Cryptocoryne spiralis
Cryptocoryne spiralis
Also known asCrypt spiralis · Tape-leaf cryptocoryne · Spiral water trumpet
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 |
With fish
Origin and habitat
Native to southern and eastern India and Bangladesh (not Sri Lanka, despite some trade labels), in slow streams, rivers, seasonal pools and rice-paddy margins. Cryptocoryne spiralis (Retz.) Fisch. ex Wydler, family Araceae, has long, narrow, strap-like leaves that often twist or spiral along their length, giving the species its name, though the degree of twist varies a lot with the plant and conditions. Leaves run 15–30 cm long and 1–2 cm wide, green to olive, sometimes with red, pink, bronze or brown tones, and several forms are traded, including a 'Red' and a banded 'Tiger'. It is one of the more vigorous crypts, spreading by runners faster than most, and grows from a stout rhizome. Coming from a seasonally dry climate, it survives drought by going dormant, dropping all its leaves and resprouting from the rhizome when the rains return. POWO recognises several varieties, including var. caudigera from Kerala and var. huegelii from Maharashtra.
Care notes
An easy, adaptable crypt and a good first one. It grows in low to moderate light with no CO2, though it is happier with moderate light than deep shade. It does best in soft to moderately hard water but tolerates harder water better than delicate species like C. parva, across roughly pH 6.5 to 8. Plant it in substrate with root tabs, since like all crypts it feeds at the root. The narrow upright leaves make a grassy backdrop that sways in current. Growth is moderate to fast for a crypt, quicker than C. parva or C. pontederiifolia, and it colonises strongly by underground runners, so a starter group of three to five fills a background patch in a few months; detach runners once they are a few centimetres long. Under stronger light the 'Red' and 'Tiger' forms deepen to red and show their banding. Crypt melt on a move is possible but less frequent than with the more sensitive Sri Lankan crypts. Its hard-water tolerance, fast spread and low-tech ease make it one of the most practical Cryptocorynes for a wide range of tanks. It is an ornamental rosette, not a crop, so it is unsuited to media-bed aquaponics or hydroponics.