Bucephalandra sp. 'Midnight Blue'

I'll be the first to say that these photos are pretty awful.  My camera isn't doing it justice at all.  

Besides being a shrimp keeper, I have a strong background in aquatic plants.  My fascination with plants started as a young child but my forte lies specifically with aquatic plants.  I just love collecting rare aquatic plants and within the past year, the Bucephalandra sp. have entered the hobby.  

Bucephalandra is merely a genus name of all sorts of variants.  There are currently only three known species that have been described but there are many variants.  From what I've gathered, variants all vary depending on where they have been collected.  Hence why the name of the plant pictured above is Bucephalandra sp. 'Midnight Blue'.  Midnight Blue isn't even a location, it's just a description given to differentiate this Bucephalandra from other variants.  There are so many variants out there, it is easy to get lost.  Some have long narrow leaves, some have round leaves like my Midnight Blue.  Some stay small, others grow a decent medium size.  However, they all have one thing in common and that is their flower.  Unfortunately, I do not own any photos of flowering Bucephalandras.  

I just got this plant a few weeks ago from a local hobbyist and good friend from a club I am a member of, SFBAAPS.  He was incredibly generous enough to share this plant to me.  Currently, it is only about 3/4 - 1 inch tall.  It was emersed when I first got it but I have since submerged it.  It is finally showing growth at the top of the plant, which is a good sign.  

The conditions of this plant is pretty simple.  Many people will describe this plant with similar care to the common Anubias sp.  They are a simple rhizome plant and must NOT be buried under the substrate.  Common ways of keeping it is to either tie it onto a solid piece of wood or rock and let it grow roots to attach itself onto the object.  Only roots should be covered but rhizomes should be left above the surface.  I have been told that unlike the Anubias sp. these guys do need co2 injection if submerged.  I already have co2 being injected into my tank, so I have not tested it without co2.  I am currently not in a position to experiment it without co2 injection, as this is an expensive plant and a rare one at that.  Perhaps in the future, when I have it propagating more.  

It is a slow growing plant but an easy one to take care of.  It does not require heavy doses of nutrients in the tank, as my tank is pretty lean in nutrient levels.  I know this because I can see deficiencies in my Hygrophila Pinnatifida.

Overall, it is a beautiful plant and a must have for collectors!  Slow growing, easy to keep, rare.  What more could I ask for?  

*Note* I like slow growing because that means less maintenance for me :)