Bucephalandra species

[Vasteq]

Hi,
I am from Poland, I wanted to present my collection of Bucephalandra, Schismatoglottis, and Aridarum species, and thus know the people who are also fascinated this magical plants. If any of you have a interesting variety of Bucephalandra or other similar plants growing on rocks please show your pictures. I will be happy to could share with you my species. If anyone would like to exchange to my species, please pm. Fertilization by EI. Buce really likes it.

 

[Florin Ilia]

They're beautiful.

What kind of conditions do these plants like?

 

[Vasteq]

In my tank have that parameters:
PH 6.8
GH 14
KH 10
Co2 - a lot
Light 0,6W/L

I dosed EI by this plan:
Macro (recipe for whole month - 12 doses per month = 3 doses per week):
• [3/16 teaspoon KNO3] x 12 doses = 2 and 1/4 teaspoons KNO3
• [1/16 teaspoon KH2PO4] x 12 = 3/4 teaspoon KH2PO4
• [1/2 teaspoon MgSO4x7H2O] x 12 = 6 teaspoons MgSO4x7H2O
mixed in 600ml of water, dosed 50ml 3 times per week

Micro:
CSM+B
(Fe) 7.8%
(Mn) 2.2%
(Cu) 0.1%
(Zn) 0.4%
(B) 1.4%
(Mo) 0.06%

• 1/2 teaspoon mixed in 200ml water dosed 25ml 2 times per week.

Micro and macro dosed alternately: Monday Micro (at night), Tuesday - Macro (at day), and so on. I dont dosing at Friday and Saturday. In Sunday another dose of Macro + change about 40% of fresh water (RO+tap water).

And I must say that bucephalandra realy like it. Some speices could give me about 2-3 leaves per week, bucephalandra are considered to be extremely slow-growing, but with EI I can eliminate the term extremely

 

[ShadowMac]

I cannot see the pictures

 

[Vasteq]

I dont know why, I tried to open in two browser and I see all.

 

[Hallen]

Lovely pictures, I have the B. motleyana but looking to expand my collection. They simply look awesome!

 

[Tom Barr]

These are nice plants, but I think like Anubias, they are not normally aquatic in nature, but do grow slowly in submersed conditions.

Good CO2 and ferts and lights= this is what grows plants the fastest rate, but some do not like that, but for this group, I know of no one that likes slower growth

 

[Vasteq]

It is not entirely true because some species like Kedagang or, shown here by me, Kualakuayan2 growing faster than other. It is depend on species. Bigger leaves, and bigger roots = faster rate of growth. Over time the Bucephalandra's growth accelerates. In nature this plants grow in large humidity on the rocks, but in rainy season most of it goes to underwater and since few weeks or months it must growing underwater. So these plants can simply become to submersed (aquatic) plants.
In my opinion this slow growth, it is their advantage, and makes them really valuable plants. Who wants to cut every week kilograms of these beautiful plants and throw them into the trash?

 

[Gerryd]

Great plants and photos! Wonderful job...

 

[kiddjam]

Kinda right and different, Bucephalandra has different leaf color, shape and size when submerged, compares to Anubias which stay the same.
Bucephalandra has two face, underwater and above water.

 

[Tom Barr]

It is not entirely true because some species like Kedagang or, shown here by me, Kualakuayan2 growing faster than other. It is depend on species. Bigger leaves, and bigger roots = faster rate of growth. Over time the Bucephalandra's growth accelerates. In nature this plants grow in large humidity on the rocks, but in rainy season most of it goes to underwater and since few weeks or months it must growing underwater. So these plants can simply become to submersed (aquatic) plants.
In my opinion this slow growth, it is their advantage, and makes them really valuable plants. Who wants to cut every week kilograms of these beautiful plants and throw them into the trash?

They will tolerate submersed conditions and can be grown with CO2, but like Anubias, they are rarely found in submersed conditions. Many of the plants we keep are from terrestrial systems, Anubias, Ammmania gracilus etc, these are plants found often way above the water line. This appears to be the same as Anubias. Crypts are found growing permanently submersed in shallow streams, I would argue Bucephalandra, Schismatoglottis, and Aridarum genera are much more like Anubias. They are nice and pretty, but the cost is still very high still here in the USA, I like them etc, but I have few uses yet for them in aquascapes.
Perhaps after the cost comes down in a few years.

