Cryptocoryne balansae
Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae
Also known asCrypt balansae · Ribbon crypt · Balansae crypt
Water parameters
Light and nutrients
Substrate type: nutrient rich. Propagation: runners.
Substrate compatibility
| Substrate | pH effect | Nutrient load |
|---|---|---|
| Aquasoil (ADA Amazonia) | lowers pH | very high |
| Mineralized clay substrate (Seachem Fluorite) | neutral / inert | moderate |
| Dirted tank (mineralized topsoil) (DIY soil substrate) | slightly acidic | very high |
| Inert sand (Pool filter sand) | neutral / inert | none |
With fish
Origin and habitat
A narrow-leaved Cryptocoryne of the family Araceae, accepted as Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae (basionym Cryptocoryne balansae Gagnep.), native to flowing streams and rivers from southeastern China and Guangxi through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. It produces long, strap-like leaves 30–50 cm long but only 1–3 cm wide, often with crinkled or hammered margins; the strongly bullate, puckered texture seen on many aquarium plants is a cultivated form, as wild plants are smoother. That textured surface catches light at angles and gives depth that flat leaves lack. One of the larger crypts, it suits the background of tanks of 100 litres or more where the leaves can reach full length and sway in current. It sits within the variable C. crispatula complex, which holds nine accepted varieties of narrow-leaved crypts from mainland Southeast Asia, and has been in the hobby since the mid-twentieth century.
Care notes
A moderate-care crypt for the background. Plant the crown at the substrate surface with roots buried in nutrient-rich substrate or set near root tabs; like all Cryptocorynes it is mainly a root feeder and sulks in inert, unfertilised gravel. Unusually for the genus it favours harder, slightly alkaline water, doing well across roughly pH 6.5 to 8 and a wide hardness range, which makes it a good choice for hard-water tanks. Medium light suits it; under low light the leaves stretch for the surface, while brighter light keeps growth more compact, and CO2 is optional but speeds things up. The rippled leaves look best in gentle current. Expect crypt melt when it is moved or when parameters swing suddenly: leaves may partly or fully dissolve over a few days, which looks alarming but is not fatal, since the firm white roots survive and push new, adapted leaves within a few weeks, so never bin a melted crypt with healthy roots. Once settled, growth is moderate, about a leaf a week or two per plant, and it spreads by underground runners that send up daughter plants 5–15 cm away, colonising a 30 cm stretch of background over six months to a year. It is an ornamental rosette, not a crop, so it is unsuited to media-bed aquaponics or hydroponics.