About the species

Micranthemum glomeratum from North America has small, arched light green leaves that make it look like a miniature Egeria. The stems grow ten to twenty centimetres long and two to three centimetres wide, and in strong light they trail rather than climb. The species used to be called Hemianthus micranthemoides and still goes by that name in the hobby.

Facts

• Latin name: Micranthemum glomeratum
• Plant type: Carpeting plant
• Origin: North America
• Height: 5–15 cm
• Growth rate: Medium
• Position: Midground

Light requirement

Medium light requirement. Reckon on around 0.5 W per litre or a modern mid-range LED unit. Too little light gives sparse, stretched shoots and pale leaves, while the right amount keeps the plant compact and richly coloured.

CO₂ & nutrition

Added CO₂ is recommended — Tropica reckons 6–14 mg/l as a medium requirement. The plant can be grown without, but then grows more slowly and loses some of its colour. Supplement with liquid fertiliser weekly and keep iron and potassium levels up.

Planting

Divide the contents into many small tufts and place them two to three centimetres apart across the whole area. The more tufts you split it into, the faster the carpet knits together. Use tweezers and press the roots down without burying the leaves.

Rinse all the gel off in lukewarm water before planting, otherwise it can cause bacterial cloudiness. The cup holds many small plants — divide them up and plant them in several portions.

Care & propagation

Trim the carpet with curved scissors once it starts building upwards — that keeps it low and dense and stops the lowest shoots dying from lack of light. Siphon off the clippings right away, otherwise they root where you do not want them.

Position in the aquarium

Its height makes it a classic midground plant. It works nicely as the transition between low foreground plants and tall background plants, and looks best in a group or around a piece of wood.

Difficulty level

🔴 Advanced — requires strong lighting, added CO₂ and careful fertilisation.

Delivery format

Delivered as 1-2-Grow! — a laboratory-grown cup holding many small plants in nutrient gel. Because the plant is cultivated in vitro it is completely free of snails, algae, planaria and pesticides, which makes it the safest choice for a shrimp aquarium.

Recommendation

An airy light green cushion that looks best in a dense group where the trailing shoots can fall freely. Trim it often and it builds width instead of height.