Micranthemum Monte Carlo Aquatic Plant Guide / How to keep Monte Carlo healthy and what are its benefits:

Micranthemum Monte Carlo is a beautiful aquarium plant that is used to cover the substrate. This plant has low requirements & it can make a gorgeous carpet. Grow this plant in the substrate & then use clippings to hang it over structures & objects in your aquarium for a beautiful cascade. This plant is best for bottom dwelling fish & shrimps love it.

Monte Carlo is a good choice for foreground aquascaping & it needs trimming from time to time.

Monte Carlo is an aquarium plant having beautiful light green little rounded leaves & creeping stems. Another name of this plant is ‘New Large Pearl Grass’.

It is one of the top carpeting plants for fish tanks. Monte Carlo spreads sideways & aquarists keep it in the foreground of aquariums. Monte Carlo needs simple to moderate care level & it is a delicate plant capable of adapting itself to different conditions.

 

Category

Rating

Care Level

Simple to Moderate

Tank Lights

Medium

Color

Green

Location

Foreground

Size

3 to 6 cm

Family

Linderniaceae

Min. Aquarium Size

5 gallons

Reproduction

Cuttings, Splitting

Aquarium Setup

Freshwater

 

Monte Carlo Aquarium Plant Origin:

Monte Carlo is the name of the city in Argentina. It gets the same name because it was found on a riverside in this city.


Propagation of New Large Pearl Grass:

Trim New Large Pearl Grass regularly that will help it grow faster & stop it from growing abruptly. These trimming can be propagated to grow new plants.

 

Planting Monte Carlo in Aquarium:

You can either buy Monte Carlo in pot from store or trim your plant to get cuttings:

 

Planting Pot Plant:

Take out the complete plant & mineral wool from the pot.

Gently separate the 2 halves of the mineral wool & pull away the aquatic plant.

Divide Monte Carlo into multiple parts & make sure that a little mineral wool is available on it, as it can help in fixing the plant into the substrate.

I would recommend you to use tweezers for fixing Monte Carlo in the substrate.

 

Planting Monte Carlo Cutting:

It is easy to take care of Monte Carlo & reproduce it.

Like many other plants, keep a little space between Monte Carlo when planting it. 

Roots of this plant are very little so it is a bit difficult to keep it in substrate. It is very important to plant Monte Carlo in dry substrate then gently add water.

If everything is accomplished well, then Monte Carlo will soon carpet your aquarium.

 

Tips for Planting Monte Carlo:

Divide the Monte Carlo plant into multiple smaller pieces. Use tweezers for adding this plant to the substrate. Make sure you have planted cuttings deep inside the substrate. Cuttings will develop roots, & they will fix themselves tightly inside the tank substrate.

 

Maintenance of New Large Pearl Grass:

New Large Pearl Grass grows quickly in aquariums & needs regular trimming which is a bit time consuming. If your plant gets taller & dense then it can stop light from reaching the bottom layers. Trim this plant to achieve the desired shape & help it in growth. Offer liquid fertilizers to your plant & enough tank lights, carbon dioxide & circulation of water for optimum outcomes.

 

Appearance of Micranthemum Monte Carlo:

Micranthemum Monte Carlo is a light green plant with rounded leaves. It is a good aquatic plant for providing a perfect carpeting.

Micranthemum Monte Carlo will spread sideways. They will cover your substrate with its carpeting effect, which makes this plant a better choice for all sizes of aquariums.

Monte Carlo is a relatively new aquarium plant in the hobby. Leaves of Monte Carlo are fairly round & they are not bigger than 4mm in diameter. This plant can tolerate a wide range of aquatic conditions.

 

Monte Carlo Care:

Monte Carlo is able to grow in light shadow but needs enough lighting & carbon dioxide for best growth & perfect carpeting. It can grow even in low lighting & carbon dioxide. If you want to take good care of this plant then grow it in a nutrition rich substrate which can help its growth in aquariums.

No need for extra carbon dioxide for growing Monte Carlo but it can help in faster growth than its normal growth rate. You only need to offer medium tank lights for growth of this plant.

 

How does Monte Carlo grow in aquariums?

