Dwarf Baby Tears, also known as Hemianthus Callitrichoides or Hemianthus Callitrichoides in aquarium literature, is probably one of the popular foreground plants such as planted aquariums.
It grows miniature, bright green leaves at an wonderful speed, within the container floor with a lush valley rug.
The Dwarf Baby Tears naturally occurs in Cuba, however, it's spread through planted tanks worldwide. They're usually sold separately in little pots or, for less patient aquarists that need an instant carpet, they come already optimized and grown in coco fiber mats.
They are also able to be found rooted in driftwood pieces for aquascaping purposes.
Being small, this plant is ideal even for Nano tanks, so given that they are well-lit.
Light as strong as 2 drops per gallon minimum needs to really be available to keep the plant growing close to the floor. Less light can induce it to rise up to the surface, where it naturally lives in the great outdoors.
Dwarf Baby Tears are usually found rooting on freshwater rocks or driftwood pieces. They may also be planted within the substrate for a foreground plant, however the result is significantly stronger and natural when attached to other tank objects.
It's possible to tie little segments of Hemianthus to a rock or wooden piece of your choice and leave it to develop its roots around the thing. Most aquarists prefer using cotton thread instead of rubber bands or fishing line, because it's scarcely noticeable and it dissolves over time, leaving only the roots attached.
Yet another way of keeping them from floating around would be to pay for the Dwarf Baby Tears' roots together with moss that'll then add weight into the plant.
These mosses will provide additional nutrients, together with a good hiding ground for newly hatched fry.
For planting in the substrate, you can plant an entire pot in one place and wait for it to spread, or you can separate little stalks and plant them around one inch apart for faster policy.
This really is a timeconsuming process, though, so allow a few aquascaping hours. Plant the stalks utilizing a long pair of tweezers and make sure the roots are well fit into the soil.
Care
Dwarf Baby Tears want a high-value substrate full of nutrients and minerals, especially iron. The plant is more sensitive to iron deficiency and also will display yellowish leaves if there's inadequate iron from the tank.
They will do well with CO2 supplementation and also constant fertilization to help accelerate growth speed.
Always prune this plant, as while growing, new stalks are certain to get on top of older types and suffocate them; Dwarf Baby Tears literally kills itself if left unattended.
Reduce the stems with a very sharp pair of scissors or a razor blade to keep them in place when trimming.
Reproduction
The Hemianthus has pretty slow growth and development speed, but will spread across the substrate after settling on your tank. Roots will branch off and create an intricate network, resulting in a carpet-like look, but only in the event that you remember to trim the plant to continue to keep it really low.
Another popular way of distributing the Dwarf Baby Tears is always to cut smaller pieces of plants and replanting those at the substrate.
In this manner , they will cover the tank up floor faster, as propagation is made from a number of points.
Tank Mates
The Dwarf Baby Tears may be planted along with other short foreground plants from contrasting colors. The dense carpet enables spawning fish to lay their eggs and the younger fry to hide from harassing adults.
There's absolutely no worry when plant-nipping fish graze over the Hemianthus Callitrichoides, as it's going to quickly recover and grow , particularly if it has already covered a significant surface.
Try never to add ravaging fish, for example as Oscars or Jack Dempseysinto a tank planted with Hemianthus Callitrichoides, since they will make an effort to uproot weaker stems when"rescaping" the tank.
Goldfish are perhaps not a fantastic idea as a result of their different ecological requirements and since they will stubbornly attempt to eat just as much of their plant as possible.
Be creative and use your imagination and also try some aquascaping tricks with this particular tiny versatile plant. You may put it to use in several tanks, even from the tiniest to the largest, in an assortment of means.
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