Want a foreground carpet that never needs trimming? Cryptocoryne parva is the smallest true Crypt in the hobby — short green rosettes that spread by runner into a neat low carpet, and grow slowly enough that you can leave them alone for months. This is the sterile tissue culture format, free of snails and algae.
What You’ll Receive
- Sold as a Tissue Culture Plants with vitamin liquid/gel
- Packaging May Vary! To be sent in either in vitro bag or cup
- Bag / Cup size: Approx. 2.5 x 2.5 inches
- Sustainable growth Crypt species
- Tissue Culture Technology | 100% Free from Snail, Algae, Pathogen, and Bacteria plus Extended Shelf Life on all in Vitro Plants
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
- Substrate — Required. Root feeder — nutrient substrate or root tabs
- Growth habit — Amphibious. Also grows emersed
- 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.
- Divide the cup into small clumps and plant them with a little space between crowns. 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.
- Rinse the gel off completely before planting or it clouds water and feeds algae in the first weeks.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Cryptocoryne Care Guide.
Notes
- Pictures are not the actual plants you will receive, but a sample representation. Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be free of pests, and pesticides, grow emerged or submerge.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Tissue culture aquarium plants arrive healthy and well-packaged with abundant plantlets. Customers said "27 plugs from one bag" and praised the value. Some noted gel residue on roots and inconsistent quantities. A few experienced melt or pest issues post-planting. Overall, shoppers appreciate quality, though slow growth is expected.
- I got 27 plugs from one bag, arrived very healthy and planted well without any melt.
- TC cups were beautiful specimens full of plantlets, more than enough for my intended purpose.
- Two cups was almost too much! There were so many beautiful plants, can't believe how healthy!
A
There was more here than I anticipated. I ordered two and ended up giving half of one to a friend. It arrived very healthy and planted well without any melt. I got 27 plugs from one bag.
P
Received 2 culture cups 9 days ago. In perfect shape. Got 19 good sized plugs. Lots of short roots. Very easy to plant. They're doing well. APF always sends 5 star plants. Culture cups give big return for your dollar.
S
I'm pleased with the number and health of the leaves packed into this tissue culture cup. Once I got most of the gel washed off (or 99% of it, anyway), I was surprised at how thin and sparse the roots were. After removing most of the gel by hand and soaking in aquarium water overnight, very little gel had dissolved and I had to rinse it off by hand. They're planted in Flourite black so we'll see how it goes.
J
Used the free shipping option. Quoted for 5 days but arrived in 4 to SC. Plant looked healthy. Few yellow leaves here and there but mostly healthy. I was able to break up the tissue culture cup into 25 pieces (size of a dime or smaller). Some of the roots were around an inch long in the container.
R
Hopefully will acclimate in a few weeks.
L
Well the plant was healthy. I have had no prior experience with tissue cultures. I rinsed the nutrient off the plants and planted them. Next morning the snails had eaten them down to nubbins! I think I need to study this a little closer before I try again. Rest of the plants are fine. This unfortunate issue did not impact your 5 stars, because it was my fault.
Y
There were a nice amount of plantlets but the gel was stuck on the roots.
D
The cryptocoryne parva was green and packaged well. Although the description said bag or cup, the bags I received did not have as many plants as would be expected. Probably more plants in a 2.5 X 2.5 cup. Pleased with the plants I did receive.
J
They arrived healthy and in really good shape I only gave four stars because it’s still too early for me to determine the end result.
G
Came well packaged and nice color. Will add to tank and see how it takes.
P
First time buying live plants online, couldn’t be more happy.
All Plants came extremely healthy (except for a couple leaves) , fast shipping, good price for the quality. Wouldn’t want to get any plants elsewhere.
K
This was my first time ordering from APF and I already feel like a loyal customer. The plants I received were in perfect condition!
H
Arrived in beautiful condition, easy to plant in sand.
M
This plant can be frustrating to try to get a hold of (its a slow grower), but I would say it is worth the wait. The leaves came in smaller than I was expecting but I believe that is partly due to these being culture tissue starters. These are my first crypts and I wanted to see what kind of crypt melt I would get. I waited a week after planting to review, and they seem to be doing great. There were a few yellow leaves to prune upon arrival, and maybe one per day or every other day (with 3 cups of tissue culture in the tank). I can see a few leaves starting to get lengthy so they have grown since getting planted in the tank.
B
These TC cups were beautiful specimens full of plantlets and I ended up having more than enough for my intended purpose. Because of that, I ended up adjusting my aquascape to accomodate for more of this plant. Will absolutely order again. In fact, I tried to, not even 1 week later, and they were sold out.
N
Was debating on getting an extra cup for my carpet. Glad I didn't! Two cups was almost to much! There were so many beautiful plants in there! Still can't believe how healthy they were. Ordered some shrimp from them because I was so impressed!
G
Got about 13 little plugs from one cup
c
All of my plants and shrimp arrived quick and healthy. Great customer service. Highly recommended ❤️
F
You get quite a bit of this plant for a very reasonable price! It came well packed, shipped quickly, and all of the plants were vibrant and healthy. They've only been planted for a couple days but everything seems to be going well!
S
Amazing as always! 6 large portions included. You guys are the best!
M
Perfect condition, great quality plants. No melt. Would recommend
M
These are beautiful little plants. I broke them up to place them around the tank. Its only been about a week, but so far so good! I love the look and would definitely recommend!
Z
Arrived in fantastic condition. They packed in a lot of these plants. Now I just need to wait a gazillion years for them to grow!
A
On average how many plugs come in one container. I have a 30cm cube and dont know how many to get. Thank you
Each cup has 4-6 plants!
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