# HC



## Guest (Aug 30, 2006)

Have any of you tried Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC)? 

This is a great looking foreground plant in freshwater planted aquariums. 

I know it can grow emersed and was wondering if any of you have had any luck growing it in a PDF environment.


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## rain- (Jul 28, 2006)

I haven't tried it yet in a frog tank, but I've grown it both emersed and submersed. And as soon as I get my vivarium done, I'll be putting some HC in there (with Downoi, _Pogostemon helferi_, some crypts and mosses) and I think it will surely thrive in the tank, can't wait to see if it flowers there too.


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## Agrippa (Jul 4, 2006)

Can't say that I have, personally, attempted to grow it emersed. It's rather difficult for most to grow even fully submersed, so you will have to make certain you provide it with LOTS of light. You may also want to consider starting it off submersed and training it to grow emersed. You could also just experiment with keeping it saturated with water. In any case, I've always preffered the look of riccia, but that's comparing apples to oranges. :wink: Anyway, good luck with it!


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## PDFrogger (Aug 23, 2005)

I am also interested in this plant.

Reaserching it I came upon this site. http://www.aquahobby.com/tanks/e_tank0603.php

Really cool!


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## fishfry (Aug 20, 2006)

I am pretty new to terrariums and PDFs but I do have a lot of experience with aquatic plants. I got HC when it first came to the US about 2 years ago and it is one of my favorite foreground plants. I grew tons of HC and it is actually very easy to grow if you have the proper conditions which are very bright light and sufficient co2 levels. Emersed you don't need to worry about the co2 levels obviously. I know a decent number of aquatic plant people have grown it emersed and I even saw someone post a picture of it growing in a pot on their patio, as long as the soil was wet it did okay. When it first was introduced to the hobby a lot of people grew it emersed and then transitioned it to submersed because they could grow it faster that way. 

Downoi, P. helferi is also a really awesome little plant that grows emersed in the wild. The other really cool plant I haven't seen in any terrariums is Eriocaulon cinereum or other Eriocaulon species. In the wild Eriocaulon cinereum grows in shallow rice patties and the top part of the plant sticks out of the water with the pincushion-like flowers. There are Eriocaulon species from South America to stay geographically correct, although they are still pretty hard to come by in the U.S.

There are also some other really cool plants that will grow emersed in the foreground:

Ranunculus inundatus from Australia
Elatine triandra or orientalis

Here are some old submersed pics for reference:









Eriocaulon at left, HC center


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2006)

I think this stuff might be what I have in my 29 gallon Pampas Toad tank. It just started growing, and I have no idea where it came from. I think it might be indigineous to NYC area and hitched a ride with the moss.
It has been growing for over a year now and in the pics, you can see that it grows near the waters edge, every now and then it gets flooded.


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## fishfry (Aug 20, 2006)

Although that looks very very similar to "HC" I have a feeling it is something else like some type of Elatine or something. Would you mind if I posted it on the aquatic plant forum and then I can get a definite answer for you?


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2006)

Mind!??? I'd love it! Please, thanks.


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## rain- (Jul 28, 2006)

Will be interesting to hear what species that is, it sure looks beautiful. 

Here's a closeup picture of HC leaf that's been growing submerged (I should have a similar scale picture of an emerged leaf too, but I can't seem to find it right now):


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

I have HC growing in a viv, and it looks greaet. I definately think you should give it a go. It grows fairly quick too.


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## dustin_grey (Mar 8, 2006)

-rain, that's beautiful. It made me take a second look at it, great picture.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Cesar, that looks like a tiny Bacopa species. Have I said that before?


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## 311_dart (May 20, 2006)

rain - I have to second this opinion... that is an excellent picture! Thanks for sharing, it is frame-worthy.


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2006)

I don't remember Antone. But thanks, I'll look it up.


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2006)

Sorry Antone, its wayyyyyyyy to big. It the same size of the Hemianthus. Tiny!


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Khamul1of9 said:


> Sorry Antone, its wayyyyyyyy to big. It the same size of the Hemianthus. Tiny!


Yeah, there are a couple of dwarf Bacopa species. But you're saying that even they are too large?


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## Guest (Sep 4, 2006)

Here are some more pics with a ruler, judge for yourself:



















I think maybe you will be shocked.


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

I have some of that growing in a tank Caesar. Its interesting, it came from some moss i had growing in there. Its a tad larger tehn HC, accept it grows taller i beleive.


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## c'est ma (Sep 11, 2004)

What a great "hitchhiker," Cesar & Ryan! I should be so lucky.

And thanks all for the great pics on this thread.


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## fishfry (Aug 20, 2006)

I think it is a type of Elatine or "waterwort", maybe Elatine minima which is native to the East Coast. Here is a picture from another website:










Is that it??


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## Guest (Sep 5, 2006)

THanks, it could be it, still seems a bit too large. Maybe mine is not full grown. Did I mention mine was extrememly slow growing?? I'm talking it first appeared a year ago, and its just now the size it is on the pictures.


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## rain- (Jul 28, 2006)

Would be interesting to see how it would grow in an aquarium with high light, lots of CO2 and ferts. I hope you will find what species it is, it looks really pretty. 

dustin_grey and 311_dart, thank you both. Here's a larger version that I use as my desktop picture sometimes.


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## fishfry (Aug 20, 2006)

How about Hemianthus Micranthemoides? It is found in New York too, we are getting closer at least.


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2006)

I think you got it! 
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/foru ... .php?id=33
Here this pic shows a bushy one, but givent he chance, mine might grow to that size. 
This looks more like it, than the first. http://www.plantedtank.net/plantprofile ... moides/49/
I still have my doubts, in the pics the leaves look a little too long. But maybe its just being grown in higher lighting.


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## dopederson (Mar 26, 2006)

The photos look very similar to those I have seen of HC on the web, may it is maybe it isn't. In more concrete news; I have some HC coming within the next month from Thailand. If I have any luck with it, I am more than willing to distribute it to those interested.


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