About the species

Cryptocoryne parva from Sri Lanka is the smallest of all Cryptocorynes, only three to six centimetres tall. The rosette stays under eight centimetres wide and consists of small, stiff, dark green leaves. It is one of the few Cryptocorynes that keeps both its leaf shape and its colour whatever the conditions. Unlike its relatives it wants more light, because the leaves are too small to tolerate shade from other plants.

Facts

• Latin name: Cryptocoryne parva
• Plant type: Rosette plant
• Origin: Asia
• Height: 5–10 cm
• Growth rate: Slow
• Position: Foreground

Light requirement

Medium light requirement. Reckon on around 0.5 W per litre or a modern mid-range LED unit. Too little light gives sparse, stretched shoots and pale leaves, while the right amount keeps the plant compact and richly coloured.

CO₂ & nutrition

Manages entirely without added CO₂, which makes it as suitable for a simple aquarium as for an aquascape. Liquid carbon or injected CO₂ speeds up growth but is never a requirement. Dose an all-round fertiliser with iron and micronutrients every week.

Planting

Plant the root ball in the substrate so the roots are covered but the crown — where the new leaves emerge — sits just above it. Burying the growth point makes the plant rot. Give it plenty of room, since the leaves spread out in a rosette.

Rinse all the gel off in lukewarm water before planting, otherwise it can cause bacterial cloudiness. The cup holds many small plants — divide them up and plant them in several portions.

Care & propagation

Cut old outer leaves off at the base once they start to look tired, and the rosette stays fresh. The plant propagates itself with daughter plants from the rootstock; separate them from the mother plant once they have their own roots and a few leaves.

Position in the aquarium

Its low mature size makes it a foreground plant. Place it right at the front where nothing shades it, and let it form a continuous surface in front of the taller plants.

Difficulty level

🟡 Moderate — wants stable lighting and regular fertilisation to look its best.

Delivery format

Delivered as 1-2-Grow! — a laboratory-grown cup holding many small plants in nutrient gel. Because the plant is cultivated in vitro it is completely free of snails, algae, planaria and pesticides, which makes it the safest choice for a shrimp aquarium.

Recommendation

The only Cryptocoryne that works as a true foreground plant, though it does demand patience. Set the small plants a few centimetres apart and they will have knitted into a continuous mat after roughly six months.