It grows tiny, bright green leaves in an remarkable rate, covering the container floor with a lush emerald rug.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally occurs in Cuba, but it's spread through implanted tanks worldwide. They're normally sold separately in small pots or, for just less patient aquarists that want 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.
Even the Hemianthus Callitrichoides will thrive in mostly contaminated water with a pH range between 5.0-7.5 and also a temperature between 70-84 degrees Fahrenheit. Being small, this plant is ideal even for Nano tanks, so given that they are well-lit.
Light as strong as two g per gallon minimum should be available to maintain the plant growing near the ground. Less light may induce it to grow up to the surface, where it naturally lives from the open.
Planting your Dwarf Baby Tears
Dwarf Baby Tears are usually found rooting on porous stones or driftwood pieces. They may also be planted in the substrate for a foreground plant, however the result is much stronger and natural when attached with additional tank items.
You're able to tie tiny segments of Hemianthus into a rock or wooden piece of your own choice and then leave it to produce its own roots around the thing. Most aquarists prefer using cotton ribbon rather than rubberbands or fishing line, even as it is hardly noticeable and it dissolves over time, leaving the roots attached.
Yet another manner of keeping them from floating around would be to cover the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots with moss that will then add weight into the plant.
All these mosses will offer more nourishment, along with a fantastic hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting at the substrate, then you are able to plant a whole kettle in 1 place and wait patiently for it to disperse, or you can separate small stems and plant them about one inch apart for faster coverage.
This is a time-consuming process, though, so allow some aquascaping hours. Plant the stems using a very long set of tweezers and make certain that the roots are well fit into the ground.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears need a fine-grained substrate rich in nutrients and minerals, especially iron. The plant is more sensitive to iron deficiency and also can display yellow leaves if there is inadequate iron in the tank.
They will do best with CO2 supplementation and also constant fertilization that will help hasten growth rate.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stems can reach top of older ones and suffocate them; Dwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself if left unattended.
Reproduction
The Hemianthus has pretty slow rise and development speed, but may spread across the substrate after settling in your tank. Roots will branch away and develop an intricate network, leading to a carpet-like look, but only in the event you remember to constantly trim the plant to continue to keep it really low.
Still another popular method of propagating the Dwarf Baby Tears will be always to cut off smaller pieces of plants and replanting them from the substrate.
In this manner , they will cover the tank up floor faster, as propagation is manufactured out of several points.
Tank Mates
The Dwarf Baby Tears may be implanted along side other short foreground plants in contrasting colors. The dense rug enables spawning fish to lay their eggs and the younger fry to cover up from harassing adults.
There's no worry when plant-nipping fish graze on the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, even as it'll quickly recover and grow , especially if it has covered a substantial surface.
Try never to add ravaging fish, for example as for example Oscars or Jack Dempseysinto a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as they are going to endeavour to uproot poorer stalks when"rescaping" the tank.
Gold fish are not really a good idea as a result of these different environmental conditions and simply because they will stubbornly attempt to eat as a lot of the plant as possible.
Be creative and use your own imagination and take to some aquascaping tricks with this particular small plant that is versatile. You are able to put it to use in several tanks, from the tiniest to the largest, in an assortment of ways.
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