Monte Carlo grows faster in aquariums & you only need a cup of this plant for full carpeting of your medium sized aquarium.

 

Lighting:

In adequate lighting, Monte Carlo will grow upward instead of spreading sideways in aquariums. Enough lights will help this plant spread well on the substrate.

If your aquarium is taller then it will need more light to reach the base. Also, if your tank water is polluted then it will be difficult for aquarium lights to reach the plant.

 

Nutrition:

Nutrition can help Monte Carlo develop bright color, & help them grow quickly but this plant can grow without it. Keeping Monte Carlo in a nutrition rich substrate is a good option for beginners.

 

Carbon Dioxide:

CO2 can help Monte Carlo in offering a compact appearance & help them grow ideally in aquariums. CO2 is not essential for the growth of this plant.

If your tank has inadequate CO2 then it could be the reason behind the thinning of the stem or leaves. Use a pump for circulation of water which can help in the cycling of nutrition & help plant in getting healthier.

 

Temperature:

Keeping Monte Carlo at room temperature (23 Degree Celsius) is enough for this plant. Monte Carlo can survive in between 15 to 30 Degree Celsius. The ideal temperature for growing this plant is between 20 to 25 Degree Celsius.

 

Trimming of Monte Carlo Aquatic Plant:

Monte Carlo requires trimming for best growth. This plant can grow quickly in aquariums so it needs frequent trimming to stop it from growing taller or from excessively clumped together. You can replant these trimmings to grow more plants.

For trimming Monte Carlo, use curved scissors for cutting off the top part of this plant. Top part of Monte Carlo can stop light from reaching the lower parts of this plant. If the bottom half of the plant dies, then the upper half will not receive enough nutrition & would then fade.

Monte Carlo is best used for sculpting. If it grows messily in aquariums, then the beautiful round leaves of Monte Carlo would not offer a messy appearance.

 

Advantages of Monte Carlo Aquatic Plant:

  • It spreads a beautiful carpet on your tank substrate & provides shelter for bottom dwelling fish.
  • Monte Carlo absorbs pollutants such as fish waste which fertilizes this plant
  • It can lower down nitrate levels in aquarium & your fish have higher rates of survival
  • Monte Carlo can adapt to aquarium conditions
  • Monte Carlo needs simple to moderate care & it is recommended for beginners
  • It can offer hiding spots to baby fish, shrimps & stressed fish
  • Monte Carlo beautifies your tank & creates a natural habitat for fish inside your tank

 

Aquarium Size for Monte Carlo:

Monte Carlo grows in different sizes of aquariums, such as small, medium & large. Monte Carlo can occupy room inside your aquarium because they spread quickly so keep this plant in at least 5 gallons of water.

If you keep Monte Carlo in a bigger aquarium, then they will have more space so choosing 10 or 20 gallons of aquarium is a better option as it is a space consuming plant.

 

Water Conditions for Monte Carlo Aquatic Plant:

Monitor your water regularly if you want to achieve the ideal parameters:

Temperature:  20 – 25 Degree Celsius

pH: 6.0 to 7.5

Water Hardness: Up to 15 GH

 

Problems with Monte Carlo Aquatic Plant:

 

Melt:

If your tank has higher levels of nitrate then Monte Carlo will melt soon after planting. Change your water regularly if you want to stop it from further melting.

 

Brown Plants:

If Monte Carlo changes its color to brown, then it indicates that insufficient light reaches the plant base. If your plant mat is thick then it will stop light from reaching the bottom. It is recommended to trim your plant regularly to allow light to reach the complete plant.

 

Plant Mates for Monte Carlo Aquatic Plant:

Suitable plant mates for Monte Carlo aquatic plant includes:

  • Italian Val
  • AR Mini
  • Water Wisteria
  • Rotala Indica
  • And More…

 

Tank Mates for Monte Carlo Aquarium Plant:

Tank mates suitable for Monte Carlo aquarium plant include:

  • Shrimp
  • Peaceful fish including
  • Cardinal Tetras
  • Mollies
  • Clown Loach
  • Rasbora Hets
  • Neon Tetras
  • And More…

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