TankBud

Cryptocoryne ciliata

Also known as Ciliated crypt, Fringed water trumpet, Crypt ciliata

FreshwaterBrackishRosetteRunners

Cryptocoryne ciliata (Cryptocoryne ciliata)
(c) Ong Jyh Seng, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
No CO₂ needed
Temperature
73–82°F
23–28°C
Max height
23.6 in
60 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Background
Type
Rosette
pH
6.5–7.8
Hardness
4–18 dGH
Spread
11.8 in (30 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root feeder
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Medium
Family
Araceae
Origin
Coastal Southeast Asia: tidal zones and mangrove margins from India and Sri Lanka to New Guinea

Overview

Cryptocoryne ciliata is a large rosette crypt for the background, or for use as a specimen plant. It grows in plain fresh water and in brackish tanks. It is a slow grower of medium difficulty.

Did you know

Cryptocoryne ciliata is one of the very few crypts that survives real salt, up to around 1.005 specific gravity or about 7 ppt. Almost every other aquarium plant fails in a brackish tank, which makes it the go-to plant for anyone trying to grow greenery there.

Caring for Cryptocoryne ciliata

Plant the crown at the substrate surface in rich soil, with the roots buried below it. Cryptocoryne ciliata gets large and can grow emersed out of an open tank, so give it height and room. In an open tank it will push leaves and even a fringed flower up into the air.

Give it medium light, which is more than most crypts ask for. It needs no added CO2. It is a heavy root feeder, so push root tabs in near it or grow it in a rich substrate. It handles 73 to 82°F (23 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.8.

Growth is slow, so be patient. It spreads by runners that send up new plants nearby, and you can cut one free once it has roots. Expect the usual crypt melt after planting or any big change in conditions. Trim the mush and wait for new tank-adapted leaves rather than pulling the plant.

Good to know

Cryptocoryne ciliata is a large water trumpet in the arum family, Araceae, also sold as ciliated crypt or fringed water trumpet. Its bloom is a spathe and spadix rather than a true flower. The spathe is fringed at the edge, which gives the species its name, ciliata, meaning fringed with hairs. It grows as a big rosette from a stout crown. Two varieties exist, var. ciliata and the larger var. latifolia, and both are amphibious. Grown emersed on the banks, the leaves turn thicker and firmer, and flowering becomes much more likely.

In the wild

Cryptocoryne ciliata grows along tidal riverbanks, in coastal marshes and at the edges of mangrove swamps. Its range covers coastal Southeast Asia, from India and Sri Lanka through Malaysia and Indonesia to the Philippines and New Guinea. Unlike the shaded forest-stream crypts, it lives in bright, open tidal zones in muddy soil. Its water shifts between fresh and brackish as the tide moves, and it copes by living an amphibious life.

Common questions

Does Cryptocoryne ciliata 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 ciliata need CO2?

No. Cryptocoryne ciliata grows well without added CO2.

How much light does Cryptocoryne ciliata need?

Cryptocoryne ciliata wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.

Does Cryptocoryne ciliata need root tabs?

Yes. Cryptocoryne ciliata draws much of its food through its roots. Push root tabs in near it, or grow it in a nutrient-rich soil.

How do you propagate Cryptocoryne ciliata?

Cryptocoryne ciliata propagates by runners. New plants grow along its runners. Cut one free once it has roots and plant it.

How tall does Cryptocoryne ciliata grow?

Cryptocoryne ciliata grows to about 23.6 in (60 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.

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