Dwarf Baby Tears, also known as Hemianthus Callitrichoides or Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is one of the popular foreground plants such as planted aquariums.
It develops tiny, bright green leaves in an remarkable speed, since the tank floor with a lush valley carpet.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally does occur in Cuba, but it's spread through implanted tanks worldwide. They are usually sold separately in smallish pots or, for just less patient aquarists that want an immediate carpeting, they come already optimized and grown in coco fiber mats.
They can also be utilized rooted in driftwood pieces for aquascaping purposes.
Even the Hemianthus Callitrichoides will thrive 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 also ideal even for Nano tanks, so given they have been well-lit.
Light as strong as 2 g per gallon minimum should be available to maintain the plant growing close to the floor. Less light can make it to grow upto the water's surface, where it typically lives in 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 other tank items.
You can tie modest segments of Hemianthus into a rock or wooden bit of one's choice and leave it to build up its own roots around the thing. Many aquarists prefer using cotton ribbon instead of rubber bands or fishing line, even since it's hardly noticeable and it dissolves with the years, leaving the origins attached.
Yet another way of keeping them out of drifting around is to cover the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots with moss that will add some weight into the plant.
These mosses will offer extra nutrients, together with a fantastic hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting at the substrate, then you can plant a whole pot in one place and wait for this to disperse, or you could separate small stems and plant them about one inch apart for faster coverage.
This really is a time consuming procedure, however, so permit a few aquascaping hours. Plant the stems using a long pair of tweezers and make sure the roots are well embedded in the ground.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears need a fine-grained substrate rich in nutrients and minerals, especially iron. The plant is sensitive to iron deficiency and will display yellowish leaves if there is not enough 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 get on top of older types and suffocate themDwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself when left unattended.
Reproduction
The Hemianthus has pretty slow growth and development rate, but may spread upon the substrate after settling on your tank. Roots will branch off and produce an intricate network, resulting in a carpet-like appearance, but only if you make sure to trim the plant to continue to keep it low.
Still another popular method of propagating the Dwarf Baby Tears is always to take smaller sections of larger plants and replanting them from the substrate.
In this manner they are going to 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 and the younger fry to cover up from harassing adults.
There's no worry if plant-nipping fish spilled over the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it will quickly recover and grow , specially if it has recently covered a considerable surface.
Try never to include ravaging fish, such as Oscars or even Jack Dempseysinto a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as they are going to make an effort to uproot weaker stems when"rescaping" the tank.
Goldfish are perhaps not just a good idea as a result of the different environmental requirements and since they are going to try to eat just as a lot of the plant as possible.
Be creative and use your own imagination and try some aquascaping tricks for this specific small plant that is versatile. You are able to use it in a number of tanks, from the tiniest to the biggest, in a variety of means.
hemianthus callitrichoides temperature