Dwarf Baby Tears, also called Hemianthus Callitrichoides or Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is probably one of the most popular foreground plants for planted aquariums.
It develops tiny, bright green leaves in an incredible rate, since the container floor using a lush emerald rug.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally does occur in Cuba, however, it has spread throughout implanted tanks worldwide. They're usually sold individually in smallish pots or, for even less patient aquarists that want an instant carpet, they come already grown and rooted in coco fiber mats.
They are also able to be utilized rooted in driftwood bits for aquascaping purposes.
Being so small, this plant is also ideal even for Nano tanks, so given they are well-lit.
Lighting as strong as 2 g per gallon minimum should really be available to hold the plant growing near the floor. Less light may cause it to grow upto the surface, where it typically lives in the wild.
Planting your Dwarf Baby Tears
Dwarf Baby Tears usually are found rooting on porous rocks or driftwood pieces. They may be implanted within the substrate for a foreground plant, however the effect is a lot stronger and more natural when attached with additional tank items.
You can tie tiny segments of Hemianthus to some rock or wooden piece of your choice and leave it to build up its roots around the thing. Many aquarists prefer using cotton thread instead of rubber bands or fishing line, even since it's barely noticeable and it melts with time, leaving the origins attached.
Another manner of preventing them from floating around is to cover the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots with moss that'll then add weight to the plant.
These mosses will provide extra nutrients, together with a good hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting at the substrate, you can plant an entire pot in one place and wait patiently for it to disperse, or you could split up little stalks and plant them around one inch apart for faster coverage.
This is a timeconsuming process, however, so allow some aquascaping hours. Plant the stalks employing a long set of tweezers and make sure the roots are well inserted in the soil.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears desire a high-value substrate rich in minerals and nutrients, particularly iron. The plant is more sensitive to iron deficiency and will display yellowish leaves if there's inadequate iron at the tank.
They will do best with CO2 supplementation and also constant fertilization to help accelerate growth speed.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stems are certain to reach top of old types and suffocate them; Dwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself if left unattended.
Reproduction
Even the Hemianthus has pretty slow growth and development rate, but may spread across the substrate after settling into your tank. Roots will branch away and develop a complex network, resulting in a carpet-like look, but only in case you remember to constantly trim the plant to keep it low.
Another popular method of distributing the Dwarf Baby Tears will be always to take off smaller segments of plants and replanting those at the substrate.
In this manner they will cover up the tank floor faster, as propagation is made from a number of points.
The Dwarf Baby Tears could be implanted alongside other short foreground plants in contrasting colors. The dense carpet enables spawning fish to lay their eggs as well as the younger fry to cover up from harassing adults.
There's absolutely no worry when plant-nipping fish spilled over the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it will begin to recover and grow again, particularly if it has recently covered a considerable surface.
Do your best not to incorporate ravaging fish, for example as for example Oscars or even Jack Dempseysinto a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, since they are going to make an effort to uproot weaker stems when"rescaping" the tank.
Goldfish are not a fantastic idea as a result of the different ecological conditions and since they will stubbornly try to eat as a lot of their plant as possible.
Be creative and use your own imagination and also take to some aquascaping tricks for this particular tiny plant that is versatile. You are able to put it to use in a number of tanks, from the tiniest to the largest, in a variety of ways.
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