Description

Dwarf baby tears have some of the smallest leaves in the hobby, barely a couple of millimetres, and form a dense, bright green lawn that is the signature of many contest tanks. It is also one of the most demanding plants: it needs high light, CO2 and a nutrient-rich substrate, and without any one of the three it does not carpet but comes loose and floats. It is not a beginner plant. If the tank already has CO2 and good light, the result is worth it: within weeks it covers the foreground completely and has to be trimmed like a lawn.
Scientific name
Micranthemum callitrichoides
Position
Groundcover
Difficulty
Hard
Natural grow
Medium
Max height
5 cm

🌊 Water parameters

pH
6 - 7.5
GH
2 - 10
Temperature
20 - 28 °C
Current
Low or moderate

Requirements

Light requirements
High
Light spectrum requirements
6000 - 8000 (Kelvin)
Require CO2
Yes
Soil requirements
Nutritious sustrate

Sources

  • GBIF
    GBIF Secretariat (2026). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei. Consultado vía GBIF.org, 2026-08. Micranthemum callitrichoides.
  • Tropica
    Tropica Aquarium Plants. Plant database. Ficha de cultivo; consultada 2026-10. Micranthemum callitrichoides.

The trade still sells it as Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'; GBIF accepts Micranthemum callitrichoides.

Tropica supports the light, CO2, growth and difficulty; the pH, temperature and hardness ranges have no citable source.