It grows miniature, bright green leaves at an remarkable rate, covering the tank floor with a lush valley rug.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally occurs in Cuba, but it's spread throughout planted tanks worldwide. They're generally sold separately in little pots or, for even just less patient aquarists that need an instant carpet, they are already optimized and grown in coco fiber mats.
They are also able to be found rooted in driftwood pieces for aquascaping purposes.
Tank Requirements
Even the Hemianthus Callitrichoides will thrive in mostly contaminated water with a pH range between 5.0-7.5 and a fever between 70-84 degrees Fahrenheit. Being so small, this plant is ideal even for Nano tanks, so given they have been well-lit.
Light as strong as two watts per gallon minimum needs to really be available to keep the plant growing near the ground. Less light may induce it to rise upto the surface, where it lives in the wild.
Dwarf Baby Tears usually are found rooting on freshwater rocks or driftwood pieces. They may also be implanted in the substrate for a foreground plant, however the result is much more resilient and more natural when attached with additional tank items.
It's possible to tie modest segments of Hemianthus into a rock or wooden bit of one's own choice and then leave it to build up its roots around the item. Many aquarists prefer using cotton thread rather than rubber bands or fishing line, since it's hardly noticeable and it dissolves over the years, leaving the origins attached.
Yet another way of keeping them from drifting around is to pay for the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots with moss that will then add weight into the plant.
All these mosses will provide extra nutrients, together with a fantastic hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting at the substrate, you can plant a whole kettle in 1 place and wait patiently for it to spread, or you are able to split up little stalks and plant them around one inch apart for faster coverage.
This is a time-consuming process, though, so allow a few aquascaping hours. Plant the stalks employing a long pair of tweezers and make sure the roots are well embedded in the ground.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears need a fine-grained substrate rich in minerals and nutrients, particularly iron. The plant is more sensitive to iron deficiency and also can display yellowish leaves if there is insufficient iron at the tank.
They'll do best with CO2 supplementation and constant fertilization to help hasten growth speed.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stems will reach top of older types and suffocate them; Dwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself when left unattended.
Reduce the stems with a rather sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade to keep them in place whilst trimming.
Reproduction
The Hemianthus has pretty slow growth and development rate, but will still spread upon the substrate after settling into your tank. Roots will branch away and develop an intricate network, leading to a carpet-like look, but only in the event that you remember to constantly trim the plant to keep it really low.
Another popular way of dispersing the Dwarf Baby Tears will be always to take off smaller segments of larger plants and replanting these at the substrate.
This way, they will cover the tank up floor faster, as propagation is made from a number of points.
The Dwarf Baby Tears could be implanted along with other short foreground plants from contrasting colors. The dense rug allows spawning fish to lay their eggs as well as the young fry to hide from harassing adults.
There is not any worry when plant-nipping fish spilled on the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, even as it's going to begin to recover and grow again, especially if it has already covered a significant surface.
Do your best never to incorporate ravaging fish, such as Oscars or Jack Dempseys, to a tank implanted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, since they will try to uproot weaker stems when"rescaping" the tank.
Gold fish are perhaps not just a good idea as a result of their different ecological requirements and because they will stubbornly try to eat just as a lot of the plant as feasible.
Be creative and use your own imagination and also try some aquascaping tricks for this tiny plant that is versatile. You can put it to use in several tanks, from the tiniest to the biggest, in a variety of means.
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