Dwarf baby tears

[laurenrocksth]

How do you plant this? I tried it 2 years ago and it ended badly but that was before I knew anything about plants. I'm pretty sure I pulled it out of the pot and stuck it in the substrate, foam and all.

Anyway, I'd like to try it in my 55.

[phanmc]

Hemianthus callitrichoides, HC, not an easy plant to keep down. If you have active bottom dwellers they'll knock them loose.

Some people separate the HC into individual strands and bury them into the substrate with a tweezer. The tedium with that method would drive me batty, I break the HC into tiny clumps and bury them, again with a tweezer. A fine grain substrate helps tremendously.

If you haven't added water to the tank yet there is a MUCH easier way to grow HC, though it does require patience. In an unfilled tank add the substrate and fill with water to just under the substrate line, you want your substrate soaked but that's it. Then break the HC clump into pieces and just toss onto the substrate, no need to bury. Cover most of your tank to retain moisture and add ferts when you mist the tank to re-humidify. In about a month you'll have a nicely rooted HC carpet and can then fill the tank.

[oblongshrimp]

HC grows much better in aquasoil from my experience. You have to pull it apart and plant strands if you want it to spread quicker and actually stay down. Of course if you have bottom dwelling fish that all goes out the window since they will pull it out.

[laurenrocksth]

that stinks! i have 4 cories in QT right now. are there any "carpeting" plants that are a little easier to have?

[NeonFlux]

that stinks! i have 4 cories in QT right now. are there any "carpeting" plants that are a little easier to have?
Glosso.

[laurenrocksth]

as in glossostigma elatinoides? that looks pretty cool. the article that i found online said that it needs CO2 but would do ok with excel (which i'm getting.) CO2 isn't an option for me right now. do you think that this would be ok? how do you plant it? would it be ok with my cories?

[phanmc]

Haven't tried glosso without CO2, it's a fairly demanding plant.

Try finding aquatic dwarf clover (marsilea sp.), it's a low light plant that will grow without CO2 injection. It looks similar to glosso but is a darker green and grows slower.

I've also heard of a new microsword, Lilaeopsis mauritius, that is much less demanding than regular microsword but I personally haven't tried it yet.

[oblongshrimp]

dwarf clover is good, hair grass is also a good choice

[jmhart]

HC grows best under high light and co2 as well. Marsilea Minuta (Dwarf Clover) is a good low light, no co2 foreground plant.