Cryptocoryne Parva
Cryptocoryne parva
Scientific Name: Cryptocoryne parva
Common Name: Crypt Parva
Cryptocoryne parva is the smallest of the crypt family, making it one of the few true foreground crypts available for botanical method, biotope, and blackwater aquariums. Its compact, bright-green leaves grow in tidy rosettes and, over time, spread slowly by runners to create a dense foreground carpet. This plant grows slowly and rewards patient aquarists who maintain stable water conditions.
Unlike taller species, parva rarely exceeds a few inches in height, ensuring it won’t overshadow other plants. It prefers a nutrient-rich substrate and will benefit from root tabs if grown in sand. While it tolerates low light, moderate lighting encourages faster growth and denser coverage. Because of its slow growth, algae competition should be managed early on to help new leaves establish.
When first introduced, Crypt Parva may “melt,” shedding its emersed-grown leaves before sprouting new submerged foliage. This is a normal part of adjustment and not a sign of decline.
Caring for Cryptocoryne parva in Blackwater Aquariums
Care Level: Easy
Light Requirements: Low to Medium; carpeting improves with moderate light
CO₂: Not required, but improves carpeting formation
Growth Rate: Very slow
Tint Tolerance: Accepts low–medium tannin levels
Native Habitat: Sri Lanka; found in shaded, slow-moving waters
Tank Placement: Foreground
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 Parva
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.