Dwarf Baby Tears, also known as Hemianthus Callitrichoides or even Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is probably one of the popular foreground plants such as planted aquariums.
It grows 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're usually sold separately in tiny 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 pieces for aquascaping purposes.
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 so small, this plant is also ideal even for Nano tanks, given that they are well-lit.
Lighting as strong as 2 drops per gallon minimum should really be available to keep the plant growing close to the bottom. Less light may induce it to rise upto the water's surface, where it lives from the wild.
Dwarf Baby Tears usually are found rooting on porous stones or driftwood pieces. They may also be implanted in the substrate for a foreground plant, however the effect is significantly stronger and natural when attached with other tank objects.
You can tie tiny segments of Hemianthus to some stone or wooden piece of one's own choice and then leave it to develop its origins around the thing. Many aquarists prefer using cotton ribbon instead of rubberbands or fishing line, even as it is scarcely 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, along with a good hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting in the substrate, then you are able to plant a whole pot in one 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 procedure, though, so allow some aquascaping hours. Plant the stalks employing a long pair of tweezers and make sure the roots are well embedded into the ground.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears want a high-value substrate full of minerals and nutrients, especially iron. The plant is sensitive to iron deficiency and will display yellowish leaves if there's inadequate iron at the tank.
They'll do well with CO2 supplementation and constant fertilization to help accelerate growth rate.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stems are certain to reach top of older types and suffocate themDwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself if left unattended.
Reproduction
The Hemianthus has pretty slow growth and development pace, but may spread across the substrate after settling on your tank. Roots will branch off and produce a complex network, leading to a carpet-like look, but only in the event you make sure to trim the plant to keep it low.
Still another popular method of distributing the Dwarf Baby Tears is to cut off smaller sections of larger plants and replanting them in the substrate.
In this manner they are going to cover the tank up floor faster, as propagation is manufactured out of several points.
Tank Mates
The Dwarf Baby Tears could be planted alongside 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 absolutely not any worry when plant-nipping fish graze on the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it will begin to recover and grow , specially if it has already covered a considerable surface.
Try never to include ravaging fish, for example as Oscars or Jack Dempseys, to a tank implanted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, since they are going to endeavour to uproot weaker stems when"rescaping" the tank.
Goldfish are perhaps not really a fantastic idea because of their different ecological conditions and simply because they will stubbornly try to eat just as a lot of this plant as you can.
Be creative and use your own imagination and also take to some aquascaping tricks with this particular small versatile plant. You are able to use it in several tanks, from the tiniest to the biggest, in an assortment of ways.
explanation