Is this normal for cryptocoryne wendtii?

[CaptainBarnicles]

This is what my tank looked like after I'd been ill for a few months...

I have many varieties in here, all under low to medium-ish light with no c02

Sorry to hi-jack your thread Rocky

 

[Rocky998]

Hello. pH is a bit acidic, around 6.8. This stays very constant, because I change out a lot of tank water every week. Since my tanks are a little taller and the lighting is a little less intense, the Java Fern is better than the Crypts. Also, I can easily move the ferns around and it won't die back.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

Ah ok... Maybe that's it... My PH is at an 8.1 but I have soft water... It's weird, I know lol

This is what my tank looked like after I'd been ill for a few months...View attachment 319925
I have many varieties in here, all under low to medium-ish light with no c02

Sorry to hi-jack your thread Rocky

Nah, you're not hijacking it, it's fine... We're still kinda on-topic lol

 

[FranciscoB]

I bet some Crypt species may do better with more light and CO2, but most common ones don't seem to need much.
Below a "carpet" (loosely) of C. wendtii "bronze" in a 75g community. I did not try to carpet anything, it just takes over and I keep clearing some areas for other plants and for feeding. A single plant of C. cf ustulata can be seen in the back corner; that is another easy Crypt, although in this tank it has shown limited growth (probably outcompeted by C. wendtii). I have C. cf ustulata in other tanks, growing vigorously and multiplying. All without CO2 and relatively standard LED lighting.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Crypts are the best

 

[Byron]

My PH is at an 8.1 but I have soft water... It's weird, I know lol

Rocky (and others obviously!), the pH is fine (assuming it is stable). Cryptocoryne plants do not like any changes at all, be they light intensity/new tubes, pH, GH, temperature, or having the roots disturbed. Some species are better for withstanding these changes than other species, and sometimes they show no reaction while other times (the majority frankly) they melt. Leave the roots alone if they do (I see evidence of this on the plants in the photo) and they usually recover, though I have known it to take a few weeks to several weeks. Try not to move them once planted, they do not like this.

 

[Back in the fold]

I’ve grown Cryptocoryne’s in the past and they were the slowest growing plant I’ve ever dealt with. @10 Tanks mentioned not disturbing them. He is right about that. They are very sensitive about being moved. Plant them and leave them alone. Well established and healthy Cryptocoryne’s are really a sight to behold.

 

[Rocky998]

I'll be sure not to touch them much! Thanks all for the help!