Cultivated form (UNS tissue-culture line); parent var. balansae native to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and southeast China
Overview
Cryptocoryne balansae Pink is a pink-strapped crypt for the background or a tall midground spot, where its leaves can reach about 60 cm. It is easy to keep but slow to fill in.
Did you know
Cryptocoryne balansae Pink is a different plant from Cryptocoryne 'Flamingo', a point Buce Plant stresses on its listing. Both are pink tissue-culture crypts, but Flamingo is a wendtii form of about 15 cm.
Caring for Cryptocoryne balansae Pink
Wash the gel off the roots before planting. Plant Cryptocoryne balansae Pink like plain balansae, in rich substrate or over root tabs, with the crown just above the surface. It grows more slowly than plain balansae, so plant several cups for a fuller stand.
Give it medium light. It grows without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster. The pink shows most on new leaves and can turn muted as they age, and Buce Plant recommends high light with CO2 to hold it. It feeds through both its roots and its leaves, so a liquid fertilizer helps alongside the root tabs.
Keep it in water with some calcium, at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C). It spreads by runners, and the rhizome can be cut into pieces with several leaves each. Leave the plants in place through any melt.
Good to know
Cryptocoryne balansae Pink is a color form of Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae in the arum family, Araceae. It keeps the long, narrow, heavily hammered straps of plain balansae and colors them pink to rosy bronze. Plain balansae ranges from green to bronze. Shops still use the older name Cryptocoryne balansae, which GBIF now lists as a synonym of the crispatula variety. The name Pink is a trade label with no botanical standing.
In the wild
Cryptocoryne balansae Pink reaches the hobby as UNS (Ultum Nature Systems) tissue culture, and no wild population of the pink form is known. Its parent variety grows in rivers and streams of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and southeast China. In southern Thailand it forms dense submersed stands over limestone, in hard, calcium-rich water, with ribbon leaves trailing in the current.
Common questions
Is Cryptocoryne balansae Pink a different species from Cryptocoryne crispatula?
No. Cryptocoryne balansae Pink is a form of Cryptocoryne crispatula. It is grown the same way apart from its growth rate.
Does Cryptocoryne balansae Pink need to be planted in the substrate?
Yes. Bury the roots and leave the crown, where the leaves join, just above the substrate.
Does Cryptocoryne balansae Pink need CO2?
No, but it helps. Cryptocoryne balansae Pink can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Cryptocoryne balansae Pink need?
Cryptocoryne balansae Pink wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.
Does Cryptocoryne balansae Pink need root tabs?
They help. Cryptocoryne balansae Pink takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.
How do you propagate Cryptocoryne balansae Pink?
Cryptocoryne balansae Pink propagates by runners and rhizome division. New plants grow along its runners. Cut one free once it has roots and plant it. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece.
How tall does Cryptocoryne balansae Pink grow?
Cryptocoryne balansae Pink grows to about 23.6 in (60 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.
Medium lightBackground23.6 in (60 cm)
Low lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
Low lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
Low lightBackground15.7 in (40 cm)
Medium lightBackground15.7 in (40 cm)
Low lightBackground13.8 in (35 cm)