Review on Live Freshwater Aquarium Plants: Dwarf Baby Tears, Hemianthus Callitrichoides, Java Moss In Vitro TC Cup By Greenpro by Matt Tbone

This batch of HC arrived bright green and healthy with healthy roots. Being a bit green myself, when they arrived I didn't even have a tank for them. I was ill prepared. So, if you want to start off on the right foot to get this relatively demanding little plant crawling across your substrate, follow these tips:(If starting a new tank only fill 3-4 inches with water and cycle before bringing home plants)Be prepared to transplant them when they arrive. Mine sat in a cool spot for 4 days until I got a tank and substrate, but were fine anyway.Use a good, nutrient rich substrate (like Seachem Fluorite). I just used regular gravel and deprived them of nutrients.Insert root tabs into your substrate before planting. It's more beneficial to break them into small pieces and spread them throughout the substrate.Remove gel. The plant comes rooted in nutrient jelly to keep them fresh. Remove 2 cups of tank water and pour into a clean, flat rectangular container. Break the clump into smaller pieces and soak them in the water for an hour. Then remove as much jelly as possible without damaging the roots.Plant. Due to their size, they're easy to keep at the bottom of a submerged tank by simply forming a hole, gently pushing in the roots and covering with substrate. Plant the small clumps about an inch apart.Allow the roots to set without disturbance. Heavy filters or powerheads can loosen and release the roots from the soil, so keep tank circulation minimal. I didn't even filter for the first week to keep the water perfectly still. Any clumps that come loose and float at the top, replant.Provide high light. I foolishly started with the crappy lights you get with a 10 gallon kit, then upgraded. These plants need high light. Do your HW. I got my lights for 18 bucks on amazon (NICREW).INJECT CO2. THIS IS A MUST and your dbt will not thrive without it. We inhale oxygen. Plants inhale CO2. By injecting co2 into the water they live in, you're allowing them to breathe better. A lot of people will say they have done fine without co2 injection, but it completely enhanced the coloring and speed of growth of my plants. There are dozens of DIY vids on youtube. It takes about 30 minutes to construct and less than 10 dollars a month to run. Spend the time on this step, it will pay off.Once the plants are established, (at least 2 weeks) fertilize. In my ten gallon tank I do 1 ml of Seachem Flourish and 1 ml of Seachem Flourish Excel (different days) every week.Once the plants are established, provide your DBT with an algae cleaning crew. I have a 6 small shrimp and 6 snails. High lighting invites algae. I learned this the hard way and witnessed my DBT nearly choked out by a carpet of green hair algae. Once I added my clean up crew my tank was 90% algae free in 2 days and the yellow patches in my carpet began returning to their normal color. (Some of the yellow spots are still visible in the picture).The above steps are not the only way to grow DBT, but are the way I would do it all over again if I could. Cool little carpeting plant IF you are willing to invest the time and energy it requires.