Dwarf Baby Tears, also known as Hemianthus Callitrichoides or even Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is perhaps one of the popular foreground plants such as planted aquariums.
It develops miniature, bright green leaves in an remarkable rate, covering the container floor using a lush emerald carpeting.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally does occur in Cuba, but it's spread throughout planted tanks worldwide. They're normally sold individually in tiny pots or, for just less patient aquarists that want an instant carpet, they come already grown and rooted in coco fiber mats.
They can also be found rooted in driftwood bits for aquascaping purposes.
Tank Requirements
Being small, this plant is also ideal even for Nano tanks, given that they have been well-lit.
Lighting as strong as two drops per gallon minimum needs to be available to keep the plant growing near the floor. Less light can make it to grow up to the surface, where it lives in the open.
Planting your Dwarf Baby Tears
Dwarf Baby Tears usually are found rooting on freshwater rocks or driftwood pieces. They may be implanted in the substrate as a foreground plant, however the result is much stronger and more natural when attached to additional tank items.
It is possible to 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.
Another way of keeping them out of drifting around is to cover the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots with moss that'll then add weight into the plant.
For planting in the substrate, you are able to plant an entire kettle in 1 place and wait for it to spread, or you may separate little stalks and plant them around one inch apart for faster coverage.
This is a timeconsuming process, however, so permit a few aquascaping hours. Plant the stems utilizing a very long set of tweezers and make certain that the roots are well embedded in the soil.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears need a fine-grained substrate full of minerals and nutrients, especially iron. The plant is sensitive to iron deficiency and will display yellowish leaves if there is not enough iron in the tank.
They'll do well with CO2 supplementation and also constant fertilization to help accelerate growth rate.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stems will get on top of old ones and suffocate them; Dwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself if left unattended.
Reproduction
The Hemianthus has pretty slow growth and development rate, but will 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 remember to trim the plant to continue to keep it low.
Still another popular method of propagating the Dwarf Baby Tears is to cut off smaller sections of plants and replanting these at the substrate.
This way, they will cover the tank up floor faster, as propagation is manufactured out of a number of points.
Tank Mates
The Dwarf Baby Tears could be planted along with other short foreground plants in contrasting colors. The dense rug enables spawning fish to lay their eggs along with the young fry to cover up from harassing adults.
There is no worry when plant-nipping fish spilled on the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it will quickly recover and grow , especially if it has covered a considerable surface.
Try not to include ravaging fish, for example as Oscars or even Jack Dempseysinto a tank implanted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as they will make an effort to uproot weaker stems when"rescaping" the tank.
Gold fish are perhaps not a fantastic idea as a result of their different environmental conditions and since they will stubbornly try to eat just as a lot of the plant as you possibly can.
Be creative and use your own imagination and also try some aquascaping tricks with this specific tiny versatile plant. You are able to put it to use in many tanks, from the tiniest to the greatest, in a variety of ways.
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