It grows miniature, bright green leaves at an remarkable speed, since the container floor with a lush valley carpeting.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally does occur in Cuba, but it has spread throughout planted tanks worldwide. They are generally sold individually in little pots or, for even less patient aquarists that want an immediate carpeting, they are already grown and rooted in coco fiber mats.
They can also be found rooted in driftwood bits for aquascaping purposes.
Tank Requirements
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 2 g per gallon minimum should really be available to hold the plant growing near the floor. Less light will make it to rise upto the water's surface, where it typically lives in the open.
Dwarf Baby Tears usually are found rooting on porous stones or driftwood pieces. They can be planted within the substrate for a foreground plant, but the result is much more resilient and natural when attached with other tank items.
You can tie tiny 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 rubber bands or fishing line, even as it is barely noticeable and it dissolves over the years, leaving only the roots attached.
Yet another way of preventing them out of floating around is to pay for the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots with moss that'll then add weight to the plant.
All these mosses will offer additional nourishment, as well as a good hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting at the substrate, then you are able to plant a whole pot in 1 place and wait patiently for it to spread, or you may 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 ground.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears want a high-value substrate rich in nutrients and minerals, 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 best with CO2 supplementation and constant fertilization that will help hasten growth speed.
Always prune this plant, even as while growing, new stalks can reach top of older types and suffocate them; Dwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself when left unattended.
Trim the stems with a rather sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade to keep them in position whilst trimming.
Reproduction
Even the Hemianthus has pretty slow rise and development speed, but may 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 remember to constantly trim the plant to keep it low.
Another popular method of distributing the Dwarf Baby Tears is to cut off smaller segments of plants and replanting these at the substrate.
This way, 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 if plant-nipping fish graze on the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it will quickly recover and grow , particularly if it has recently covered a substantial surface.
Make an effort not to incorporate ravaging fish, such as for example Oscars or Jack Dempseys, to a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as they are going to 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 simply because they will stubbornly try to eat as a lot of this plant as you possibly can.
Be creative and use your own imagination and try some aquascaping tricks for this particular tiny versatile plant. You can use it in a number of tanks, even from the smallest to the largest, in a variety of means.
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