Growing Thai Onion Plant (Crinum Thaianum) In The Aquarium

Thai Onion Plant, Water Onion, Thai Crinum Lily, Giant Crinum Lily, Onion Plant, Lily of the Nile

The Thai crypt is a water, endemic species that naturally grows in the coastal areas of wide streams, brooks and shallow rivers with a slow current in southern Thailand. These are partially shaded waters. The species is endangered.

This species is characterized by long, linear, delicately crumpled, or completely straight, ribbon-like leaves, which grow rosette-like and emerge directly from quite a large bulb. They are succulent green in color. In natural conditions, these leaves even reach 300 cm in length and lie on the surface of the water, fluctuating with the current. The root system is well developed. The plant develops a flower stalk, which only blooms above the surface of the water.

Due to its size, it needs high aquariums and a lot of space around. It presents best in the background - on the sides or in the central part of the tank. In an aquarium that's too low, its leaves lie on the surface of the water, completely shading its interior.

This is a resistant and easy-to-breed species that accepts a fairly wide range of water parameters: temperature, pH, hardness, and even lighting conditions. However, it acclimatizes to new conditions rather long and grows slowly. Its young leaves are gladly eaten away by herbivorous fish, the older leaves avoid them from a distance. After flowering, the plant enters a dormant period. The substrate should be piled up in a thick layer - about 5-8 cm. CO₂ fertilization is beneficial for the species' growth. If the plant is improperly planted (complete cover of the bulb with substrate), it stops growing, loses its leaves. It should be remembered that we only cover the bulbs of bulbous plants to about 1/3 of their height and their trimmed roots should be spread widely throughout the substrate. Otherwise, the tuber will rot, and the plant will wither.

This is a seed species, which in appropriate conditions develops a flower stalk and blooms above the water's surface (white, lily-like flowers). In natural conditions, flowering occurs in the monsoon season, from August to October. In an aquarium, it reproduces vegetatively - through the offspring bulbs growing from the parent plant.