Why is My Cryptocoryne Plant Melting?You just planted your new cryptocoryne (or crypt) plant in the aquarium, and it looks perfect for the first few days. Then you notice that one or two leaves aren’t doing so well. Maybe they are turning yellow-brown, have large gaping holes, or are simply withering away. Soon the whole plant looks as bare as a maple tree in winter. This phenomenon is very common with cryptocorynes and is often called “crypt melt.” Crypts (and many other live aquatic plants) are very sensitive to major changes...
How do I plant my cryptocoryne?Cryptocoryne plants, also known as “crypts” for short, are a kind of rosette plant that requires substrate and needs root tabs to grow well. Common types include Cryptocoryne wendtii, Cryptocoryne spiralis, and many other species. Similar to sword plants, you want to bury their roots while keeping the crown of the plant above ground. Crypts are very prone to melting whenever they’re introduced into a new aquarium, so don’t throw away your crypt if its emersed leaves fall off. Once the plant g...
Our Favorite Easy & Low Light Plants: Cryptocoryne Lutea and VallisneriaLots of aquarists are drawn to planted aquariums. They are, of course, natural and beautiful to look at and they also provide a rich and healthy environment for the fish and other animals that live in them. A lot of times, however, newer aquarists especially, struggle with choosing the right plants for their planted aquarium. There are many things to consider when choosing plants that will yield the most successful results. So what should be considered when choosing plants? Well, light requir...
Do all aquarium plants need CO2 injection?All aquatic plants need CO2 as one of their basic building blocks to survive and grow. However, some types like cryptocoryne plants are fine with the normal amounts of dissolved CO2 found in aquarium water and do not need extra CO2, while other plants like scarlet temple could benefit from CO2 injection but don’t require it. A third category of plants — which includes Blyxa japonica, dwarf hairgrass, and dwarf baby tears and other similar carpeting plants — has higher demands and necessitates...
Which plants can I put in the Easy Planter?The Easy Planter is a fake rock decoration with a hole in the center that is perfect for placing a plant with its plastic basket inside it. This protects the plant from being uprooted by fish and allows you to move the plant around when desired. The Easy Planter works best with: Anubias Ferns Cryptocoryne plants Grass-like plants (like dwarf sagittaria and vallisneria) Bulb plants The following plants do not grow as well in the Easy Planter: Mosses Carpeting plants (with tiny leaves and ...
How do I convert my established fish tank into a planted aquarium?If your fish tank has already been running for a while, it should be fairly easy to transition to a planted aquarium. Change the lighting to a planted tank LED light if needed. For example, if you have an aquarium hood and want to upgrade the light, you may need to replace the hood with a glass top so that you can use a planted aquarium light instead. See our LED Aquarium Lighting Guide for our recommended lights based on your tank size. Change the substrate if desired. Most beginner plant...
Which aquarium plants need root tabs?Cryptocoryne plants (or crypts), sword plants, bulb plants, carpeting plants, and plants that produce runners all tend to feed from the substrate and will greatly benefit from root tabs. Stem plants like bacopa and moneywort can absorb fertilizer from the water or ground, but they seem to prefer the former. Plants that don’t need substrate to grow – such as mosses, floating plants, anubias, and java fern – typically do not use root tabs as much. For more information, read our full article on ...
How do I use root tabs to fertilize plants?Do you have cryptocoryne plants, sword plants, and other aquarium plants that feed heavily from their roots? Try feeding them root tabs in the substrate. Read this article for the full instructions.
Do snails eat live aquarium plants?Thankfully, most small snails found in freshwater aquariums do not eat healthy aquatic plants. This includes pest, bladder, nerite, mystery, ramshorn, assassin, and Malaysian trumpet snails. If you see them nibbling on a leaf, it's usually because the leaf is dying or melting back. To learn more about why your plant may be dying, read our article on nutrient deficiencies. If your plant's leaves are melting, it may be transitioning from emersed growth to submersed growth, which you ca...
Why is my plant dying or melting?It is normal for plants to "melt" when they change environment. There are a few causes for this, one would be different water parameters. It is likely your water is different from ours and the plant will want to restructure and get it's roots in place to start taking in nutrients. This lag time can cause the plant to consume itself to keep itself alive during the transition. (For more details, read our article on crypt melt.) Another cause would be a plant converting from emersed ...
What is PAR? Lighting & Brightness Explained for Planted TanksThere are tons of different types of aquarium lights available to hobbyists, but how do you know which one to choose for your aquarium? One important question to ask is whether or not the light source is bright enough to grow the aquarium plants you’re looking to get. Let’s talk about PAR as a helpful determining factor when choosing your next planted tank light. Defining PAR PAR is simply an abbreviation for Photosynthetically Active Radiation (sometimes referred to as Photosynthetically Ava...
Why Do Aquarium Plants Melt? 7 Reasons for Dying, Melting LeavesIf you add a new aquarium plant to your tank, it may look great for a couple weeks, but then it starts losing some leaves or just looks like it’s dying back in general. Don’t give up! It is common for aquarium plants to change and adapt when they experience a disruption in growing conditions. Learn about 7 reasons why this may happen and what you can do to give your plants the best chance to grow to their fullest potential. 1. You just got a brand-new plant from the store or online and added ...
