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Need help with growing crinum calamistratum

Bhavik

Member
Joined
17 Feb 2017
Messages
255
Location
London
I bought a small plant with not many leaves at all on it and it doesn't seems to be growing at the moment I have put it in a small 20L tank with a 13watt light and 7500k

It's planted in gravel and I have not buried the bulb full but it's not growing :/

Need help please
 
How long have you had it and is/was there viable growth on it? Some bulbs have dormancy periods so it might just be this.
 
i have had it about 4-5 months now yes it has some leaves on it but i had to cut a few away as they were dead or dying.
but the only thing that is weird about this is that the blub of this plant is very small compared to pictures that i have seen

i mean what can i do to get it to grow?
 
Does it have a good root structure? I have one that also has a small bulb, it hasn't grown massively since I got it but has several long leaves that are a metre long or so. The first thing I did was add root tabs under it to give it some energy for growth as with a small bulb it's energy stores aren't massive. They also need reasonably good light to thrive.
 
At the moment I don't know as I don't want to disturb the plant as I know it doesn't like it when it's moved.

Mine doesn't have as many leaves as yours and they defo not as long as yours they are probably about a 1cm if that and there is about 2-3 leaves
I did add roots tabs under it and am dosing liquid ferts every week as it's in a small tank

Is my lighting ok?
 
I'd think your lighting is ok giving the power over such a small tank, it's actually more than I have. I'm not sure what to advise other than patience. If the bulb is still solid then it has the potential to put on a growth spurt anytime as it could just be putting it's energy into building a good root system before it takes off.
 
i mean its been quite a while now thats why im not sure whats going on.
before i had it in a 200L tank and the plant was very small and a small bulb it didnt root properly as the fishes in the tank kept uprooting it when swimming over it esp the pleco and so i ended up putting it in my shrimp tank.

is there anything i can do to encourage or speed up the growth?

thanks
 
is there anything i can do to encourage or speed up the growth?

thanks

Other than heavy root feeding I'm not sure. Hopefully someone with more knowledge/experience will chip in.
 
i mean at the end i want to put it in the 200L tank but it keeps uprooting and therefore it will keep getting disturbed.

so is there any way i can keep it in that tank some how?

also is there anyone else that can help me please?
 
Crinum calamisteatum can grow nicely in quite low light - it does like a rich substrate, though (=root fertilisation). This species of Crinum does have significantly smaller bulb, than C. natans and C. thaianum - looks more like a "thickened stem" actually.
As for your problem of keeping the plant anchored, I suggest you gently tie a small piece of rock to it, in such a way that the rock will "hang under" the bulb, roots spreading around it. Preferably use some thin cotton-line, that will disintegrate in time, so the growing bulb will not be limited by it. You then plant the Crinum with the rock buried and about 1/2 - 2/3 of bulb buried. Remember to add a fertilisatin capsule right under the plant.
As mentioned, your Crinum will likely focus on creating a good root-structure, before doing much noticeable leaf-growth.........the first is needed to promote the latter.
In general Crinum calamistratum is really a very easy and tolerant plant - but can be a slow starter............
Edit: He he - just a bit late here.......
 
hi there i appreciate the help!
I have a small piece of broken driftwood in my tank so was thinking of attaching it to that but i dont know how i would go about doing that as the plant is very small! and when i say small it has about 2 leaves and a small bulb so i dont know how i would go about tieing it.

will the roots still be able to get nutrients from underneath even though its attached to the driftwood? yeah im going to add oscocote root tabs
would using a metal weight at attaching that to the plant and the wood work if i am unable to attach it with the cotton line?

yeah seem very small! i like the crinum species so much that im thinking of getting the natans as well!

lol thats fine no worries i appreciate the help

also i wanted to ask could something like this be used to give better lighting for plants? as at the moment i have 2 x 30 watt t8 in my 200L tank
 
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With mine I tied the rock to one of the side roots. It's not really tightly tied, rather I just got some cotton and went around the root with it several times so it's not really tied but hold there gently. I wouldn't put anything directly under the roots that would discourage the roots from the substrate. If you have a small piece of rock you can put it under the roots so that the roots spread over it and anchor the bulb to the substrate as mickk suggests (I imagine it to look like a large octopus stuck on a divers head if you get the idea).
 
hi there thanks for your help so i have now managed to attach the crinum to a small piece of driftwood with some thread so we will see how it goes.
also i know that the crinum species and the dwarf hairgrass likes a bit of flow so i added a spray bar near the bottom of the tank but now my jewel fish dont seem to pleased they have lost their colour. is there any way i can sort this out?

also i wanted to ask could something like this be used to give better lighting for plants? as at the moment i have 2 x 30 watt t8 in my 200L tank

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-...hash=item4656d33078:m:mYo0f8CqTEPIgsbNd_6ueUQ

thanks
 
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I'd best not say anything because mine grew fast and was very troublefree despite having only 1 root when I got it.

Too bad there's not much interest in it where I am because I have about 5 to 6 bills now.
 
thanks!

as for the flow what can i do?
and would that lighting work for plants?
I'd best not say anything because mine grew fast and was very troublefree despite having only 1 root when I got it.

Too bad there's not much interest in it where I am because I have about 5 to 6 bills now.
Oh i didnt know i would have happily bought one from you at least i would know that it was a good plant with a lot more leaves then what i received
 
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