Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo is a form of Micranthemum collected near the town of Monte Carlo in Argentina, which gives it its name. Its round, bright green leaves, 3–5 mm across, are arranged on thin stems creeping over the substrate; over time it covers the substrate like a thick, soft carpet.

Its biggest advantage is that it is more forgiving than other fine carpeting plants: it does not need light as strong as HC Cuba and glossostigma, and it is more resistant to temperature swings. In an aquarium without CO₂ it can spread slowly with good light, but for a dense, fast carpet CO₂ makes a big difference.

• Divide the plant from the nursery pots into small 1–2 cm pieces.
• Push the pieces into a fine-grained substrate with tweezers, 2–3 cm apart; it is enough for the leaves to just emerge from the substrate.
• So that the pieces do not float up in the first weeks after planting, the substrate should be fine and care should be taken during water changes.
• The "dry start" method (keeping the aquarium moist and covered without filling it with water for a few weeks while the plant roots) helps the carpet close quickly.

• Light: Medium; under high light it stays lower and denser.
• CO₂: Not required, but clearly beneficial.
• Fertilizer: A nutrient-rich substrate and regular liquid fertilizer; yellowing leaves indicate a nutrient deficiency.
• Trimming: As the carpet thickens, trim it from the top with scissors. Thin it out from time to time, because the lower layers of a carpet that gets too thick receive no light and can rot.

It spreads on its own by rooting from the nodes of its creeping stems. Pieces cut from the carpet are planted elsewhere to propagate it.

• Carpet lifting: a carpet that becomes too thick can detach from the substrate and float; regular thinning is needed.
• Yellowing leaves: nitrogen, iron or general nutrient deficiency.
• Sparse stems growing upward: light is insufficient.
• Algae on the carpet: appears if the photoperiod is kept long before the carpet has closed; in the first weeks 6–7 hours of light a day is enough.