That is good if you are a grower and want to recover the $ you paid for them initially, same with many Crypts and this also use to be the case more many stem plants, Anubias and swords in the past. Nice pictures of the plants BTW, some of the better ones I've seen to date.

 

[Vasteq]

 

[Tom Barr]

Stop posting this now!
I'll start wanting them

 

[Vasteq]

I would like to but I can't ' It is stronger from me:

Small KayuLapis1. Longly wavy leaves. The wave was stronger in emersed version, underwater leaves grew smaller, but I think soon will bigger and more wave.

Bucephalandra Kualakuayan1 - small type. Older leaves have blue sheen. Expressive red core, low and creeping speices:

Bucephalandra Red Gaia - medium size type. Creeping. Underside of the leaf is red. New leaves are shine green. Little curly on the edge:

Bucephalandra Metalic Wave - medium size type. Long wavy leaf on the edge.:

 

[Vasteq]

I wonder inicial name GBV. Perhaps this could be Green/Blue/Violet. Looking for a new multi-colored leaf is quite possible:

Velvet Leaf2 - see how different looks a new seedlings:

SB shortcut - probably comes from Shine Blue. In the veins of this leaves flowing blue blood .

 

[Tom Barr]

Good pics.

 

[Robert H]

They will tolerate submersed conditions and can be grown with CO2, but like Anubias, they are rarely found in submersed conditions.

Actually thats not true Tom. There are Rheophytes, which grow in fast moving rivers on rocks, fully submersed and above water when the water is low. Here is the definition of Rheophytes from Wikipedia:

A rheophyte is an aquatic plant that lives in fast moving water currents in an environment where few other organisms can survive. Rheophytes tend to be found in currents that move at rates of 1 to 2 meters per second and that are up to 3 to 6 feet deep. The amount of force such fast moving currents produce and the damaging debris brought along with it makes the environment so inhospitable. Rheophytes are able to live in such environments because their leaves are streamlined so as put up little resistance to the flow of water. The leaves tend to be quite narrow and flexible as well. In order to prevent the plants from being uprooted, Rheophytes have an extremely strong wide spreading root systems.
Many Rheophytes live in areas that sustain flash floods and they are dependent on the oxygenated water and buoyancy brought along with it. Simply being an aquatic plant with narrow leaves is not a sufficient condition for being a Rheophyte. Also, plants that grow in slow moving water that occasionally receive fast currents isn't a Rheophyte either if it doesn't need these fast currents to survive. Plants that fall into this category is known as facultative rheophytes. When low water levels occur Rheophytes often quickly begin to flower to take advantage of these occurrences.

In some areas they apparently also grow along the river banks above water, but it is likely these areas are submersed during the rainy season which is why they seem to have the same leaf form as the submersed plants. I found a German discussion forum that has photos of them growing in their natural habitat both in and around the rivers, always growing on rocks.

I would imagine high oxygen levels and a strong current may have more favorable results than high C02 in the aquarium. It would match their habitat.

 

[Vasteq]

Something like that must be on things. Because my filter causes the fast moving water currents and leaves are in movement. Some time ago my filter has lost its flow rate for a week. Then I noticed the slower growth, and deformation of some leaves. I remembered that Buce are rheophyte species and maybe this was the problem. So I think I should do a test and put the plants in the strongest water current in my aquarium. With this strong oxygenation is quite a strange thing, because it is a little inconsistent with the nature of plants. But I may need to try increase oxygen levels and then we will see. Maybe then it turns out that "bucephalandra" is an exceptional strange plants.

 

[Tom Barr]

I have 8 plants(one of each species) coming in from local grower.
I plan on placing them in a higher flow region and moderate light and then some in the higher light tank also.

There's ample flow.

 

[Crispino Ramos]

manini grows Bucephas emersed in flower pots. Is this a better way to grow them?

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