Why Bucephalandra? What is so special about them?

28850 Views 34 Replies 20 Participants Last post by MsNemoShrimp, Sep 19, 2014

MsNemoShrimp

Discussion Starter · May 21, 2014

I have seen a noticeable amount of these Bucephalandra plants posted lately. Either someone selling or someone looking for them. Any such benefits in your tank other than to show off your $$$ collection of these?

I see that they are rare, but so what? They all look the same to me. For me they look like a deformed anubias plant. Lol.

1 - 20 of 35 Posts

Axelrod12

· #2 · May 21, 2014

I believe their look is what attracts people to them. They have different leaf shapes and colors as does anubias. Some of the buces even have a really nice blue shine or white speckled look to them that you would be hard pressed to find in any reasonably priced anubias. In my opinion its all about how they look the price is just based on how rare they are in the hobby. And the price is going down as they become more commonly seen.

Kehy

· #3 · May 21, 2014

I think the key is that they're a rare, expensive, shiny anubias.

Possumburg

· #4 · May 21, 2014

Well, for me, I think they are beautiful. I really like anubias, and these are similar and some have amazing colors. They are super easy from what I've read and don't really require any special treatment. As for price, they seem to be getting more affordable all the time. But I suppose it's all in the eye of the beholder. I like em and plan on getting some. Is it really any different than spending massive amounts of money on a co2 system to keep a cheap plant happy? Seems like it all evens out in the long run.

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samee

· #5 · May 21, 2014

They are similar looking to anabuis and we need more low light plants like these. The only buce I like are the thin, long leafed ones. If they have streaks of brown and different shades of green then thats a bonus. Ive been thinking of buying one but just dont have the space and am waiting for them to drop to $10 to $15 level (for the thin, long leafed one).

mistergreen

· #6 · May 22, 2014

They're the hot new thing. It'll wain.

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aquarist

· #7 · May 22, 2014

There have been several threads about them recently and seeing more and more people selling them, so it just seems they are the new fad plant right now, look at how Alternathera Reineckii Cardinals, and "mini" took off about a month ago, people were actually paying $50 a stem!! The majority of a plant price comes from two factors, how hard it is to get into the country, and how fast it grows. Some of the "rare" plants aren't rare at all, they are just hard to get out of their native countries, and some of them don't ship well. The biggest factor in price it seems is the rate of growth, if it takes a plant an entire year to produce one plantlet it will cost more for that plantlet than it will for a stem plant and you can trim once a month.

HybridHerp

· #8 · May 22, 2014

I didn't really care for buce when they came out. Honestly, I can't even tell the difference between 90% of the varieties. However, I bought a brownie red to try out, and I will concede that it is a very attractive looking plant.

Its nice to have a plant that can attach to hardscape that is not green in color, as african fern, anubias, and java fern are, and they do have a rather attractive sheen to them. They also come in different sizes, colors, and leaf shapes, which seems to make them very versatile.

However, they are pretty damn expensive, and even though the price is coming down, its not like stem plants where they grow super fast and super large and propagate easily. These guys will probably hold their value for a few years given their growth speed and all.

I think they would be more mainstream though if there were a few profiles for some of the different varieties though. I have no idea what to expect a buce to look like just from the name, and google isn't super helpful for that either.

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samee

· #9 · May 22, 2014

This plant has been in the hobby from around 2005 to 2006.

lauraleellbp

· #10 · May 22, 2014

It was Toninas a few years ago, then all the more difficult Ludwigias, then the Erios... we'll see what the Hot Plants are in a few years.

It's always something.

Monster Fish

· #11 · May 22, 2014

The only problem I have with buces is the silly names to describe each plant. Why they don't have proper scientific names is beyond me.

HybridHerp

· #12 · May 22, 2014

Monster Fish said:
The only problem I have with buces is the silly names to describe each plant. Why they don't have proper scientific names is beyond me.

I think because they haven't been described by science yet. Or at least, no one in the hobby seems to know how to properly ID any of these.

MsNemoShrimp

Discussion Starter · #13 · May 22, 2014

Interesting to hear they are "glossy" looking. Seen videos and can't see that they are THAT glossy. But perhaps better in person.

Well on a recent post I saw, this one doesn't look at that glossy but looks like it is pretty affordable.

$15 for each, anyone think I should get one for starters?

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HybridHerp

· #14 · May 22, 2014

MsNemoShrimp said:
Interesting to hear they are "glossy" looking. Seen videos and can't see that they are THAT glossy. But perhaps better in person.

Well on a recent post I saw, this one doesn't look at that glossy but looks like it is pretty affordable.

$15 for each, anyone think I should get one for starters?

Pretty sure I'm going to grab that one from that seller. And the black titan because I like larger aroid plants. Might look nice with lagenandrha

Green_Flash

· #15 · May 22, 2014

Plant collectors gotta collect.

Think Red Dragon Acro

Zebra Pleco

Betta Macrostoma

Genicanthus personatus

Ebi-ten PRL

Bucephalandra

See the connection? :biggrin:

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MsNemoShrimp

Discussion Starter · #16 · May 22, 2014

Probably, but I dunno. I'll see about them

Subtletanks91

· #17 · May 22, 2014

as far as i know there are maybe 2-3 species of buce. dont ask me scientific names because that i have no idea lol. but buces are originally named from the location there found. of course there all in one small place in the world which is what makes them rare. but as more hobbyist collect and cultivate them they become chaper and more abundant.

once they get shipped over here to the us whoever recieves them generally makes a name for them themselves. which gets iritating because you can have two plants brownie red and both look different. because they are different. this is what makes it most confusing.

when i first seen buces coming out i thought they were ugly and couldnt see why anyone would pay upwards of 50-60 for one. but as the price came down i started getting them. needless to say when you see them in person they are amongst the most beautful plants. new leaves show variances of colors from light blue to pink. red to brown. white speckles and blue speckles. to a new leaf getting its color. i have one buce i believe its my rainbow centipede has a purplish hue through part of its leaf.

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tanan

· #18 · Jul 25, 2014

The new paper by Peter Boyce described some 27 new species.
The thing about them being crazy expensive is that they are slow to grow. I've seen white anubias being sold for 3 times the price of a common bucephalandra. You will know what the craze is about when you have seen the submersed plants. They are simply breath taking. They have crazy color which changes as you change/play with lights and they have this tiny white dots on them that make them look like stunning.

gus6464

· #19 · Jul 25, 2014

3

I just got some Buce's and now I know why they are the hot new thing. Super easy to keep and can turn awesome colors.

Here is a couple I have which are turning interesting colors:

Kinda hard to tell true color in this pic because my phone sucks but that leaf in the middle is new and the color is a gold metallic.

And then these 2 are turning purple metallic.

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wabisabi

· #20 · Jul 26, 2014

Until you keep them yourself or see them in person, you will never understand why they are so popular. You will never 'Get it'.

I don't know why people are complaining they are so expensive. The first plants offered here in the states went for $300. You can buy them for $10 a plant now. Rotala 'Sunset' still sells for $10/stem and that thing grows 100 times faster than a Buce! Go figure.

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