Want a foreground carpet that never needs trimming? Cryptocoryne parva is the smallest true Crypt in the hobby — short narrow green rosettes that spread by runner into a neat low carpet, and grow slowly enough that you can leave them alone for months. What You’ll Receive Fresh, healthy Cryptocoryne Parva cultivated and prepared by Aquarium Plants Factory®, available in convenient planting formats: Small Bare-root Portion: One healthy bare-root division with an established root system and multiple leaves, ready to plant directly into your aquarium. Rooted Potted Plant: One healthy rooted plant securely grown in a nursery pot with rockwool for easy planting and faster establishment. Plant Profile Common name — Parva Crypt, Crypt Parva Scientific name — Cryptocoryne parva Origin — Sri Lanka Placement — Foreground Mature height — 1–3 in Growth rate — Slow Care Difficulty — Beginner Light — Low to medium CO₂ — Not required! One of the very few carpets that works in a low-tech tank Water — 72–82°F · pH 6.5–7.5 Feeding — Root feeder; nutrient substrate or root tabs matter here Propagation — Substrate runners Grower’s Notes Patience is the whole job. Parva is the slowest carpeting plant we sell — a full foreground takes the better part of a year. In exchange it holds its shape without trimming and lasts for years. Plant individual portions with a little space between crowns and let the runners fill in. Packed tight, they shade each other before they spread. Expect it to melt after planting. Crypts drop their leaves on a change of conditions, then regrow from the roots over two to four weeks. Leave it alone through that. Feed at the roots. In inert gravel it survives but never builds the dense carpet you bought it for. Place it once. Crypts melt again every time they are moved, and Parva is slow enough that a second melt costs months. Want to go deeper? Read our complete Cryptocoryne Care Guide. Notes Photos are for reference; leaf size, count and colour vary with lighting and nutrients. Most plants are grown emersed and change appearance as they convert to submerged growth. Some aquatic plants are restricted in certain U.S. states — check before ordering, and never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
