf, peat, humus and sand. Such soil should be swampy and very well moistened. The light will need diffused, but bright. Cryptocoryne grown in such conditions can be transplanted into an aquarium without any problems.
Benefits of growing
Cryptocorina Wendt is good for growing in aquariums because it is not damaged by various pests and fish. This is due to its bitter taste, which apparently does not attract other residents to eat it.
In addition, the plant adapts well to various conditions and chemical properties of water. It is great for decorating any aquarium or terrarium, where it will feel great, even towering above the water.
All about the aquarium: Cryptocoryne Wendt and its diseases
A diseased plant is easily identified by the condition of the leaves. If any problems arise, the leaf blades darken very quickly, become soft, transparent and begin to decompose. The development of the disease can be triggered by a sharp change in water, a change in its parameters, intensity or spectrum of illumination. Sometimes this condition of the plant can be caused by other reasons. Often the disease is transferred with the transplantation of plants from other, infected aquariums. The only way to fight is to remove the leaves, replace the water and clean the soil from dirt. In this case, the rhizome, freed from leaves, is allowed to float freely on the surface of the water. As a rule, after such a procedure, it releases daughter processes, onwhich young leaves are formed. In this way, the mother plant can be saved and propagated.
Cryptocoryne Wendt is often referred to as a versatile aquarium decoration, suitable for use even by inexperienced aquarists who are new to breeding live underwater plants. Nevertheless, being such an unpretentious representative of the flora, this wonderful bush pleases with its unusual appearance and numerous varieties that can please the most demanding amateur or professional. The main thing is care and patience, then your plant will serve as a wonderful decoration for the aquarium for a long time and create comfort for numerous underwater inhabitants.
