# Background crypt for 65g tall



## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Just wondering what you guys think would make a good background crypt for my brandtii's 65g tall tank. It is 24" tall (18" wide x 36" long), 75w of T-5, CO2, and Soilmaster. I was thinking spiralis or crispatula. Right now it has a large, tall, stump like hunk of driftwood with 2 marble queen swords on either side. I'm thinking on eventually replacing the swords with a couple of large red wendtiis and carpeting the rest of the tank with some smaller ones to make this an all crypt tank.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Piranha TeAcH said:


> Just wondering what you guys think would make a good background crypt for my brandtii's 65g tall tank. It is 24" tall (18" wide x 36" long), 75w of T-5, CO2, and Soilmaster. I was thinking spiralis or crispatula. Right now it has a large, tall, stump like hunk of driftwood with 2 marble queen swords on either side. I'm thinking on eventually replacing the swords with a couple of large red wendtiis and carpeting the rest of the tank with some smaller ones to make this an all crypt tank.


 What are your forground plants, becasue most crypts arnt that tall. Vals or something along those lines may be better for a background as they are taller.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

sean-820 said:


> Just wondering what you guys think would make a good background crypt for my brandtii's 65g tall tank. It is 24" tall (18" wide x 36" long), 75w of T-5, CO2, and Soilmaster. I was thinking spiralis or crispatula. Right now it has a large, tall, stump like hunk of driftwood with 2 marble queen swords on either side. I'm thinking on eventually replacing the swords with a couple of large red wendtiis and carpeting the rest of the tank with some smaller ones to make this an all crypt tank.


 What are your forground plants, becasue most crypts arnt that tall. Vals or something along those lines may be better for a background as they are taller.
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The two species I listed get up to 24" +. No foreground plants right now. I just cleaned it out, added the driftwood from another tank and kept just the swords. The plan is to get a crypt jungle going in there like I had in my 46g bow. That tank had E.tennelus micro, wendtiis as mid, and luteas as background. I want to stick with just crypts in this one and forego any grassy groundcovers. It is tall enough that the crypts will be sufficent for mid and foreground. I just have to decide whether or not to keep the swords as mid as I've had them for years, transplanted them, pruned them, but they never get bigger than about 10". I had thought about vals for background, but I've been there and done that and not been happy. I also want to prescribe to my formula of 1-3 species of plants that are easy to grow and easier to maintain. I already have a melon sword only tank, 2 tanks with primarily E.tennelus (thinking of converting the 40g to all clover), and a primarily dwarf sag tank. The 65g is my prime candidate for an all crypt or mostly crypt tank.


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

I have spiralis, retrospiralis and crispatula for the background of my 75. I would recommend any one of them.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

maknwar said:


> I have spiralis, retrospiralis and crispatula for the background of my 75. I would recommend any one of them.


Which one do you think would fill in faster and hold up better with 78w of T-5? How many plants would you start with to line the back of a 36" tank? Any other input would be great such as if they look good with wendtiis or if I should use another species of crypt to fill in the foreground and midground.


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

They all grow slow, and they dont fill in like wendtii. Crispitula has wider leaves that crinkle which look cool. Spiralis and retro have thinner leaves so you might need a few more to fill in the area. To fill a 36" tank background, you would probably need to get 20+ plants.


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

maknwar said:


> They all grow slow, and they dont fill in like wendtii. Crispitula has wider leaves that crinkle which look cool. Spiralis and retro have thinner leaves so you might need a few more to fill in the area. To fill a 36" tank background, you would probably need to get 20+ plants.


Okay...thanks! I kind of like the crispatula leaves. I was thinking 15-20 plants would do it and use red wendtii for the rest of the tank.


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

Thats what I had in my tank and I liked it. I Like walkeri and some lucens, and I really like wendtii red by the way. The bronze and green would be cool to mix in also.


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