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Crinum natans Continent: West Africa Region: West Africa Height: 50-150cm Width: 30cm Light Requirements: High Temperature: 18-25 °C Hardness Tolerance: Medium (6dKH) pH tolerance: 6.5 - 7.5 Growth: Slow Demands: High co2 requirements: Yes Crinum natans is an aquatic plant from West Africa that is still very rare in Australia. This Crinum is regarded as the largest and most rarest Crinum out of the three species that can be kept in aquariums. The natans had a unique leaf structure. It is long, 1-2cm wide, wrinkled and dark green which can grow upto 1.5m long. When planting this unique plant, the bulb must not be below the soil surface, and roots must be widely spread throughout the substrate. Being such a large and unique plant, with aquascaping, the natans should be a feature plant. Being a large grower, the Crinum natans' growing spot should be carefully considers. They require high lighting, even levels of co2 and ferts. With regards to substrate, it is highly recommended to use high nutrients substrate/soil such as ADA Aqua Soil. The Crinum natans take up a lot of nutrients via the massive roots systems, so planting rich fert tablets ever few months will definitely benefit with the growth of this magnificent plant. Propagation of the Crinum natans is quite difficult in the aquarium compared to its cousin the Crinum calamistratum. Propagation of the Crinum natans in Australia has not be formally documented. Propagation might be the same as the calamistratum via baby bulbs and by seed germination. Being such a rare plant in Australia. Prices has been extremely high and availability has been rare. The average price for a small plant of a few leaves average $150-$250. While adult plants has been seen to go over $400. So if you have the opportunity to get your hands on any size of Crinum natans, consider yourself very lucky.

Crinum calamistratum Continent: Central Africa Region: Western Cameroon Height: +90cm Width: 30cm Light Requirements: High Temperature: 18-25 °C Hardness Tolerance: Medium (6dKH) pH tolerance: 6.5 - 7.5 Growth: Moderate Demands: Moderate co2 requirements: Recommended Crinum calamistratum is a unique plant found in Central Africa in the Western Cameroon region. This is the smallest species of Crinum that can be kept in the aquarium. The calamistratum has a unique leaf structure. It is long, slender, deeply wrinkled, dark green and will naturally curl and loops as it grows longer. The leaf texture is hard thus most fish would not be about to munch on the leaves. The calamistratum like the natans require high lighting and will benefit from regularly measured co2. Being such a large and unique plant, with aquascaping, the calamistratum should be a feature plant. Being a large grower, the Crinum calamistratum's growing spot should be carefully considers. Constantly moving of this species around the tank should be avoided, as it will damage the huge root system and will eventually stress the plant and may melt away. The calamistratum is a heavy feeder, thus having a high nutrients substrate is recommended. A constant replenishment of root ferts is high recommended. Tempreture of the water must not exceed 30*C, the Crinum will start to melt from the leaves. The cooler the temp the better. The bulbs of both the Crinum and the Onions (the ones we eat) is very similar. They consists of scale like structures which are formed by the leaves. If you cut open an onion you will see layers of flesh, these are called scales. Basically when trying to propagate the onion bulb you can cut the onion into quarters and new plant-lets will form, but instead of cutting the bulb of the Crinum, you cut the leaf off, making sure you cut most of it off. Once the leaf has been cut you should only have a thin piece of layer on the bulb. Eventually the layer will melt towards the base, and a new plant will form. This method has worked 100% in the past, and many have tried this method.