Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba' - the Dwarf Baby Tears

In this article I want to introduce a relatively new plant from Cuba, which is ideally suited as a foreground plant.

It is one of the smallest aquarium plants in the world that grows by crawling with their round leaves on the ground floor. It grows only 1 to 2 cm in high, spreads rapidly and builds up a continuous lawn.

It should be noted that Hemianthus callitrichoides keeps short without a strong illumination. This is a big advantage over most other types of base-forming aquarium plants.

Compared with Glossostigma the culture is less demanding, but a CO2 fertilization should also not be missed.

A cultivation, along with hornwood, has proven itself particularly. The hornwood has no roots, that infiltrate the tender grass and provides a fairly reliable algae free aquarium where Hemianthus callitrichoides thrives.

The growth rate is rather slow-to medium. A tweezers is usefull for planting and the plants should not be disturbed after planting.

Red Fire Shrimps provide a strong contrast to the bright green carpet.

Hemianthus callitrichoides is particularly well suited for the design of a nature aquarium, since it is easier to cultivate than many other plants used by Takashi Amano.