Cryptocoryne Spiralis 'Tiger' - Potted

Cryptocoryne Spiralis 'Tiger' is the crypt that looks like a grass. Instead of the broad spade leaves most Cryptocoryne throw, it sends up long, narrow ribbons that twist gently as they rise, each one banded and speckled in olive, bronze, and dark green like the markings it is named for. It gives you the movement of a vallisneria stand with the toughness of a crypt: low light, no CO2, and years of steady growth once it settles in. Browse the rest of our live freshwater plants to fill out the aquascape.

Care Guide

• Planting: peel off the net pot, tease the rock wool out of the roots, and split the clump into individual plantlets. Plant them a couple inches apart in the midground and bury the roots while leaving the crown at the substrate surface.
• Feed the roots: this is a heavy root feeder, more so than most crypts. Push a Seachem Flourish Tab under the patch every few months, or plant it in a nutrient substrate like Fluval Plant & Shrimp Stratum. Liquid ferts alone will not do much for it.
• Light: low to medium is plenty. Brighter light tightens the growth and deepens the bronze banding, but the plant is perfectly happy in a dim tank where the striping just reads greener.
• Water parameters: 72 to 82°F, pH 6.5 to 7.5. Spiralis handles harder, more alkaline water better than most crypts, which makes it a good pick if your tap runs hard. Stability matters more than any specific number.
• Crypt melt: expect it. After planting, some or all of the leaves may dissolve into mush over the first week or two. Do not pull the plant. The rhizome and roots are alive, and new leaves grown for your water push up within a few weeks.
• Spreading: it propagates by runners, sending up daughter plants a few inches from the parent. Leave them be and you get a grassy thicket, or snip the runner and move the youngster elsewhere.

Specifications

Placement & Companions

Use it where you want height and vertical line without a wall of broad leaves: along the back glass, behind hardscape, or in a loose midground stand that the fish can swim through. The narrow leaves sway in gentle flow, which makes it read as movement rather than mass.

It sits well next to the shorter, tidier Cryptocoryne Lucens in front of it and the broad-leaved Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Bronze' for leaf-shape contrast. If you want the same grassy silhouette without the tiger banding, we also stock plain Cryptocoryne Spiralis. Safe with shrimp, snails, and community fish.

Recommended Supplies

• Seachem Flourish Tabs root fertilizer, the one thing this plant really wants
• Fluval Plant & Shrimp Stratum or CaribSea Eco-Complete nutrient substrate
• Seachem Flourish for water-column trace elements

FAQ

All my leaves melted. Did I kill it?
Almost certainly not. Crypt melt is the plant shedding leaves grown in the nursery and rebuilding for your water chemistry. Leave the roots undisturbed, keep the tank stable, and new growth appears in two to four weeks. Pulling the plant is the only way to actually lose it.

Do I need CO2?
No. It grows fine in a low-tech tank. CO2 speeds it up and tightens the growth, but plenty of these live in filter-and-light-only setups.

How is this different from Vallisneria?
Similar look, very different plant. Val spreads aggressively by runners and can take over; this crypt spreads slowly and stays where you put it. It is the better choice if you want the grassy effect without the weekly thinning.

Will it grow in my hard tap water?
Yes. Cryptocoryne spiralis is one of the more alkaline-tolerant crypts, which is part of why it is popular in areas with hard water.

How do I get my plants?
These are in-store pickup only. We hold your order and pull it fresh when you arrive.