[inka4041]

Just wanted to add another data point to this thread. I planted 4 dark skeleton kings in my unheated 90 gallon some time in July. All had started some measure of growth, new leaves, new roots, etc, but weren't luxuriating by any means. In mid August, I left on vacation for 5 days. No air conditioning in my bedroom means average temps in that tank probably settled somewhere in the mid 80s. Came back to 3 of the 4 rotted to pieces. Resumed air conditioning, and the one remaining plant is still chugging along, putting out a new leaf every couple of weeks. Thinking that these might fare better under water when kept cool.

 

[Acro]

It's been a while, but since I am the OP, I wanted to give an update.

At this point and time, I no longer have any Skeleton King (aka Achilles, aka kishii). Both the Green and the Dark are dead. They grew smaller and smaller, then finally died. They lasted longer than some growers and I too kept them in an unheated tank. But alas, they did not make it.

I feel that there are so many other large Buce species, that will do well submerged, it is better to go with one of them, instead of Buce Skeleton King (aka Achilles, aka kishii).

Good Luck and please add your experience, good or bad. This is still a valid topic.

 

[DennisSingh]

This is the post I read that made me sell it off. I noticed chipping n melting. Grew new pink leaves though. It's one of a kind buck and I haven't seen a large buck as beautiful as this one

 

[Acro]

It is extremely beautiful . . . when grown out of the water. However, when grown underwater, it looks generic, just like any other small green/blue leaved buce.

Growing it with leaves above the water, is the way to go with Skeleton King. It makes a beautiful terrarium or riparium plant.



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[Acro]

On another thread, there was discussion about Skeleton King. A few members stated that they knew people who successfully grew this plant. A few claimed they had grown it successfully. This was my response:

Bottom line with Skeleton King, is that a huge amount of growers don't succeed with growing it submerged, and the ones that claim to have success with Skeleton King are few.

As of yet, I have never seen series of photos showing the plant's growth progression, and we have many tank journals on this website and across the web.

If it was grown successfully underwater, people would be selling cuttings of submerged grown Skeleton King. However, you'll only find large veiny emergent grown (often beat up, likely imported) specimens.

If there are many people out there growing Skeleton King submerged (successfully), none of them have stepped up to give their secrets or to write a care sheet. If a group of successful Skeleton King growers are out there, I'd love for us to pool their knowledge, ask them a series of questions and find out what their similarities of care are.

Repeated success with a majority of growers has not occurred with Skeleton King.
That, so far, is the bottom line. If there is evidence showing otherwise, I'd love for someone to prove me wrong.

And that is why I made this thread, to find out if it is possible to grow this plant submerged, and if so, how to make repeatable results so that the majority of growers can have success with Skeleton King.

Skeleton King is NOT like other Buce. IF it can be grown submerged, there is a trick to it.

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[serenityfate]

I dont really grow it in any special conditions . I basically neglect mines. Tap water , inert substrate, some wc evey now and than since this is in a shrimp tank. IME it grows slow but the same growth rate as any buces. The rhizome is above sinstrate tied to a lava rock . Many people do put this plant in aquasoil so it can be the acidic conditions that might bother it?

 

[ikuzo]

I dont really grow it in any special conditions . I basically neglect mines. Tap water , inert substrate, some wc evey now and than since this is in a shrimp tank. IME it grows slow but the same growth rate as any buces. The rhizome is above sinstrate tied to a lava rock . Many people do put this plant in aquasoil so it can be the acidic conditions that might bother it?

my tap water is certainly not acidic, pH is around 7,5-8,5, kinda hard too. one seems to be doing well in one tank, while in other dies slowly

 

[Acro]

I dont really grow it in any special conditions . I basically neglect mines. Tap water , inert substrate, some wc evey now and than since this is in a shrimp tank. IME it grows slow but the same growth rate as any buces. The rhizome is above sinstrate tied to a lava rock . Many people do put this plant in aquasoil so it can be the acidic conditions that might bother it?

Thanks for explaining your tank conditions. Also, I think you are the only person who has put up photos of the same pant after some time. I am placing two of your photos side by side for comparison. The first is from this thread and was posted on 07-09-2015. The second is from another thread and was posted on 04-21-2016. About 9 months time between photos, the differences are interesting (color, size, leaf texture):

07-09-2015

04-21-2016

my tap water is certainly not acidic, pH is around 7,5-8,5, kinda hard too. one seems to be doing well in one tank, while in other dies slowly

How long have you had them? What are the differences between the two aquariums?



