Dwarf Baby Tears, also known as Hemianthus Callitrichoides or Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is probably one of the most popular foreground plants such as planted aquariums.
It grows miniature, bright green leaves at an incredible rate, within the container floor using a lush valley carpeting.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally does occur in Cuba, but it's spread through implanted tanks worldwide. They are generally sold individually in little pots or, for just less patient aquarists that want an immediate carpeting, they are already grown and rooted in coco fiber mats.
They are also able to be found rooted in driftwood bits for aquascaping purposes.
Tank Requirements
Being small, this plant is also ideal even for Nano tanks, given they have been well-lit.
Light as strong as two g per gallon minimum should really be available to keep the plant growing close to the bottom. Less light will make it to grow up to the surface, where it lives from the great outdoors.
Dwarf Baby Tears usually are found rooting on porous rocks or driftwood pieces. They may be implanted in the substrate as a foreground plant, however the effect is a lot more resilient and more natural when attached to additional tank items.
You're able to tie tiny segments of Hemianthus to a stone or wooden bit of your choice and then leave it to produce its roots round the item. Most aquarists prefer using cotton thread rather than rubberbands or fishing line, even as it is scarcely noticeable and it melts with time, leaving only the roots attached.
Still another manner of keeping them from floating around would be to pay for the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots together with moss that will add some weight to the plant.
For planting in the substrate, then you are able to plant an entire kettle in one place and wait for it to spread, or you may split up little stalks and plant them around one inch apart for faster coverage.
This really is a time consuming procedure, however, so permit some aquascaping hours. Plant the stems using a long pair of tweezers and make sure the roots are well embedded into the ground.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears require a high-value substrate rich in nutrients and minerals, especially iron. The plant is sensitive to iron deficiency and will display yellowish leaves if there is inadequate iron from the tank.
They will do best with CO2 supplementation and constant fertilization to help accelerate growth rate.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stems will reach top of older types and suffocate them; Dwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself if left unattended.
Trim the stalks with a rather sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade to keep them in place when trimming.
Reproduction
Even the Hemianthus has pretty slow rise and development pace, but will still spread upon the substrate after settling into your tank. Roots will branch off and produce an intricate network, leading to a carpet-like look, but only in the event you remember to constantly trim the plant to keep it really low.
Still another popular method of propagating the Dwarf Baby Tears is always to take off smaller sections of plants and replanting them from the substrate.
In this manner , they will cover up the tank floor faster, as propagation is made from many points.
Tank Mates
The Dwarf Baby Tears may be implanted along side other short foreground plants in contrasting colors. The dense carpet will allow spawning fish to lay their eggs along with the young fry to hide from harassing adults.
There's absolutely not any worry if plant-nipping fish spilled over the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it will begin to recover and grow again, especially if it has covered a considerable surface.
Do your best never to add ravaging fish, for example as Oscars or Jack Dempseysinto a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, since they are going to try to uproot poorer stalks when"rescaping" the tank.
Goldfish are not really a good idea as a result of these different environmental conditions and because they are going to try to eat as a lot of the plant as you can.
Be creative and use your imagination and also try some aquascaping tricks for this specific small plant that is versatile. You can put it to use in several tanks, even from the smallest to the greatest, in a variety of means.
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