Cryptocoryne nurii grows up to 10-15, and sometimes 35 centimeters. The stem is 2-3 cm wide. The color of the plant varies from yellow-green to brown-brown. Red streaks may be visible on the sheets. Often, when designing aquariums, Cryptocoryne is planted next to other representatives of the species that have a bright green color.
Growing and care
Maintaining a plant can seem difficult, especially for beginners. However, experienced aquarium owners note that with experience, care is rather specific, but not complicated. When grown in good conditions, Cryptocoryne produces small, attractive flowers over time.
Cryptocoryne nurii can be grown in paludariums. While above water, regular spraying of the leaves is required several times a day. And when growing outside of water, it is important to keep the soil moist at all times. When kept out of water, Cryptocoryne grows faster.
Water parameters for ideal maintenance
In its natural environment, Cryptocoryne nuri usually grows in fast-flowing rivers or streams. As a result, it prefers running water, which is why some Cryptocoryne owners add tap water to the aquarium.
For a healthy plant, it is advisable to maintain the following water parameters:
- temperature range - 22-27ºС, recommended value 24-26;
- acid-base balance indicators - 5.5-9, recommended acidity 6.0-7.5;
- water hardness is 8-15 German degrees, but on average for cryptocorynes it is advisable not to raise this figure above 10º.
Lighting requirements
In nature, you can find the plant both in shaded places and in brightly lit ones.
In an aquarium, Cryptocoryne feels comfortable even with a light flux of 30 Lm/l.
If you need to accelerate its growth, it is recommended to set the power to around 60 Lm/l.
It is not advisable to increase the brightness of the lighting, since the plant will begin to creep along the bottom of the aquarium, pressing against the ground.
When organizing lighting, it is advisable to use lamps that generate light rays in the red and orange parts of the spectrum.
If most of the plant is above water, it should be protected from direct sunlight. Otherwise, there is a risk of cryptocoryne drying out and even completely dying.
Demanding requirements for soil and nutrient substrate
Under natural conditions, Cryptocoryne nuri grows on clay or sandy soil. In order for the plant to quickly settle into a new place, it is recommended to plant it in nutrient soil with granules the size of fine gravel. Owners of Cryptocoryne nurii sometimes use beech compost as a substrate.
The following nutrient soils can be used:
- Dennerle DeponitMix Professional 9in1. It can only be used as a substrate for decorative primer. One of the advantages of this type of soil is the presence of chelated iron. It also promotes the development of the root system of aquarium plants.
- Prodibio AquaGrowth Soil. A porous substrate with a large amount of microelements, manufactured by a French company. A distinctive feature is the presence of an ampoule with beneficial bacteria in the kit.
Requirement for fertilizers
For Cryptocoryne nuri, the presence of iron, manganese and nitrogen in the water is important. These elements contribute to the growth and development of the plant, as well as maintaining the bright color of the leaves. Experienced owners advise using Tetra Crypto tablets as fertilizer to feed the root system of Cryptocoryne nurii. They do not cause cloudiness in the water and prevent the rapid development of algae.
However, the tablets do not contain macronutrients. Therefore, if there is a lack of phosphates and nitrogen compounds, Tetra Crypto tablet fertilizer can be used in combination with Tetra PlantaMin liquid fertilizer. CO2 supply is recommended to improve the plant's condition, but is not required.
- When choosing a fertilizer, you need to pay attention to what iron compounds it contains. Common soluble iron salts begin to oxidize within a few minutes of getting into the water, and plants stop absorbing this microelement.
- To solve this problem, chelators are added to fertilizers. These are compounds of synthetic or natural origin. They dissolve well in water and provide more complete nutrition for aquarium plants.
Algae breeding
The plant forms short, up to 2 cm long, creeping shoots in the ground. At the ends of the stolons, daughter bushes develop. The rosette grows very slowly, and can only be replanted when it reaches a height of about 3-4 cm.
To separate the daughter rosette, you will need a knife or scissors: the stem is strong enough, and if you try to tear it off, you can also pull the mother plant out of the ground. Using a tool, carefully cut off the stolon and dig up a young plant. The separated bush is immediately planted in the ground using a nutrient tablet or substrate. It is not advisable to leave the bush floating.
Cryptocoryne nuri takes root slowly in a new place (in an aquarium with different water characteristics) and does not show signs of growth for a long time. If the bush does not rot and its leaves do not dissolve, then there is no cause for concern. You can speed up the survival rate by increasing the carbon dioxide content (if there are no fish in the reservoir), frequent fluid changes, and adding divalent iron preparations to the water.
