Product overview
Micranthemum tweediei ‘Monte Carlo’ is a South American carpeting plant (also sold as Micranthemum umbrosum ‘Monte Carlo’). Botanists reclassified the true carpeting form as M. tweediei in 2017.
Small, round, light-green leaves sit tight on creeping stalks and form a low lawn. It is easier to keep than many other foreground carpets: a larger root system and a tougher habit mean it settles in a wider range of tanks.
Key features
- Spreads as a 1–3 cm ground cover in soil, or trail it on wood and rock
- More forgiving than many low carpets — it can grow in low-tech tanks with decent light
- The low canopy gives shrimp and shy nano fish cover, and traps some debris on the floor
Water and system compatibility
Freshwater aquariums only. Not for marine or reef systems.
Specifications
- Type: carpeting / creeping runner
- Origin: South America (Argentina and Brazil)
- Growth rate: moderate to fast
- Height: 1–3 cm
- Light: medium to high (stronger light keeps the mat tighter and lower)
- CO2: recommended for faster, denser carpeting. It can survive in low-tech tanks with enough light
- Placement: foreground carpet, or midground as an epiphyte
Directions
How to plant
- Tissue culture: rinse the agar off under room-temperature water. Potted: strip the rockwool carefully.
- Split into small, coin-sized clumps or single strands with fine tweezers.
- Push each piece deep into fine-grain nutrient such as Master Soil or equivalent, 2–3 cm apart. Plant firmly — loose clumps on the surface often lift and float once they start bubbling oxygen.
Light
It can hold in partial shade, but moderate-to-high, full-spectrum light keeps it creeping flat instead of stretching up.
Trimming
Once the carpet layers over itself, mow the top with sharp curved scissors. If it gets too thick, light cannot reach the roots, the bottom rots, and the lawn can lift off and float.
Water parameters
- Temperature: 20°C–28°C
- pH: 5.0–8.5
- Hardness: soft to hard
Always follow directions on product packaging.
