30/05/2023
Bucephalandra
fully submerge
small box mix 5 ryzhime
red brownies
green jade
red valvet
Metallica
phantom
large box 10 ryzhime mix
Metallica
phantom
brownies red
ghost 11
Pandora
helena 13
green jade
purple
theia red
Bucephalandra are endemic to Indonesia and are found on the island of Borneo. They are slow-growing, hardy and are especially well suited to grow attached to hardscape as in the picture above and below. They can also be grown on the substrate as long as the rhizome is not buried. Due to their flexible light demands, they can be grown in shaded portions of the tank, or in full lighting.
Buceps belong to a genus of flowering rheophyte that grows with a creeping rhizome; they come in a large variety of leaf shapes and colors. A distinctive feature of all Bucephalandra are bright spots on the leaves. Many are iridescent, reflecting brilliant colors when viewed at particular angles.
Bucephalandra are hardy plants that can survive in planted tanks without CO2 injection or much fertilization. However, to grow them to their best, they do better with good flow and CO2. Having good growth parameters also make them much more resistant to algae.
Depending on species, their growth rates can be a bit different. Slower species can produce as few as 1 leaf every 3 weeks, while faster growing species can produce 2 leaves per week in good conditions
Key success factors
Slightly cooler water (71f/21c-79f/26c).
Clean, well filtered water with good flow.
Stable, biologically matured tank environment.
Some hardness (GH/KH) is helpful. (5dGH and above). We use APT SKY for all tanks with Bucephalandra.
Adequate CO2/Fertilization brings out coloration, speeds up growth.
Bucephalandra grows well under lower levels of lighting. Indeed growing them under CO2/nutrient rich waters but with subdued lighting