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 grows miniature, bright green leaves at an incredible rate, within the tank floor having a lush emerald rug.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally occurs in Cuba, but it's spread throughout planted tanks worldwide. They're normally sold separately in tiny pots or, for even less patient aquarists that need an instant carpet, they are already grown and rooted in coco fiber mats.
They can also be utilized rooted in driftwood pieces for aquascaping purposes.
Even 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 so small, this plant is also ideal even for Nano tanks, given they are well-lit.
Light as strong as two watts per gallon minimum should really be available to keep the plant growing near the bottom. Less light may induce it to rise up to the water surface, where it naturally 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 more resilient and more natural when attached to other tank items.
You can tie tiny segments of Hemianthus to a stone or wooden bit of your choice and then leave it to develop its own roots around the object. Most aquarists prefer using cotton thread instead of rubber bands or fishing line, even as it is scarcely noticeable and it melts with time, leaving only the roots attached.
Yet another manner of keeping them from floating around is to pay for the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots together with moss that will add some weight to the plant.
All these mosses will offer more nutrients, as well as a good hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting at the substrate, then you are able to plant an entire pot in one place and wait for it to spread, or you may split up little stalks and plant them around one inch apart for faster coverage.
This is a timeconsuming procedure, however, so permit a few aquascaping hours. Plant the stalks employing a long pair of tweezers and make sure the roots are well embedded in the ground.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears require a high-value substrate full of minerals and nutrients, particularly iron. The plant is more sensitive to iron deficiency and also can display yellow 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 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 develop an intricate network, resulting in a carpet-like look, but only if you make sure to trim the plant to keep it low.
Another popular method of dispersing the Dwarf Baby Tears will be always to take off smaller sections of larger plants and replanting those from the substrate.
In this manner , they will cover up the tank floor faster, as propagation is made from a number of points.
The Dwarf Baby Tears can be planted along with other short foreground plants from contrasting colors. The dense carpeting enables spawning fish to lay their eggs and the young fry to cover up from harassing adults.
There's absolutely no worry if plant-nipping fish spilled over the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, even as it'll quickly recover and grow , specially if it has already covered a considerable surface.
Make an effort never to add ravaging fish, such as for example Oscars or Jack Dempseys, to a tank implanted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, since they will try to uproot poorer stalks when"rescaping" the tank.
Gold fish are not a fantastic idea because of their different ecological requirements and because they are going to try to eat as a lot of their 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 several tanks, from the tiniest to the biggest, in a variety of means.
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