# Cryptocoryne wendtii



## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

so i changed my light from 3 hours on 2 hours off then 3 hours on.
but now it seems there some melting leaves so could this be the time our do they need more light time to back to 8 hours straight . every thing else is growing great except lotus plants and a couple melting crypt leaves . im fert the tank with 15 ml of metricide and dosing 
1 KNO3 
1 K2SO4 
1 KH2PO4
1 CSM+B as recommended from aqua flora could i be doing wrong our is the melting from new growth coming in


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## skabooya (Jun 15, 2010)

I find crypts to be tempermental. Any changes (light, flow, ferts, etc) and they pout for a while.


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## someguy (Apr 21, 2010)

in the research that i've done, it was suggested that plants need at mininum 4 hours to make any use of the light. any less it you could say it confuses them.

my exp with wendtii is unconsitant as well. From when i started in my tank, it took less then 3 months to take over half of my 90g. i tore out 99% leaving 1 plant. and that plant has been the only one for the last year and a half. not to sure what to make of that.


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## Justin.14 (Apr 23, 2010)

ya, I would agree , they are tempermental because any changes and their leaves start dissolving because it simulates the dry season where they loose their leaves to have less resistance when the water level lowers. 
Mine has been 'melting' for a while and I`m also unsure how to get it to grow again. I`m hoping that it will pull through if I let it be.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

A nutrient filled substrate will provide most crypts with what they need.Root tabs and ferts also help.Melting usually occurs after they have been uprooted and planted again.It does take time for the roots to establish themselves.When buying crypts, trim the older roots and part them for better growth.Higher temps for some crypts is also necessary.


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

there where fine intill i changed the light so i hope this is it . i have them for like 6 months and change of light melting . so they must like more light


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## skabooya (Jun 15, 2010)

yours just got used to your lighting. Now that you changed it its pouting. Anything makes these things pout. I put lots of root tabs under mine but if i put them too close they melt away to almost nothing then a few months later they start to come back. Sometimes not at all.


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

can Cryptocoryne wendtii be sensitive to
1 KNO3
1 K2SO4
1 KH2PO4
1 CSM+B


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## skabooya (Jun 15, 2010)

No not really. It looks like your trying to use Tom Barr's EI dosing method. I would check out his forum its really good and explains a lot. He's on there quite often.
Crypts are just sensitive to changes. So, if you were not fertilizing before and are now or have changed your fertilizing schedule then they will melt a little. If you move them, they will melt, if you change the water, they will melt, etc etc etc. Just give them time and dont fuss with them. Leave them alone to adjust. Keep whatever your doing constant.
As for the Lotus bulbs, I found that they do really well at first, sprout other buds that turn into bulbs etc but after a while (for me it was within the first year and a half) it produced less and less leaves and eventually it was just the bulb. Never sprouted again. I was using root tabs, moved it to a higher light area, etc. I eventually got sick of waiting and just threw it out. It had no more roots anyway. My friend Melissa had the same problem with her lotus as well.


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

hard plants to grow but some people have such good luck with lotus. i read they like softer water and i have aragonite mixed with gravel. so im thinking my water is really hard for the lotus plants


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## skabooya (Jun 15, 2010)

Im not so sure. I have very soft water with a PH of 5.5-6 out of the tap. I have fluorish excel as the substrate. I loved lotus and wanted lots of them but they didnt like my tank. But i do agree that some people have good luck with them. I wish i knew their secret


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## nmullens (Apr 26, 2010)

Your photo period sounds off to me. Putting plants on a split light cycle is fine as long as they get enough light in a 24hr period. I would say a total of 6hrs is not enough light. What type of lighting do you have? I would suggest a more natural light cycle. So if you have 2 banks of lights start the first 4 hrs with only one bank of lights (low morning light) then in the afternoon do a 3-4hr burst with both banks of light. I a assuming you split your light cycle to help with algea, this will still help with that. But I guess you can only do this if you have a light with multiple plugs . I don't see any calcium in your dosing if the crypts are starting to melt with little holes all over you could need more calcium. I use a good gh boost in my EI without it I get pinholes in several of my plants. My guess would be it is to little light though.


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

nmullens said:


> Your photo period sounds off to me. Putting plants on a split light cycle is fine as long as they get enough light in a 24hr period. I would say a total of 6hrs is not enough light. What type of lighting do you have? I would suggest a more natural light cycle. So if you have 2 banks of lights start the first 4 hrs with only one bank of lights (low morning light) then in the afternoon do a 3-4hr burst with both banks of light. I a assuming you split your light cycle to help with algea, this will still help with that. But I guess you can only do this if you have a light with multiple plugs . I don't see any calcium in your dosing if the crypts are starting to melt with little holes all over you could need more calcium. I use a good gh boost in my EI without it I get pinholes in several of my plants. My guess would be it is to little light though.


i have 3 metal halides at 175 w what would you do in a 24 hr period. butt my crypts were fine four like 6 months when i had them on straight 8hrs then i got some ferts and was told to do the 3 on 2 off and 3 on the my crypts then a melt off. so im doing 8 straight hrs again . is there an another light cycle i can do our should i stick with 8 hours straight again .


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

My crypts melt whenever i adjust my dosing, lighting or hardness. YOu get used to it  before you know it, you'll have leaves sprouting up


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

kewl thanks guys


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## nmullens (Apr 26, 2010)

Oh I see you have metal halides (MH), that is a different story then. With MH I would actually think that 6hrs a day should be enough. But one thing I have found with planted aquariums is small changes and a long analysis. So if your tank is used to 8hrs a day I would start by just spiting it up and putting an hours of no light in between or raising the lights slightly. Then giving your tank a couple week to adjust and re-evaluate. 

So back to your original question about Crypts melting. If you were not using ferts before with that high of lighting and co2 then ferts were probably your limiting factor as your plants would need ferts with that much light to grow without limitation (causing algae and defects in plants). Now that you have added ferts your plants are all probably limiting on co2 as they are able to grow that much more with the ferts. So I would suggest at looking at getting your co2 as high as possible before adjusting lights. 

IE: When limiting on co2 I have seen over two feet of healthy carpet melt within a couple days. This would happen to me every months or two, when my tank would totally filled in and should have been trimmed. With that huge plant load and very high light and ferts I was never able to inject enough co2 for that situation to prevent the melt. 

I could type pages and pages about co2 and the battles I went through and how I overcame it in the end, but that would be hijacking your thread. If you are interested send me a PM and I will only bore you with it .


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

Better off going with 8 hour straight. With crypts and really high light, there is a tendency to melt when adding fertilizer. Being a low light plant (most varieties of crypts), under high light, they are quick to react to a change in environment. 

They don't take long to get established in a tank as long as the environment is stable and consistent.

The change in electrical conductivity in the water is what causes a lot of the melting. This is mainly affected by potassium sulfate, Ca, and Mg. Potassium tend to increase the plant metabolism under higher light.


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

so the should be ok with the ferts soon then just gotta adapt


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

yup. I haven't kept a MH planted tank in over 7 years. Don't recall how the crypts did under MH. I know they do great with 2x 54w HO T5 over 75g right now.


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