{"product_id":"hemianthus-callitrichoides","title":"Hemianthus Callitrichoides | Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'","description":"\u003ch2\u003eDescription\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnown everywhere as HC or Dwarf Baby Tears, this is the smallest-leaved carpet in the hobby – a dense mat of tiny round leaves that pearls with oxygen under good light. It is stunning in a show tank, but we will be upfront: it is a high-tech plant that genuinely needs CO2 to succeed. For committed aquascapers only.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eNatural Habitat\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eHemianthus callitrichoides comes from Cuba, where it grows on wet rocks and stream banks that are seasonally submerged. Recreating that means intense light reaching the substrate, injected CO2 and a fine, iron-rich planted soil so the delicate roots can grip and the plant can carpet sideways rather than stretch upward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAppearance\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMinute, bright green round leaves crowd along creeping stems just 1–3 cm tall, forming a lush carpet studded with oxygen bubbles when thriving. Supplied as a clean tissue-culture cup – pest-, snail- and algae-free – that you divide into many tiny plugs to seed a lawn; poorly kept it stretches, yellows and lifts off the substrate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlacement and Aquascaping\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA foreground carpeting plant for the front of the scape and grassy foreground detail. Split the cup into small portions and plant them a centimetre or two apart with tweezers into fine substrate. Trim the mat every few weeks to keep it thin, flat and firmly rooted so lower layers do not rot and detach.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlanting and Propagation\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSplit the tissue-culture cup, rinse off the gel, and separate into tiny plugs of a few stems each, then plant into a fine-grained, nutrient-rich substrate. It propagates by spreading runners and division; lift and replant crowded sections to expand the carpet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCare Requirements\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBe honest with yourself first: HC needs high light and pressurised CO2 (20 ppm or more). Without CO2 it almost always fails, growing slowly, yellowing and melting. Use a fine iron-rich substrate with root tabs, dose the water column including iron, and keep water stable at 20–26 °C, pH 5.0–7.0. Growth is slow to moderate, so keep on top of algae while the carpet establishes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecies Information\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eScientific Name\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCommon Name\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHC, Dwarf Baby Tears, Cuba\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCuba\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaximum Height\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1–3 cm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGrowth Rate\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSlow to Moderate\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDifficulty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAdvanced\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePlacement\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForeground\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLighting\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHigh\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCO2 Requirement\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRequired\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFertilisation\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eIron-rich substrate with root tabs plus liquid fertiliser (including iron)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWater Temperature\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20–26 °C\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003epH Range\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5.0–7.0\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGH Range\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSoft to moderate, 2–12 dGH\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePropagation\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRunners and division\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSalinity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNot applicable (freshwater)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSuitable For\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHigh-tech aquascapes with CO2\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSuitable Tank Mates\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmall, gentle fish and shrimp that leave the carpet alone – small tetras, rasboras, pygmy corydoras, otocinclus and dwarf shrimp, which also help keep algae off the fine leaves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAvoid Keeping With\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiggers and uprooters such as goldfish, most cichlids, substrate-sifting loaches and crayfish, which tear up the tiny plugs before they root. It simply will not perform in low-light, no-CO2 tanks, so avoid it in a low-tech setup.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAustralian-grown aquarium plants for in-store collection or local delivery. Sold sizes\/portions reflect what we stock; anything shown as sold out will return as we restock.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nick's Aquarium Oceanarium Terrarium","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55234105475363,"sku":"AA1291","price":14.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0972\/7236\/5347\/files\/Pisces_Tissue_Culture_Hemianthus_Callitrichoides.jpg?v=1781489790","url":"https:\/\/nicksaquariumoceanariumterrarium.com.au\/products\/hemianthus-callitrichoides","provider":"Nicks AOT","version":"1.0","type":"link"}