Leaf colourgreen, red, pink or purple +1
Native range
- Sri Lanka
rosette midground foreground nano tank Conservation status: NT
A triploid form of Cryptocoryne beckettii from Sri Lanka, in the hobby for more than 60 years; originally described as a separate species, Cryptocoryne petchii — a name still in use in the trade.
- Light
- low
- Difficulty
- easy
- Height
- 10 – 20 cm
- Temperature
- 15 – 30 °C
Parameters
Plant typerosette
Growth ratemedium
CO₂ demandlow
Tolerates lightlow – high
pH5 – 8
Carbonate hardness1 – 18 °dKH
General hardness0 – 30 °dGH
Placementmidground, foreground +1
Propagationrunners, rhizome division +2
Grows emersedyes
Appearance
Brown rosettes spread quickly into dense clumps after planting; the leaves are red-brown with a slightly wavy edge — a good contrast with other plants.
Keeping
Undemanding, like all the Sri Lankan crypts: soft and hard water suit it equally, light matters hardly at all, though it grows better in better light. In a rich substrate it grows faster; it welcomes fertiliser and CO₂ but grows readily without them too. Above water it grows in damp, rich soil and often flowers there; daily misting helps. Propagation is easy: offshoots on the rhizome are separated and planted. Easy, growth moderate, light from dim to strong, CO₂ 5–40 mg/l, temperature 22–26 °C.
Placement
Midground, if trimmed and kept in shape; foreground in a group.
Trade names
Originally described as a separate species, Cryptocoryne petchii, and this name is still in use in the trade. In the hobby for more than 60 years and easy to find.
Fish and this plant
Water conditions match
The water suits 1007 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.
Swordtail GuppiesCobra GuppyBlood Red MollyButterflyfishRed Zebra CichlidJulii CorydorasRed-finned ParotocinclusGastromyzon monticolaEgg-shaped GoldfishFlame TetraGardner's KillifishAfrican TetraKenyi CichlidCuckoo CatfishGolden SwordtailHypsolebias picturatusCommon ZaccoLabeo BicolorGambusiaFlying barbGastromyzon scitulusAlbino Zebra DanioGeophagus BrokopondoZebra Mbuna
Will eat this plant
These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.
Bengal LoachZebra LoachBurmese Border LoachEmperor BotiaSpined LoachMarbled HeadstanderPellegrin's LeporinusLeporinus striatusFalse Black TetraCommon MetynnisMylossoma duriventreRed Whiptail CatfishMolly sphenopsBalloon MollyLyretail MollyMarble MollyHi-Fin PlatyHawaii PlatyBlue PlatyPintail PlatyBlack PlatyChocolate MollyMoonlight GouramiMelanotaenia parva
Will uproot it
These species dig through the substrate and pull rooted plants out.
Marble LoachPeacock EelForktail LoachGuntea LoachLong-nosed LoachHorseface LoachPearlscaleBlack Moor GoldfishShubunkinPainted PlecoFeatherfin SynodontisReddish Mystus CatfishBlue AcaraAulonocara maylandiAulonocara multicolorAulonocara OrchidGeophagus altifronsGeophagus winemilleriPearlscale CichlidPearl CichlidRedbelly CichlidRed-spotted CichlidChuco godmanniHaplochromis philanderRed ChromideJack Dempsey cichlid