Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba')

Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'), often called HC or HC Cuba, is the smallest aquarium carpet plant in the hobby. Each tiny round leaf is barely 2 to 3 mm across, and a happy mat hugs the substrate like a green lawn. This is an advanced plant: high light, pressurized CO2, and a nutrient-rich substrate are what separate a thriving HC carpet from a melted mess. Pair it with our other freshwater aquarium plants to complete an aquascape.

Sold as a potted clump in a rock-wool sponge. Pop the plug out of the pot, peel away the rock wool, separate the mat into small pinches with tweezers, and plant each pinch about half an inch apart into your aquasoil. Within a few weeks the pinches send out runners and knit together into a single carpet.

Care Guide

• Lighting: High. Without strong PAR at the substrate, HC stretches vertically instead of carpeting.
• CO2: Pressurized CO2 is strongly recommended. Liquid carbon and root tabs alone rarely produce a true carpet.
• Substrate: Nutrient-rich planted-tank soil such as CaribSea PyroFlora or Aquaforest Lava Soil. Inert sand and gravel make HC much harder to grow.
• Fertilization: Regular liquid macro and micro fertilizers, plus Seachem Flourish Tabs tucked under the carpet area.
• Water flow: Gentle, even flow across the foreground. Stagnant zones invite algae on slow-growing leaves.
• Maintenance: Trim the top of the carpet once it reaches about three quarters of an inch. Trimming forces denser, shorter growth.

Specifications

Tank Mates & Placement

Use HC in the foreground of a high-tech planted tank with peaceful community fish that leave the carpet alone. Small schooling species (neon tetras, ember tetras, chili rasboras, CPDs), pencilfish, otocinclus catfish, and most freshwater shrimp are all good company. Skip diggers and uprooters, goldfish, large cichlids, plecos, and crayfish, since they will tear a young carpet apart before it can establish.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• CaribSea PyroFlora Volcanic Substrate — mineral-rich planted-tank soil that HC roots into easily.
• Aquaforest Lava Soil — alternative dark planted soil with strong CEC for nutrient delivery.
• Seachem Flourish Tabs — slow-release root tabs to feed the carpet from below.
• IceCap 14-Inch Carbon Fiber Tweezers — long aquascaping tweezers make planting tiny HC pinches far easier than fingers.
• Dwarf Hairgrass — pairs beautifully behind HC for a layered foreground.

FAQ

Do I really need CO2?
For a true tight carpet, yes. Pressurized CO2 plus high light is the proven combination. Low-tech tanks can keep HC alive but will rarely produce the dense lawn most aquascapers are after.

How do I plant the potted clump?
Remove the plant from the pot, peel away the rock-wool sponge, rinse the roots, and divide the clump into small pinches with tweezers. Plant each pinch about half an inch deep and half an inch apart across your foreground.

Why are some leaves whiter or floppier when I get it?
HC is grown emersed (above water) at the farm. The emersed leaves often melt back after submersion, and the plant then re-grows submersed-form leaves that are smaller and tighter. A short melt is normal, not a problem.

How long until it carpets?
With strong light, CO2, and good nutrients, expect a closed carpet in roughly six to ten weeks from planting.