Cryptocoryne Lutea
Cryptocoryne lutea
Scientific Name: Cryptocoryne lutea
Common Name: Crypt Lutea
Cryptocoryne lutea is a hardy crypt that develops upright, lance-shaped leaves in shades of green to bronze depending on lighting. Compared to other crypts, lutea benefits from moderate light and stands tall rather than sprawling, making it a versatile choice for foreground to midground placement in the botanical method, biotope, and blackwater aquariums. Because of its height, it is a good choice for placing between hardscape, as it will emerge between rocks or tangled roots just as plants would in nature.
Cryptocoryne lutea is a slow-growing plant that spreads steadily through runners beneath the substrate. Once planted, it prefers stability and should not be disturbed, as moving it often causes melt. Providing a nutrient-rich substrate or root tabs in sand-based aquarium substrates helps sustain healthy growth and coloration. Over time, small colonies form, creating a natural look that mimics shallow, shaded streams in their native South Asian habitats.
When first introduced, lutea may shed its emersed leaves, a normal stage known as “crypt melt.” Fresh submerged growth will emerge as the plant adjusts to its new conditions.
Caring for Cryptocoryne lutea in Blackwater Aquariums
Care Level: Easy
Light Requirements: Medium; coloration deepens under stronger light
CO₂: Not required
Growth Rate: Slow
Tint Tolerance: Accepts low–medium tannin levels
Native Habitat: India and Sri Lanka; shallow streams and flooded margins
Tank Placement: Foreground to Midground
All Plants may contain snails or snail eggs. We keep them in all of our tanks for the benefits they provide. Our blackwater aquarium plants are provided by H2OPlants in adherence to their Shipping and DOA Policies. Your curated selection will arrive in their packaging separate from your botanical & merch orders.
Cryptocoryne Lutea
contrast the tint with greenery
While the aesthetic appeal of tinted waters can be quite attractive to us, the recreation of nature—which includes both submerged and emersed plants—is the end goal. Flora helps to improve water conditions, feeding patterns, spawning displays, and territory building.
Aquatic Plant FAQs
DOA Policy
Please ensure that you add a heat pack or cold pack to your orders if temperatures in your area are above 90°F or below 40°F. Click for more info on our DOA Policy.
Are these plants duckweed and snail free?
All Plants may contain snails or snail eggs, small macroinvertebrates, and duckweed. We keep them in all of our tanks for the benefits they provide. We have experienced the presence of small snails, ostracods, daphnia, and beneficial detritus worms.
Are your plants only for tinted water conditions?
Nope! All of our plants will grow perfectly in untinted aquariums that have CO2 and aquasoils, or low-tech planted aquariums. Our selection, though, is optimized for emersed plant growth and low- to medium-tinted water environments.
What is your aquatic plant shipping schedule?
We’re a small company and ship Tuesdays & Thursdays only. Orders placed Wednesday–Sunday → Ship Tuesday. Orders placed Monday–Tuesday → Ship Thursday
Are your plants just for bettas?
Nope. Our aquatic plants are safe for almost all aquariums, terrariums, vivariums, and paludariums. Many of our plants can be grown emersed in filter compartments, vivariums, or incorporated into wabikua.
What are Tannins?
Tannins are natural compounds released by leaves, seed pods, and bark as they decompose in water. They soften water, gently lower pH, and create the characteristic tea-stained tint found in blackwater habitats. But their role goes far beyond color—tannins fuel beneficial bacteria, fungi, and biofilms, which form the foundation of a healthy ecosystem. They also offer mild antifungal benefits and help reduce stress in fish by replicating the natural conditions they’ve evolved in. At their core, tannins are plant-derived antioxidants that connect your aquarium to the same processes at work in wild flooded forests and streams.