{"product_id":"crypt-parva-potted","title":"Crypt Parva (Cryptocoryne parva) - Potted","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"background:#E8F5E9;border-left:4px solid #2E7D32;padding:10px 14px;margin:0 0 14px;font-size:0.95em;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIn-store pickup only.\u003c\/strong\u003e Your order is reserved, we hold off on bagging until you arrive so it stays healthy in its display tank.\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrypt Parva\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cem\u003eCryptocoryne parva\u003c\/em\u003e) is the smallest \u003cem\u003eCryptocoryne\u003c\/em\u003e in the hobby, a tidy rosette of narrow green blades that tops out around 2 inches. It is the crypt to reach for when you want a foreground that does not need CO2, does not need trimming every week, and will not take over the tank. The trade-off is patience: this plant is genuinely slow, and a proper carpet takes the better part of a year. Browse the rest of our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/squeakysaquatics.com\/collections\/freshwater-aquarium-plants\"\u003elive freshwater plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSold as a nursery pot in rock wool, ready to split into several small clumps. Endemic to Sri Lanka.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"margin:14px 0 4px;font-size:1.05em;font-weight:600;line-height:1.25;border-left:4px solid #2E7D32;padding-left:8px;\"\u003eCare Guide\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;margin:6px 0 10px;\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003eCare Level\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003eIntermediate, easy to keep but slow to establish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003eLighting\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003eModerate to high (it is short, so keep it unshaded)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003eCO2\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003eNot required, but it speeds up a genuinely slow plant\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003eTemperature\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003e72 to 82°F\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003epH\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003e6.0 to 8.0\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003eHardness\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003e2 to 15 dGH\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003ePlacement\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003eForeground\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003eGrowth Rate\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003eVery slow\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003eHeight\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003e1 to 2 inches, occasionally 4\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003eFeeding\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003eRoot feeder, benefits from root tabs\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;font-weight:600;width:40%;\"\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"border:1px solid #C8E6C9;padding:6px 10px;\"\u003eSri Lanka\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"margin:14px 0 4px;font-size:1.05em;font-weight:600;line-height:1.25;border-left:4px solid #2E7D32;padding-left:8px;\"\u003eWhy Crypt Parva\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA foreground without the work.\u003c\/strong\u003e Unlike hairgrass or Monte Carlo, it never needs mowing and does not need CO2 to stay compact.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStays put.\u003c\/strong\u003e It spreads by short runners into a slow, dense clump instead of throwing shoots across the tank.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNano friendly.\u003c\/strong\u003e At 1 to 2 inches tall it holds scale in a 5 or 10 gallon where a sword or wendtii would swallow the layout.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWide water tolerance.\u003c\/strong\u003e Happy from soft acidic blackwater through hard alkaline tap, which is unusual for a foreground plant.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShrimp safe.\u003c\/strong\u003e The tight rosettes trap biofilm and give Neocaridina somewhere to graze at substrate level.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"margin:14px 0 4px;font-size:1.05em;font-weight:600;line-height:1.25;border-left:4px solid #2E7D32;padding-left:8px;\"\u003eHow to Plant\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSlip the plant out of the pot and rinse the rock wool away from the roots. Any wool left buried will rot.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSplit the mass into small clumps of three to five blades. More, smaller clumps fill in faster than one big one.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlant each clump about an inch apart with the crown just above the substrate. Burying the crown is the usual way to kill a crypt.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePush a root tab under the planting area. Crypts feed mainly through their roots.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf it melts back in the first few weeks, leave it alone. The roots survive and push new submersed leaves out on their own.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"margin:14px 0 4px;font-size:1.05em;font-weight:600;line-height:1.25;border-left:4px solid #2E7D32;padding-left:8px;\"\u003eRecommended Pairings\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/squeakysaquatics.com\/products\/easy-root-tabs-60-tablets\"\u003eAquarium Co-Op Easy Root Tabs\u003c\/a\u003e, the single biggest upgrade for any crypt.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/squeakysaquatics.com\/products\/caribsea-eco-complete-planted-aquarium-black\"\u003eCaribSea Eco-Complete\u003c\/a\u003e, a nutrient-rich substrate that suits root feeders.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/squeakysaquatics.com\/products\/cryptocoryne-wendtii-bronze-potted-freshwater-crypt-plant\"\u003eCryptocoryne wendtii 'Bronze'\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/squeakysaquatics.com\/products\/crypt-wendtii-green-potted\"\u003eCrypt Wendtii Green\u003c\/a\u003e, taller crypts to layer behind it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/squeakysaquatics.com\/products\/dwarf-hairgrass-eleocharis-parvula-freshwater-carpet-plant\"\u003eDwarf Hairgrass\u003c\/a\u003e, a finer texture next to the parva blades.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/squeakysaquatics.com\/collections\/freshwater-aquarium-plants\"\u003eMore freshwater plants\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/squeakysaquatics.com\/collections\/maintenance-water-care\"\u003ewater care\u003c\/a\u003e for the rest of the scape.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"margin:14px 0 4px;font-size:1.05em;font-weight:600;line-height:1.25;border-left:4px solid #2E7D32;padding-left:8px;\"\u003eFAQ\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll the leaves melted after I planted it. Is it dead?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProbably not. Crypt melt is a normal reaction to a change in water chemistry, and \u003cem\u003eCryptocoryne parva\u003c\/em\u003e does it as readily as any other crypt. The rhizome and roots stay alive. Keep the light and dosing steady and new leaves appear in two to four weeks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long until it carpets?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMonths, not weeks. Plan on six months to a year for small clumps to knit together. Planting more clumps closer together is the only real shortcut.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo I need CO2?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo. It grows fine low-tech. CO2 mostly buys you speed, which is the one thing this plant is short on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is mine not growing at all?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCheck two things: whether the crown got buried, and whether taller plants are shading it. Parva is short enough that it is usually a light problem rather than a nutrient one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it safe with shrimp and snails?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. It is not treated with copper-based pesticides and is safe for Neocaridina, Caridina, and nerite snails.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Squeaky's Aquatics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48252203139291,"sku":"FW5-PCRPA","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0767\/5209\/3403\/files\/cryptocoryne-parva-topf.jpg?v=1770906345","url":"https:\/\/squeakysaquatics.com\/products\/crypt-parva-potted","provider":"Squeaky's Aquatics","version":"1.0","type":"link"}