Cryptocoryne beckettii
Cryptocoryne beckettii
Also known asBeckett's water trumpet · Crypt beckettii
Water parameters
Light and nutrients
Substrate type: rooted. Propagation: runners.
Substrate compatibility
| Substrate | pH effect | Nutrient load |
|---|---|---|
| Aquasoil (ADA Amazonia) | lowers pH | very high |
| Dirted tank (mineralized topsoil) (DIY soil substrate) | slightly acidic | very high |
| Mineralized clay substrate (Seachem Fluorite) | neutral / inert | moderate |
| Inert sand (Pool filter sand) | neutral / inert | none |
| Inert gravel (Aquarium gravel) | neutral / inert | none |
With fish
Origin and habitat
Endemic to central and southwestern Sri Lanka, where it grows in slow streams, pool margins and seasonal flood zones, both submersed and semi-emersed. A compact, adaptable Cryptocoryne of the family Araceae, it has broadly lanceolate leaves 8–15 cm long with slightly wavy, faintly hammered margins, and its colour swings with light and water from olive green with brown undersides to warm reddish-brown or bronze under stronger light. Described from Sri Lanka in the nineteenth century, it has been a hobby mainstay for decades and is among the most commonly sold crypts. It is hardy enough to have escaped cultivation and naturalised as an invasive in North America, established in spring-fed rivers of Texas and Florida, where its ability to use bicarbonate in alkaline, karstic water aids its spread, most likely from dumped aquariums.
Care notes
An easy crypt for beginners and veterans alike. It takes low to moderate light, no CO2, and a wide range of water, roughly pH 6 to 8 and soft to moderately hard. Plant the crown at the substrate surface with roots buried in at least 3–4 cm of substrate; root tabs or a nutrient-rich substrate give better growth and colour, but it gets by in plain gravel, just slower. Avoid very bright light, which can scorch and melt the leaves, while moderate light brings out the rich brown tones and low light keeps it greener. CO2 speeds growth but is not needed. Like all crypts it can melt when moved or when parameters shift, and freshly bought, emersed-grown plants usually drop their nursery leaves as they convert to thinner, more colourful submersed growth, so leave the roots in place and wait a few weeks rather than discarding it. Growth is moderate, about a leaf every week or two once settled, and it spreads by underground runners that send up daughter plants 5–10 cm away, so a starter group of three to five fills a midground patch over a few months. Because it naturalises so readily, never release it or dump tank water into waterways. It is an ornamental rosette, not a crop, so it is unsuited to media-bed aquaponics or hydroponics.