TankBud

One species · 3 forms

Cryptocoryne crispatula

FreshwaterRosetteRunnersRhizome division

Cryptocoryne crispatula (Cryptocoryne crispatula)
(c) Patrick Hacker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
Max height
23.6 in
60 cm
Growth rate
Medium
Placement
Background
Type
Rosette
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
5–18 dGH
Spread
7.9 in (20 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Araceae
Origin
Northeast India to South China and Indo-China (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, southern China)

Pick a form

Every form on this page grows well over root tabs in medium light and hard water.

Overview

Cryptocoryne crispatula is a tall background crypt with long, grassy, crinkled leaves. It adds height to larger tanks, and it is an easy plant once it settles in.

Did you know

The aquarium trade name balansae honors the 19th century botanist Benedikt Balansa.

Caring for Cryptocoryne crispatula

Plant Cryptocoryne crispatula in aquasoil or in a substrate fed with root tabs, toward the back of a larger tank. Its long leaves sway in the current and add height. Plant it once and leave it, since it melts if you uproot it.

Give it medium light. It grows without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster. It takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves, so root tabs plus a liquid fertilizer cover it. It handles hard water better than most crypts and suits 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C).

Expect an acclimatization period before it takes off, and after that it grows at a moderate pace. It spreads by runners, and you can also divide the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each. Sudden parameter swings bring on melt, so keep the water stable.

Balansae and tonkinensis are wild botanical varieties of Cryptocoryne crispatula. Balansae grows long, puckered straps in green to bronze that can pass 50 cm. Tonkinensis, named for Tonkin, the old name for northern Vietnam, grows grass-like ribbons only a few millimeters wide. Keepers often mistake tonkinensis for vallisneria until it spreads in slow steps from runners.

Cryptocoryne balansae 'Pink' keeps the long, hammered straps of balansae and colors them pink to rosy bronze. It reaches the hobby as UNS tissue culture, and no wild population is known. Pink grows more slowly than plain balansae, so plant several for a fuller stand.

Good to know

Cryptocoryne crispatula Engl. is the accepted botanical name, and the plant belongs to the arum family, Araceae. Its recognized varieties include crispatula and planifolia as well as balansae. Its narrow, strongly ruffled and fluted leaves can reach 20 to 60 cm long, an adaptation to living in current. Like all crypts, it flowers by a spadix enclosed in a trumpet-shaped spathe, the origin of the common name water trumpet.

In the wild

Cryptocoryne crispatula ranges from northeast India through Indo-China into south China, growing in streams and rivers. The popular aquarium form, var. balansae, comes from fast-flowing, calcium-rich streams over limestone in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and southern China. It grows submersed in flowing water and emersed along the banks as levels drop.

Common questions

Why is my Cryptocoryne balansae Pink losing its color?

Balansae Pink shows its strongest color on new leaves, and older leaves can turn muted as they age. Buce Plant recommends high light with CO2 to hold the pink.

Why are my Cryptocoryne balansae leaves twisted?

The hammered, rippled surface of balansae leaves is a normal genetic trait. New leaves that come in twisted and deformed are the usual sign of low calcium. Moderately hard water or a calcium supplement helps the next leaves grow in straight.

How do I tell Cryptocoryne tonkinensis from balansae?

Tonkinensis grows grass-like blades a few millimeters wide, while balansae's straps are broader and puckered. Flowgrow notes that an even narrower plant from eastern Thailand was long sold as tonkinensis and is now described as var. kubotae. Check the leaf width on shop plants before you buy.

Does Cryptocoryne crispatula 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 crispatula need CO2?

No, but it helps. Cryptocoryne crispatula can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does Cryptocoryne crispatula need?

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

Does Cryptocoryne crispatula need root tabs?

They help. Cryptocoryne crispatula 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 crispatula?

Cryptocoryne crispatula 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 crispatula grow?

Cryptocoryne crispatula grows to about 23.6 in (60 cm) tall. It grows at a moderate pace.

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