Dwarf Baby Tears, also known as Hemianthus Callitrichoides or Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is probably one of the popular foreground plants such as planted aquariums.
It develops tiny, bright green leaves in an wonderful speed, within the tank floor having a lush valley carpet.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally does occur in Cuba, however, it has spread throughout implanted tanks worldwide. They are usually sold separately in tiny pots or, for just less patient aquarists that want an instant carpet, they are already grown and rooted in coco fiber mats.
They are also able to be seen rooted in driftwood pieces for aquascaping purposes.
Being so small, this plant is also ideal even for Nano tanks, given that they have been well-lit.
Light as strong as two watts per gallon minimum needs to be available to maintain the plant growing near the ground. Less light may cause it to grow up to the water surface, where it lives from the wild.
Dwarf Baby Tears usually are found rooting on porous stones or driftwood pieces. They may also be implanted in the substrate as a foreground plant, however the effect is significantly stronger and more natural when attached to other tank items.
You're able to tie little sections of Hemianthus into a rock or wooden bit of one's choice and then leave it to develop its own origins across the thing. Many aquarists prefer using cotton thread rather than rubber bands or fishing line, because it's hardly noticeable and it dissolves with the years, leaving only the roots attached.
Yet another manner of keeping them out of drifting around would be to cover the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots together with moss that'll add some weight to the plant.
All these mosses will offer extra nutrients, together with a fantastic hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting in the substrate, then you are able to plant a whole pot in 1 place and wait for it to spread, or you could split up small stems and plant them about one inch apart for faster policy.
This can be a time-consuming process, however, so permit a few aquascaping hours. Plant the stems using a long set of tweezers and make certain that the roots are well fit in the soil.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears require a high-value substrate rich in minerals and nutrients, particularly iron. The plant is more sensitive to iron deficiency and also will display yellowish leaves if there is inadequate iron from the tank.
They'll do well with CO2 supplementation and also constant fertilization to help accelerate growth rate.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stems are certain to reach top of older types and suffocate themDwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself if left unattended.
Reduce the stalks 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 growth and development pace, but will still spread across the substrate after settling on your tank. Roots will branch away and create a complex network, leading to a carpet-like look, but only in the event that you make sure to trim the plant to keep it low.
Still another popular way of dispersing the Dwarf Baby Tears will be always to take smaller pieces of plants and replanting these at the substrate.
In this manner they will cover the tank up floor faster, as propagation is manufactured out of several points.
The Dwarf Baby Tears could be planted along side other short foreground plants in contrasting colors. The dense carpeting enables spawning fish to lay their eggs as well as the young fry to hide from harassing adults.
There's no worry if plant-nipping fish graze on the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it will begin to recover and grow , specially if it has recently covered a substantial surface.
Do your best never to incorporate ravaging fish, such as Oscars or Jack Dempseys, to a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, since they are going to attempt to uproot poorer stalks when"rescaping" the tank.
Gold fish are not a good idea because of the different ecological conditions and simply because they will stubbornly try to eat as much of the plant as feasible.
Be creative and use your own imagination and try some aquascaping tricks with this small versatile plant. You can use it in many tanks, even from the smallest to the biggest, in an assortment of ways.
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