[GSAS-Member] re. Crypt melt

[Margaret Cashman <drmcashman@gmail.com>]

Dear Meredith et al. --

Yeah, I agree that one has to tough it out through the melt. A number of
crypts from Ghazanfar have been temperamental, although one -- the C.
usteriana -- is a real trooper. Ghazanfar seemed to be philosophical about
the tendency for Crypts to do this, at that talk -- I recall he was
speculating that it was an adaptation of these plants which helped them
survive the pronounced swings from emersed and dry-season conditions to
submersed and rainy-season conditions, with the possibility of dropping
leaves altogether and floating on to new surroundings. I'm not sure I see
how melting helps in such survival but I am trying to keep this in mind as I
watch these plants change.

The generic type of Crypt melt seems to occur with:
1. Significant change in water parameters (e.g., letting it go too long
between water changes and then doing a big change) -- so frequent water
changes (20%) rather than episodic *>* 50% changes seems to be helpful.
2. A shift from whatever the growing conditions were prior to your
acquisition of the plant. . .
3. Substrate conditions which the Crypt does not care for. Some folks
advocate plentiful fertilization in substrate, while others shrug at this. I
suspect it's more important if you're eager for it to flower than if you are
just wanting it to adjust, but who knows.
4. Being moved.

One option is to pull the plant out of the aquarium and try to nurture it
back by growing it emersed for a while. Another option is to apply "tincture
of time" and just see if it comes back.

One thing which may be helpful is checking out the information for the
species you have, on The Crypt Pages by Jan Bastmeijer. The link is
http://www.xs4all.nl/~crypts/Cryptocoryne/index.html and there is a
subsection with links to each species. His "How to. . ." section also is
excellent. Currently I am attempting to keep my Crypt. pontederifolia going
by adding some calcium carbonate to the gravel just around them. . .

-- 
Margie Cashman
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