Dwarf Baby Tears, also called Hemianthus Callitrichoides or Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is one of the most popular foreground plants for planted aquariums.
It grows miniature, bright green leaves in an incredible speed, covering the tank floor with a lush valley rug.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally does occur in Cuba, however, it has spread through planted tanks worldwide. They're typically sold separately in smallish pots or, for just less patient aquarists that want an immediate carpeting, they come already grown and rooted in coco fiber mats.
They are also able to be found rooted in driftwood pieces for aquascaping purposes.
The Hemianthus Callitrichoides will flourish in mostly acidic water with a pH range between 5.0-7.5 and a fever between 70-84 degrees Fahrenheit. Being so small, this plant is ideal even for Nano tanks, so given that they are well-lit.
Lighting as strong as two watts per gallon minimum should be available to maintain the plant growing close to the ground. Less light can cause it to grow upto the water surface, where it typically lives from the open.
Planting your Dwarf Baby Tears
Dwarf Baby Tears usually are found rooting on porous rocks or driftwood pieces. They can be implanted within the substrate as a foreground plant, however the effect is significantly stronger and natural when attached with other tank items.
You're able to tie little sections of Hemianthus into a stone 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, since it's hardly noticeable and it melts over time, leaving the origins attached.
Another way of preventing them out of floating around would be to pay the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots together with moss that will add some weight into the plant.
All these mosses will provide additional nourishment, as well as a good 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 patiently for this to spread, or you are able to split up little stalks and plant them about one inch apart for faster coverage.
This really is a time consuming process, however, so permit some aquascaping hours. Plant the stems utilizing a very long set of tweezers and make sure the roots are well embedded into the ground.
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 in the tank.
They will do well with CO2 supplementation and also constant fertilization to help hasten growth rate.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stalks can reach top of older ones and suffocate them; Dwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself if left unattended.
Reproduction
Even the Hemianthus has pretty slow growth and development rate, 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 appearance, but only if 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 pieces of plants and replanting these from the substrate.
In this manner they are going to 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 from contrasting colors. The dense carpeting enables spawning fish to lay their eggs as well as the younger fry to cover up from harassing adults.
There's not any worry if plant-nipping fish graze on the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it'll quickly recover and grow again, especially if it has already covered a considerable surface.
Try not to add ravaging fish, for example as for example Oscars or even Jack Dempseysinto a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as they will try to uproot weaker stems when"rescaping" the tank.
Gold fish are perhaps not really a fantastic idea because of these different environmental requirements and since they are going to attempt to eat as much of the plant as you possibly can.
Be creative and use your imagination and try some aquascaping tricks for this particular tiny versatile plant. You can use it in many tanks, even from the tiniest to the biggest, in a variety of ways.
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