Brother to a Prince and fellow to a beggar if he be found worthy.
A recent shot of my current Iwagumi. I have been letting the eco-system take it’s course naturally. While barely feeding the eco-system, it’s inhabitants remain happy with the current cycle. The Baby Dwarf Tears have bounced back from multiple algae outbreaks and a miscalculation of nutrient dosing with the help of Amano Shrimps and Three Ottos.
“Hemianthus callitrichoides, sometimes known as ‘dwarf baby tears’, or more commonly as ‘HC’, was discovered by Tropica founder Holger Windeløv during an expedition to a small rocky stream east of Havana, Cuba; it was described in aquaristic literature for the first time in 2003. Since its introduction into the hobby, HC has become increasingly popular and a foreground plant of choice, making this once rare plant moderately easy to obtain.” - Aquatic Plant Central.
I was first introduced to the world of aquascaping and Iwagumi through Takashi Amano. I find the field quite inspiring and complex. One of the first few aquatic plants I fell in love with were HC. As an initiate, I found that while there were a number of resources for reading available, they were not aggregated into a single coherent and comprehensive guide for these delicate beauties. This report I intend for initiates or as a reference to those unfamiliar with the species. I hope it will be of some help for anyone seeking to successfully replicate and cultivate a beautiful dense carpet of HC.
