Monte Carlo – Our favorite carpeting aquarium plant

Micranthemum Monte Carlo’ is a carpeting plant that is commonly used to achieve lush foreground cover in planted aquariums. Well-known for its low growing and compact behavior, Monte Carlo features small, round bright green leaves that work well in many popular styles of aquascaping such as Iwagumi tanks, nature-style planted tanks and more. This carpeting aquarium plant can also be grown successfully in various nooks of hardscape layouts to create an overhanging look. It is often compared to Hemianthus Callitrichoides, another tiny carpeting aquarium plant, but is much more forgiving with care and overall growing conditions.

Monte Carlo is available in many forms today. No matter the type, remove the aquarium plant and remove as much of the growing medium as possible. From there, gently separate the aquatic plant into small portions and plant it into nutrient-dense aquarium soil. Using high-quality aquascaping tools will make the planting process easier! Monte Carlo can be grown in aquarium sand, but will require the use of root tabs to ensure the plant has access to nutrients that are essential for good growth. Most aquarium plants today are grown in emersed forms and will require some time and care to transition back to submerged growing form. Providing Monte Carlo with moderate lighting, CO2 injection and quality aquarium plant nutrients will make a big difference. Once established, Monte Carlo is a prolific grower and will require periodic trimming.

Below is an Iwagumi aquascape layout in a 44G aquariumtank featuringMicranthemum Monte Carlo in the foreground as a single carpeting plant: