Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC Cuba) Dwarf baby tears

Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC Cuba) Dwarf baby tears

Hemianthus Callitrichoides (commonly known as HC Cuba) is both a popular and versatile Aquarium Plant that produces a lush green aquarium carpet effect. It can be used to create a rich base that can contrast against other focal point Aquarium Plants.

However the HC Cuba Aquatic Plant is very often referred to as a rather problematic plant, with many aquascapers struggling to cultivate it.

Here we cover all that there is to know about the HC Cuba plant, describing in what setups can be used most effectively and finally we answer that all important question of how you can successfully cultivate it.

The HC Cuba Aquarium Plant

Vital Statistics

Here is HC Cuba’s spec sheet:

• Size: Up to three centimetres tall and spreads up to 10 centimetres horizontally.
• Ideal environment: Nano to middle sized aquariums
• Scientific Name: Hemianthus callitrichoides
• Common Name: Hemianthus callitrichoides Cuba
• Difficulty: Medium to Advanced
• CO2 Requirements: High
• Lighting Requirements: High
• Plant Arrangement: Foreground
• Growth Rate: Moderate
• Family: Scrophulariaceae
• Genus: Hemianthus
• Origin: North America (Cuba)
• Plant Type: Stem
• Height: 3 – 5+ cm
• Water Hardness: Soft (GH = 4-8 dH)

Discovered by Tropica founder Holger Windelov, during an expedition to a remote rocky Cuban stream in 2003, today the HC Cuba Aquatic Plant continues to grow in popularity, with more and more aquascapers making the HC Cuba plant the foreground plant of choice. This appreciation has led to the plant becoming relatively widely available.