Description

Hemianthus callitrichoides is one of the smallest aquarium plants in the world, and creeps over the bottom with millimetre-sized, round leaves. Hemianthus callitrichoides is an attractive and popular foreground plant for small aquariums. If planted in small clumps a few centimetres apart, it will spread rapidly and cover the bottom like a carpet.

Natural History

Hemianthus callitrichoides was first collected by Holger Windeløv and Eusebio Canicio Delgado Pérez in 2003 in Las Pozas, Cuba, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) east of Havana. Unlike the related Hemianthus micranthemoides, H. callitrichoides is thought to be native only to Cuba.

Pro Tips

It is not a difficult plant, but it requires good conditions such as enough light, added CO2, water circulation and fertilizer to thrive. If these conditions are hard to create, you may use Micranthemum 'Monte-Carlo' as an alternative, as it is less demanding. Trim the carpet regularly, otherwise the lower parts will not get enough light causing root death.

Type: Carpeting

Origin: North America

Growth Rate: Medium

Light Demand: High

CO2: High