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Reproduction
Cryptocoryne has a vegetative method of reproduction. It produces new creeping shoots that are located next to the parent plant. It is necessary to wait until the young sprout grows 3 cm in length and acquires at least 3 leaves.
The new socket is cut using a knife or scissors. You cannot tear it off, otherwise there is a risk of pulling the main plant out of the ground. After the daughter sprout has been cut off, it is dug up and planted separately from the “parent”. It is recommended to place a fertilizer tablet under the roots of young Cryptocrine to support healthy growth and development.
Variations and forms of the plant
There are two main known variations of Cryptocoryne nuri:
- Rosen Maiden. This plant was bred through selective breeding. It has brightly variegated leaves. The central vein is golden in color. If this form of cryptocoryne is not grown in water, it can grow up to 30 cm in height.
- Platinum. This form was discovered in Indonesia in the late 2000s. Unlike the main form, its leaves are always bright green. In the vein area, the sheets are lighter and have a color close to platinum, which is why this variation got its name. Another difference between Cryptocoryne platinum is the tubercles on the leaf blade.
Botanical description
Griffith's Cryptocoryne griffithii
, Botanical illustration Botanical illustration in
Curtis's Botanical
, volume 126, 1900.
Small rhizomatous herbaceous plants, amphibious, but found floating, semi-submerged or terrestrial. The typical phenotype is a bush of 5-15 leaves. The tissues contain milk vessels.
Leaves
The leaves are entire, lanceolate to ovate, on petioles. Submerged forms in streams may have long, ribbon-like leaves, which also have a pimpled surface (for example, Cryptocoryne aponogetifolia). The color of the leaves is bright green, olive, brownish, and in low light conditions - intense red.
Inflorescence and flowers
The structure of the inflorescence The inflorescence is small, its structure is very peculiar.
Almost the entire cover of the inflorescence, often of a bizarre shape and color, is transformed into a long narrow tube with a slightly swollen lower part, inside of which there is a short spadix, 1-3 cm long. The tube is waterproof, its upper part rises above the water, the lower part is immersed in water. Thanks to this position, the cob is protected from the effects of water, although it is located below its level. The lower part of the spathe tube, which contains the cob, is separated from the rest by a valve. In the lower part of the spadix there are six female flowers, forming an outer circle of six fused gynoecium; the inner circle of female flowers is transformed into sterile pads - osmophores. Higher up the spadix, after the sterile zone, there are numerous male flowers (there can be more than 100 of them), each of them consisting of two stamens. The cob ends in a short appendage. The ovary is unilocular, with several seed primordia.
Pollination
Before flowering, the valve separating part of the inflorescence from the spadix and the top of the tube are closed and open only immediately before the start of the female flowering phase. Attracted by the color of the cover and the smell emanating from the aromatic pads, insects penetrate into the inflorescence, but cannot return back, since the valve only opens inward. If pollination of flowers occurs, the elasticity of the tube and valve decreases, it withers and insects can get out. The male flowering phase begins on days 3-4. At this time, the anthers open, the pollen sticks to insects crawling along the tube, and they transfer this pollen to the flowers of other inflorescences. Czech researcher Karel Rataj (1975) found that cryptocorynes are visited by small insects from the orders Diptera, Hymenoptera and beetles (ladybugs).
Fetus
The fruit is a juicy berry, a seed with endosperm.
The Cryptocoryne embryo forms green leaf primordia while still inside the fruit and seed coat. It has the ability to develop in the seed due to the nutrients of the endosperm, which are supplied to it by the haustorium of the cotyledon. Being inside the seed coat, the embryo bud manages to form many leaf primordia and adventitious roots. By the time the capsule opens and the seeds are released from the fruit, the seedling is already fully formed. A seed that falls into the water floats with the current for a very short time, but as soon as the cotyledon is separated from it, it loses buoyancy, falls to the bottom and takes root.
Lifehacks and tips for aquarists
- Tip #1. Owners of Cryptocoryne nuri note that the plant does not feel comfortable in shaded conditions, especially if they are created by floating “neighbors”. Once the floating aquarium plants were removed, Cryptocoryne nurii began to gradually recover.
- Tip #2. Some aquarists advise creating conditions for Cryptocoryne that are as close as possible to swamps. When choosing soil and fertilizing, it is recommended to pay attention to minerals and clay, and also to reduce the amount of organic additives.