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[ikuzo]

How long have you had them? What are the differences between the two aquariums?
.

i'm not exactly sure but no more than 4 months

one tank is a low tech indirect sunlight tank with no co2 the other medium lighting with co2

strangely though the low tech tank buce is doing good

 

[vajcher91]

Here's my DSK. Had it for over a year and sprouting new leaves and growing baby plants. I've recently sold 2 plants that I grew from the mother plant. 2-3 inches tall.

Tbh I don't really know what I'm doing for it to keep growing and not melt and die. Here's a few pics of it. With the baby plants and a 3in tall plant growing from the rhizome. Also with mini plantlets growing from the mother. Last pic is when it first baby plant was growing at the end of the rhizome.

Here's the before pic from back in May of this year.

 

[Acro]

Here's my DSK. Had it for over a year and sprouting new leaves and growing baby plants. I've recently sold 2 plants that I grew from the mother plant. 2-3 inches tall.

Tbh I don't really know what I'm doing for it to keep growing and not melt and die. Here's a few pics of it. With the baby plants and a 3in tall plant growing from the rhizome. Also with mini plantlets growing from the mother. Last pic is when it first baby plant was growing at the end of the rhizome.

Super strange. Please give us the details . . . lighting used, temp of water, filter, water movement, how often water is changed, ferts or Co2, etc.

Even more strange . . . the leaves look like emergent growth, not submerged form.




.

 

[vajcher91]

Super strange. Please give us the details . . . lighting used, temp of water, filter, water movement, how often water is changed, ferts or Co2, etc.

Even more strange . . . the leaves look like emergent growth, not submerged form.




.

Tbh with you this has been in my grow out junk/shrimp cull tank lol. Water parameter for sure is soft cause I keep caridina shrimp culls in there with a sponge filter. Lighting I have a planted+ and WC are never done lol. No ferts and co2. I know this doesn't help much but its what I've been doing for the past year I've had it. Like I said I've grown baby plants with multiple leaves that hasn't melted and this mother plant keeps growing new leaves constantly every couple months. All leaves have the vein still.

 

[DennisSingh]

Here's my DSK. Had it for over a year and sprouting new leaves and growing baby plants. I've recently sold 2 plants that I grew from the mother plant. 2-3 inches tall.

Tbh I don't really know what I'm doing for it to keep growing and not melt and die. Here's a few pics of it. With the baby plants and a 3in tall plant growing from the rhizome. Also with mini plantlets growing from the mother. Last pic is when it first baby plant was growing at the end of the rhizome.

That is amazing growth
here is mine flowering
its melting(actually chipping off) and growing at the same time

To see yours look like you dosing steroids

 

[Stevie Irawan]

Mine melted in every water I have, have one in emersed form but it's shrinking from what I've remember.

 

[Acro]

Tbh with you this has been in my grow out junk/shrimp cull tank lol. Water parameter for sure is soft cause I keep caridina shrimp culls in there with a sponge filter. Lighting I have a planted+ and WC are never done lol. No ferts and co2. I know this doesn't help much but its what I've been doing for the past year I've had it. Like I said I've grown baby plants with multiple leaves that hasn't melted and this mother plant keeps growing new leaves constantly every couple months. All leaves have the vein still.

mine flowering . . .its melting(actually chipping off) and growing at the same time

Mine melted in every water I have, have one in emersed form but it's shrinking from what I've remember.

There is some trick to it. A huge majority of these buce have died in the conditions we offer them. Yet, maybe 10% of growers have luck. That 10% is doing something different, or offering something to the plants that the rest of us aren't.
Who will figure out the secret . . . and be able to give it to the rest of us, so we can get this species thrive?



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[DennisSingh]

some of mine have finally acclimated and starting growing new leaves. Losing pizzaz no?

 

[Stevie Irawan]

My last one, shrink to a cute size but I really hope it will stop doing it

 

[Jeffypoop]

After a month and a half submerged... my DSK sprouted a new leaf. New leaf is about half the size of the old one but has a lot more color definition and more concentration of the white dots.

Here is a baby plant at the end of the rhizome. The leaf are small and round with no veins... Looks like a regular buce.

 

[Crypto12]

My plant (DSK/Dark Achilles) seems to be coming on quite well. It has only been a few months and it has two new leaves on it (it was kept and turned submersed by the previous owner so it's probably taking its time going through a transition phase). It's sprouting about 3-4 new heads from the rhizome towards the base and one towards the main head (to the left in the pic). It's growing in a humus-rich red soil without mist.