Micranthemum monte carlo care

Micranthemum monte carlo care

How can you not love this aquarium plant? I mean it's truly beautiful in pretty much every way. Micranthemum monte carlo care is so easy - it looks great, carpets in your aquarium easily and pots are always a decent size. So where has it come from and where has it been all this time?

In answer, it's a relatively new aquatic plant into the hobby and it originates from Europe and East Asia - which one is quite correct, I'm not sure. I would go for Asia as their environment is better suited (but I'm guessing!). The leaves to this aquarium plant are fairly round, and probably no more than 4mm in diameter. So imagine it to be a bit like the world famous aquatic plant Hemianthus, just a big bigger. The MAIN DIFFERENCE though is how easy this plant is to grow. Classified as Easy, Micranthemum monte carlo care is straight forward and suitable for beginners and up and that's because it's hugely tolerant to a very wide range of conditions. And, it's great as a carpeting aquatic plant which always rounds things off nicely.

A bit of history on Micranthemum monte carlo care

About 2 years ago, Tropica brought this plant out in the tissue culture form, but they called it Elatine Hydropiper. Then after a several months they realised they were wrong, and DNA sequencing discovered that it's actually part of the Micranthemum family. The Monte Carlo name, is probably a short term one until they find its true Latin name, so watch this space. Essentially this means it will change its name again...

Why has it shot to fame?

Because it's so easy to grow and Micranthemum monte carlo care is so easy! You see Heminathus callitrichoides is the most similar plant to this and as mentioned above, it is far harder to grow, and that's not what hobbyists want. People want aquarium plants that look pretty and grow easily. Now no aquatic plant (to my knowledge) is genetically modified and as a result, we have to work with what we have. But Micranthemum monte carlo care, comes as close to a GM product as any, because it ticks all the right boxes. You can grow it in high light, low light, CO2 tank, non CO2 tank. Literally take your pick. Sure you'll get much better results if you place it in a high tech CO2 tank (what plant wouldn't), but my point is how adaptable it genuinely is.

How do you plant it?

Bit like Heminathus. Once you've removed this aquarium plant out of its pot, all you need to do is trim the rockwool off so you have about 10mm left. Then you can cut the plant into 6/8 pieces (depending on pot size) and plant straight into the substrate. The rock wool will help to anchor the plant and keep it where you want it to.

How do you trim it?

Very easily and this is why Micranthemum monte carlo care is so easy - simply use a pair of curved scissors and trim the top part off regularly. Failure to maintain this plant results in a build up of plant which can force the bottom half to die off. This would then lift the plant off your substrate - funny at first then the penny drops. So trim regularly and heavily. But one tip is once you have planted for the first time, avoid trimming until you have let it settle in for at least 2 weeks. Below I've found a useful video of someone trimming it. It's also worth noting the excellent use of a circulation pump which is positioned directly over the Micranthemum monte carlo. This is a perfect example of why carpeting plants benefit from this - any nutrients are pushed right on top of the plant, and this is another reason why its flourishing in this environment (I recommend you do the same and you can find our circulation pumps by clicking here)

How many pots do I need?

We get asked this question A LOT! For most foreground plant, aim for one pot per 225cm2 (15x15cm). Use this calculation. So for example in a tank which is 60x30cm you would need 8 pots (1800/225).

Summary

If you're looking for a beautiful carpeting aquarium plant that is easy to grow and perfect in a wide range of conditions, then Micranthemum monte carlo is ideal. If you're looking to purchase this plant, you can find it by clicking here.