Want a background plant with pattern rather than plain green? Cryptocoryne spiralis 'Tiger' throws long, narrow leaves marked with dark tiger striping over olive to reddish-brown — and it does it in low light with no CO₂, which almost no other patterned plant manages.
What You’ll Receive
Enhance your aquarium with our versatile selection of high-quality aquatic plants, available in convenient formats:
- Bare-root Plants: Includes approximately 1 loose clump plants with roots. Perfect for flexible planting arrangements.
- Rooted Bunched: Approximately 1 clump plants with roots, bundled with foam and a plant weight for easy placement.
- Rooted Potted: About 1 clump plants with roots, securely potted in a net pot with rockwool, ensuring stability and healthy growth.
Plant Profile
- Common name — Tiger Crypt, Spiralis Tiger
- Scientific name — Cryptocoryne spiralis 'Tiger'
- Placement — Background
- Mature height — 8–14 in
- Growth rate — Slow
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner, once it settles in
- Light — Low to medium; brighter light deepens the striping and red tones
- CO₂ — Not required! It simply colours up faster with it
- Water — 72–82°F · pH 6.5–7.5
- Feeding — Root feeder; root tabs or nutrient substrate matter here
- Propagation — Substrate runners from the base
Grower’s Notes
- Expect it to melt after planting. Crypts shed most or all of their leaves on a change of conditions, then regrow from the roots over two to four weeks. Leave it in place — pulling it out is what turns a recoverable melt into a dead plant.
- Feed at the roots. This is a heavy root feeder, and in inert gravel it survives without ever building the long striped leaves you bought it for.
- Place it once and leave it. Crypts melt again every time they are moved, so decide position before planting rather than after.
- The striping strengthens with light and time. A newly planted Tiger often comes back plain green first, with the pattern developing as it establishes.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Cryptocoryne Care Guide.
Notes
- Photos are for reference; leaf length, colour and striping vary considerably with lighting and nutrients.
- Some aquatic plants are restricted in certain U.S. states — check before ordering, and 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.
Customers love this aquatic plant for its stunning pink and green coloring. Most report healthy specimens that root well, even in low-tech tanks without CO2. "This is a stunning plant" with beautiful contrast. However, some received smaller-than-expected or damaged plants with brown leaves. Growth is praised, though typical crypt melting occurs initially.
- Never melted, just rooted in and started growing looking pretty and pink in gravel with no CO2.
- This a stunning plant with a beautiful contrast. Bright, cheery green with pretty pink edges.
- Came in healthy and clean. Holding up well so far and no signs of melt!
K
Two plants had rotted roots. I'm floating them and hoping for new roots to grow in. The third plant arrived in pieces, nothing to salvage. Very unhappy with this out come.
A
Healthy plant
Will see how it’ll adapt to my conditions
R
This a stunning plant, and I can't wait for it to settle in and grow tall. They arrived a little on the smaller side, and I was afraid that they would not make it at all since they're a little more delicate, but they melted and bounced back (eyeroll; typical crypt lol). I just did not realize what a beautiful contrast the leaves have. The green sections are a bright, almost "cheery" green, and the outer edges of the leaves (in my tank) are such a pretty pink color. I have a low-tech tank, so I imagine that someone running high lights and CO2 will produce better results, but this is an awesome plant either way. I know my pic does NOT do the plant justice, ...but it's proof that they are growing!
B
Mine are looking great and are so pink. Camera is broke so pic sucks sorry. All plants are from APF and this is my first aquascape and live plants. Just changed lighting so my carpet will start growing.
C
Just a great crypt. Grown in a 5g cube with a surface skimmer only.
J
I bought these seeing the picture they showed on the description. I got a very tiny slimy plant no bigger than my palm. Not the four inches in the pic. The other plants I got were very nice
K
Unfortunately the only plant that didn’t make the trip. But.... all the others made it , and are beautiful!
K
I ordered 9 plants various varieties that were all bare root. Most survived the shipping although the tiger Cryptocoryne spiralis was completely melted (it was stuck an entire extra day at the post office so blaming them). And the Schismatoglottis Prietoi was in rough shape but savable. The plants that did survive have been doing great and I was happy to receive more than I thought I would in the bare root bunch and I was happy with the size of plants received as well.
J
I've always gotten good portions which arrived safe and healthy. It's absolutely worth the extra shipping cost for the assurance that the plants I order here are going to arrive exactly as expected.
M
I love this plant, especially when it mature.
G
Cryptocoryne Spiralis Tiger is doing great after one month! It never melted, just rooted in and started growing in looking pretty and pink in gravel in a newly cycled tank with no CO2. Highly recommend!!!
M
Nice bear root specimen
D
Cryptocoryne Spiralis Tiger
D
I was very disappointed when all of my plants came in with brown leaves and had to throw some away. I will not order again.
H
These were a bit mushy on parts but overall good portion sizes and large enough plants that i expect good things from them.
L
very tiny and not recognizable as a spiralis but it isn't melting so that is a bonus with crypts
M
Although a little small they still came in healthy and look great in my tank.
M
Came in healthy and clean. Holding up well so far and no signs of melt! Can’t wait to see them grow in
F
Look no further aquarium plants factory is the best. They never disappoint me , it’s my 4th order from them. Everything package well , Tons of fresh plants.
S
Smaller than I thought but healthy and growing
J
I have looked for this particular plant for awhile and every place I checked showed that it was unavailable until I found Aquarium Plants Factory where it was in stock. The plants arrived well packaged and appeared very healthy, showing good color and a healthy root system. I have planted them in a new aquarium set up and so far have not experienced any melting back. I am very pleased with this plant as well as the good price and service!
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