Top 10 Rasboras for Your Next Community AquariumLooking for the perfect schooling fish? Most people tend to think of tetras and danios, but don’t forget about the breathtaking world of rasboras. They look similar with their torpedo-shaped bodies and peaceful personalities, but most species are found in Southeast Asia and come in a wide array of unique colors and patterns. The common name “rasbora” actually refers to several genera of fish, including Rasbora, Boraras, Trigonostigma, Microdevario, and many more. Let’s talk about 10 different...
Aquarium Seasoning is Better Than Aquarium Cycling (and Here’s Why)Whenever someone has a fishkeeping problem and asks for help on social media or online forums, people immediately ask if the fish tank is “cycled.” Yes, it’s important to know about the aquarium nitrogen cycle, but just because a tank can process ammonia waste does not necessarily mean it’s a good environment for housing live fish and plants. For example, just because someone has an official college diploma does not mean that he or she is automatically skilled in that field. There are many, m...
Top 5 Red Plants to Try in Your Next Planted AquariumOne of the basic design principles of aquascaping is to create interesting spaces that catch the viewer’s attention, such as by utilizing plants with different textures, heights, and colors. However, most plants are green in color, so how do you prevent your planted tank from looking all the same, like a solid green background? Thankfully, there are several red plants that have pink, scarlet, bronze-red, and even reddish-purple leaves, so let’s talk about our top 5 favorites that you should t...
Care Guide for Chili Rasboras — Spicy Red Nano Fish for Planted TanksIf you are thinking of setting up a nano tank with live aquarium plants, then you have to try chili rasboras or mosquito rasboras. Unlike most red aquarium fish that tend to have a warmer, red-orange hue, these tiny rasboras display a deep, cool-toned red with distinct black markings. However, they often get passed over because the juveniles sold at pet stores are miniscule and look washed-out. Find out what it takes to raise these stunning nano fish so they reach their full adult coloration ...
Why is My Cryptocoryne Plant Melting?
You just planted your new cryptocoryne (or crypt) plant in the aquarium, and it looks perfect for the first few days. Then you notice that one or two leaves aren’t doing so well. Maybe they are turning yellow-brown, have large gaping holes, or are simply withering away. Soon the whole plant looks as bare as a maple tree in winter. This phenomenon is very common with cryptocorynes and is often called “crypt melt.” Crypts (and many other live aquatic plants) are very sensitive to major changes...
Our Favorite Easy & Low Light Plants: Cryptocoryne Lutea and Vallisneria
Lots of aquarists are drawn to planted aquariums. They are, of course, natural and beautiful to look at and they also provide a rich and healthy environment for the fish and other animals that live in them. A lot of times, however, newer aquarists especially, struggle with choosing the right plants for their planted aquarium. There are many things to consider when choosing plants that will yield the most successful results. So what should be considered when choosing plants? Well, light requir...
What is PAR? Lighting & Brightness Explained for Planted Tanks
There are tons of different types of aquarium lights available to hobbyists, but how do you know which one to choose for your aquarium? One important question to ask is whether or not the light source is bright enough to grow the aquarium plants you’re looking to get. Let’s talk about PAR as a helpful determining factor when choosing your next planted tank light. Defining PAR PAR is simply an abbreviation for Photosynthetically Active Radiation (sometimes referred to as Photosynthetically Ava...
Why Do Aquarium Plants Melt? 7 Reasons for Dying, Melting Leaves
If you add a new aquarium plant to your tank, it may look great for a couple weeks, but then it starts losing some leaves or just looks like it’s dying back in general. Don’t give up! It is common for aquarium plants to change and adapt when they experience a disruption in growing conditions. Learn about 7 reasons why this may happen and what you can do to give your plants the best chance to grow to their fullest potential. 1. You just got a brand-new plant from the store or online and added ...
Top 10 Rasboras for Your Next Community Aquarium
Looking for the perfect schooling fish? Most people tend to think of tetras and danios, but don’t forget about the breathtaking world of rasboras. They look similar with their torpedo-shaped bodies and peaceful personalities, but most species are found in Southeast Asia and come in a wide array of unique colors and patterns. The common name “rasbora” actually refers to several genera of fish, including Rasbora, Boraras, Trigonostigma, Microdevario, and many more. Let’s talk about 10 different...
Aquarium Seasoning is Better Than Aquarium Cycling (and Here’s Why)
Whenever someone has a fishkeeping problem and asks for help on social media or online forums, people immediately ask if the fish tank is “cycled.” Yes, it’s important to know about the aquarium nitrogen cycle, but just because a tank can process ammonia waste does not necessarily mean it’s a good environment for housing live fish and plants. For example, just because someone has an official college diploma does not mean that he or she is automatically skilled in that field. There are many, m...
Top 5 Red Plants to Try in Your Next Planted Aquarium
One of the basic design principles of aquascaping is to create interesting spaces that catch the viewer’s attention, such as by utilizing plants with different textures, heights, and colors. However, most plants are green in color, so how do you prevent your planted tank from looking all the same, like a solid green background? Thankfully, there are several red plants that have pink, scarlet, bronze-red, and even reddish-purple leaves, so let’s talk about our top 5 favorites that you should t...
Care Guide for Chili Rasboras — Spicy Red Nano Fish for Planted Tanks
If you are thinking of setting up a nano tank with live aquarium plants, then you have to try chili rasboras or mosquito rasboras. Unlike most red aquarium fish that tend to have a warmer, red-orange hue, these tiny rasboras display a deep, cool-toned red with distinct black markings. However, they often get passed over because the juveniles sold at pet stores are miniscule and look washed-out. Find out what it takes to raise these stunning nano fish so they reach their full adult coloration ...
