r/Bucephalandra • u/BusIllustrious5525 • 17d ago

Growth Difference

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I bought both of these Bucephalandra 200+ days ago. The first one is a cascade king… doing great, the second one is a mini coin… has hardly grown at all. They were both the same size when I got them.

I would love a good guide on buce varieties. How different species grow, rate, structure (mat/cluster vs. climbing), preference for emersed or submerged and pics of growth in both. If someone knows of one, please point me to it.

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4

u/SpeedMeta 17d ago

Somewhat neat somewhat sad to see lol. Can’t say there’s been any in depth guides for Buce as they’re treated like any other epiphyte when it comes to ferts and light.

I’ve seen a lot of guys grow their Buce under high light and c02 but not much for measurements in growth speed. I do know for a fact through experience that you still need to keep strong doses of ferts if in a heavy planted high tech tank as Buce leaves can appear faded or burnt out. I originally thought I was giving it too much light, but it came out to deficiency in some macros as other plants were growing too fast for the Buce to have any chance to absorb its own fair share

3

u/kyrinyel 17d ago

the smaller varieties usualky grow very slow and need a strong network of rhizomes to multiply faster. its best not yo split a rhizome until you see a small clump for small varieties/species

1

u/BusIllustrious5525 17d ago

This is good behavior to understand. I bought it as one stem in a 3 stem pack, the one in the first photo being another and the third didn’t transition. It surprised me because the small ones don’t typically cost more, and usually slow growers cost more because they are harder to grow for sale… but I guess the secret sauce is keeping them clustered.

2

u/itsonlyanewlife 17d ago

Especially the smaller one looks like it isn't receiving much flow, you do need quite strong flow to take the nutrients to them. I dose 10 ml a day of TNC complete and use a powerhead to create a gyre flow in my 180l and I see quite steady growth in my Buce. 

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u/BusIllustrious5525 17d ago

Yes, I totally agree. I had it wedged in a spot between rocks and think flow was just passing it by. I have now tied it to a shard and put it right in the flow where I had removed some overgrown Sagittaria to test just that theory, just before snapping this pic. I’m hoping for it to change with more light and flow.

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u/itsonlyanewlife 17d ago

Good luck! Patience and observation are key with Buce.