Dwarf Baby Tears, also called Hemianthus Callitrichoides or even Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is probably one of the popular foreground plants such as planted aquariums.
It develops tiny, bright green leaves at an awesome rate, within the tank floor having a lush emerald carpet.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally does occur in Cuba, but it has spread throughout planted tanks worldwide. They're generally sold individually in little pots or, for even less patient aquarists that need an instant carpet, they come already optimized and grown in coco fiber mats.
They can also be utilized rooted in driftwood bits for aquascaping purposes.
Tank Requirements
Even the Hemianthus Callitrichoides will thrive in mostly contaminated water with a pH range between 5.0-7.5 and a fever 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 should really be available to keep the plant growing near the ground. Less light can 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 can be implanted in the substrate for a foreground plant, but the result is much more resilient and natural when attached with other tank objects.
You can tie tiny sections of Hemianthus to some rock or wooden bit of your choice and then leave it to develop its own roots round the item. Most aquarists prefer using cotton ribbon instead of rubber bands or fishing line, even as it is scarcely noticeable and it melts over the years, leaving only the roots attached.
Yet another way of keeping them out of floating around would be to pay for the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots with moss that will then add weight to the plant.
These mosses will offer extra nutrients, along with a good hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting in the substrate, then you can plant a whole kettle in 1 place and wait patiently for this to spread, or you are able to split up small stems and plant them about one inch apart for faster policy.
This can be a time-consuming procedure, however, so permit some aquascaping hours. Plant the stems employing a very long pair of tweezers and make sure the roots are well fit into the soil.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears need a fine-grained substrate rich in minerals and nutrients, particularly iron. The plant is more sensitive to iron deficiency and will display yellowish leaves if there's insufficient iron at the tank.
They will do best with CO2 supplementation and constant fertilization that will help hasten growth speed.
Always prune this plant, even as while growing, new stems are certain to get on top of older types and suffocate themDwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself when left unattended.
Reduce the stalks with a rather sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade to help keep them in place while trimming.
Reproduction
The Hemianthus has pretty slow rise and development pace, but may spread upon the substrate after settling into your tank. Roots will branch away and create a complex network, resulting in a carpet-like appearance, but only in the event that you remember to constantly trim the plant to keep it really low.
Still another popular way of dispersing the Dwarf Baby Tears will be always to take smaller segments of plants and replanting these at the substrate.
In this manner they will cover up the tank floor faster, as propagation is made from several points.
Tank Mates
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 when plant-nipping fish graze on the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it will quickly recover and grow again, especially if it has already covered a considerable surface.
Try never to include ravaging fish, for example as for example Oscars or even Jack Dempseys, to a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as they will attempt to uproot poorer stalks when"rescaping" the tank.
Gold fish are perhaps not just a good idea because of their different ecological conditions and since they are going to try to eat as much of this plant as you can.
Be creative and use your own imagination and try some aquascaping tricks with this particular tiny plant that is versatile. You are able to use it in a number of tanks, even from the tiniest to the biggest, in a variety of means.
additional info