Cryptocoryne crispatula

Also known as Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae, Crypt Balansae, Cryptocoryne balansae, Cryptocoryne crispatula 'Balansae'

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

Overview

A tall background crypt whose long grassy, crinkled leaves sway in the current and add height to larger tanks. It needs an acclimatization period before it takes off, and it will melt if uprooted or hit by sudden parameter swings, so plant it once and leave it. Root tabs or aquasoil, medium light and stable water suit it best, and it handles hard, alkaline water better than most crypts thanks to its limestone-stream origin.

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, which is why it tolerates hard water well. It grows submersed in flowing water and emersed along banks as levels drop.

Good to know

The accepted botanical name is Cryptocoryne crispatula Engl. in the arum family Araceae, with several recognized varieties including balansae, crispatula and planifolia. 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.

Did you know

Did you know the aquarium trade name 'balansae' honors 19th century botanist Benedikt Balansa, and the plant's naturally rippled leaf edges are not a sign of poor health but a genetic trait, unlike most plants where crinkled leaves mean a nutrient or CO2 problem.