Mint Charlie (Micromeria brownei) - Potted

Mint Charlie (Micromeria brownei, also listed as Clinopodium brownei) is a genuine mint, and it smells like one if you crush a leaf between your fingers. In the tank it makes soft upright stems of small round bright green leaves that fill a midground gap quickly without the leggy sprawl of most stem plants. It is undemanding, roots readily from cuttings, and happily grows either underwater or emersed above the waterline, which makes it a favorite for paludariums and open-top tanks. See the rest of our live freshwater plants to plant around it.

Care Guide

• Light: moderate. Standard planted-tank lighting is plenty. Under low light the stems stretch and the leaves space out, so if it is reaching, give it more light rather than more fertilizer.
• CO2: not required. It grows well without injection, and faster with it. A dose of Seachem Flourish Excel is a reasonable middle ground if you want denser growth without a cylinder.
• Fertilizer: a stem plant feeds mostly from the water column, so Seachem Flourish on a regular schedule matters more here than root tabs do.
• Water: 68 to 82°F, pH 6.0 to 7.5. Tolerant across the normal community range.
• Trimming and propagation: the entire method is to cut a stem and push the cutting into the substrate, where it roots in about a week. Trim the tops regularly and it thickens into a bush instead of a row of bare stalks.
• It arrived grown above water. Nursery stock is raised emersed, so remove the pot and rockwool before planting. Emersed leaves often melt during the switch to submersed growth. Do not pull the plant, the new underwater leaves come in behind them.

Specifications

Placement and Companions

Where it goes: midground, planted in a group of five or more stems a couple of inches apart. One or two stems on their own look sparse; a clump reads as a soft green mound. Trim the front stems shorter than the back for depth.

Pairs well with other stem plants. Run it alongside Bacopa Caroliniana or Water Wisteria for contrasting leaf size, with something red like Rotala Vietnam H'ra behind it. The small round leaves also set off broad-leaved Anubias nicely.

Fish and invertebrates: safe with community fish and shrimp, and the dense stems make excellent cover for shrimplets and fry. It is soft enough that determined plant eaters like goldfish and large cichlids will eat it, so keep it out of those tanks.

Above the waterline: because it grows emersed just as happily, it will climb out the top of an open tank or spread across a paludarium bank. Let it, or trim it at the surface.

Recommended Supplies

• Seachem Flourish: water column fertilizer, the main feed for any stem plant.
• Seachem Flourish Excel: liquid carbon for denser growth without a CO2 cylinder.
• Bacopa Caroliniana: a larger-leaved stem plant that contrasts well beside it.
• Rotala "Vietnam H'ra": red background stems to plant behind the green.
• CaribSea Eco-Complete: a planted substrate that helps cuttings root fast.

FAQ

Does it really smell like mint?
Yes. It is in the mint family, and a crushed leaf smells distinctly minty. The scent does not carry into the water and it will not flavor anything, it is just a pleasant surprise when you trim.

Can I grow it out of the water?
Easily, and it may be how yours arrived. It grows emersed on pond margins in the wild, so it works in paludariums, riparium planters and open-top tanks where it can climb out. Emersed growth has slightly thicker leaves.

My stems are tall and bare at the bottom.
Not enough light. Stem plants stretch toward it and drop lower leaves when they are shaded. Increase the light or thin the group so light reaches the lower stems, then trim the tops and replant them to rebuild density.

Is it shrimp safe?
Yes, and shrimp love it. The fine stems trap biofilm and give shrimplets somewhere to hide. Just make sure anything you dose is copper free.