Dwarf Baby Tears, also known as Hemianthus Callitrichoides or Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is one of the most popular foreground plants such as planted aquariums.
It grows tiny, bright green leaves in an awesome rate, within the tank floor having a lush emerald carpet.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally does occur in Cuba, however, it's spread through implanted tanks worldwide. They're normally sold separately in smallish pots or, for just less patient aquarists that need an instant carpet, they are already grown and rooted in coco fiber mats.
They can also be seen rooted in driftwood pieces for aquascaping purposes.
The Hemianthus Callitrichoides will flourish in mostly acidic 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 provided they have been well-lit.
Light as strong as two drops per gallon minimum needs to be available to keep the plant growing near the ground. Less light may cause it to grow up to the water surface, where it naturally lives from the great outdoors.
Dwarf Baby Tears are usually found rooting on freshwater rocks or driftwood pieces. They may be planted within the substrate as a foreground plant, but the result is a lot more resilient and natural when attached with other tank items.
You're able to tie little sections of Hemianthus into a rock or wooden bit of your own choice and leave it to build up its own roots across the object. Many aquarists prefer using cotton ribbon instead of rubberbands or fishing line, because it's barely noticeable and it dissolves with the years, leaving only the origins attached.
Another manner of keeping them from drifting around would be to pay the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots together with moss that will then add weight into the plant.
For planting in the substrate, then you are able to plant a whole pot in 1 place and wait for it to disperse, or you could separate small stems and plant them around one inch apart for faster policy.
This is a time consuming procedure, though, so allow a few aquascaping hours. Plant the stalks using a long set of tweezers and make certain that the roots are well inserted in the soil.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears want a high-value substrate full of minerals and nutrients, especially iron. The plant is sensitive to iron deficiency and can display yellow leaves if there's not enough iron from the tank.
They'll do well with CO2 supplementation and also constant fertilization that will help accelerate growth rate.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stalks can reach top of older ones and suffocate them; Dwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself if left unattended.
Trim the stems with a rather sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade to keep them in place whilst trimming.
Reproduction
Even the Hemianthus has pretty slow rise and development speed, but will still spread across the substrate after settling in your tank. Roots will branch off and produce a complex network, leading to a carpet-like look, but only in case you make sure to trim the plant to continue to keep it really low.
Yet another popular way of dispersing the Dwarf Baby Tears will be to cut off smaller segments of larger plants and replanting these at the substrate.
This way, they will cover up the tank floor faster, as propagation is made from several points.
The Dwarf Baby Tears can be planted alongside other short foreground plants in contrasting colors. The dense carpet will allow spawning fish to lay their eggs and the young fry to hide from harassing adults.
There is no worry when plant-nipping fish spilled over the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, even as it's going to begin to recover and grow , specially if it has already covered a considerable surface.
Try not to include ravaging fish, for example as for example Oscars or even Jack Dempseys, to a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as they will try to uproot poorer stalks when"rescaping" the tank.
Gold fish are perhaps not just a good idea because of their different ecological conditions and simply because they will stubbornly try to eat as a lot of this plant as you possibly can.
Be creative and use your imagination and try some aquascaping tricks for this particular tiny versatile plant. You can put it to use in a number of tanks, even from the smallest to the largest, in an assortment of means.
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