Lilaeopsis brasiliensis Tissue Culture

Overview: Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is a beautiful compact slow-growing plant that originates from South America and belongs to the family Apiaceae. When the right parameters are given, it gives a lawn effect to the tank that multiplies its beauty. It can grow up to 7 cm tall with high light intensity. You can grow Lilaeopsis brasiliensis simply as a foreground plant or place it everywhere to give a lawn look. Apart from aquariums, Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is also grown in garden ponds for increasing the aesthetics. Since it can tolerate low salt concentrations, you can go for it even for brackish aquariums. Mostly the aquarists use Lilaeopsis brasiliensis as it is a grass-like ground covering plant. It is easily adaptable to varied water conditions; therefore, it is easy to maintain and take care of.

Advantages: There are multiple benefits of having a tissue cultured variant of Lilaeopsis brasiliensis as the risk of pest infestation becomes negligible. Many times plants bought from pet stores bring pests with them that can hamper the growth of other plants. It is the reason why choosing tissue cultured Lilaeopsis brasiliensis will ensure better results over normal Lilaeopsis brasiliensis plants. Once you buy the tissue cultured plant, make sure to maintain water parameters within the prescribed range for its best growth.

Light and other requirements: Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is not a very high demanding aquarium plant. It requires medium light intensity and a medium level of carbon dioxide. Excess of both these may hamper the growth of the plant. Lilaeopsis brasiliensis grows not more than 5 cm under suitable conditions. It is the reason why aquarists find it suitable for nano tanks. You can also use it for foreground and as ground cover. The temperature tolerance of this plant ranges from 20 to 28 degrees Celsius. 2 – 14°dKH carbonate hardness and 0 – 30°dGH general hardness is considered perfect for the proper growth of Lilaeopsis brasiliensis.

pH Requirements: The plant can thrive well under the pH requirements ranging between 5.5-7.0.

How to Use: The plant type is stolon. You can use Lilaeopsis brasiliensis for creating a lawn look in the tank. Since it grows not more than 5 cm, make sure to place the plant a few centimetres apart from tall plants so that it can get enough light for its growth. Propagation can be done through runners, Splitting, cutting off daughter plants.

Care: Remove the tissue culture gel from the plant before introducing it to the tank. Clean it thoroughly with water and remove the gel with a soft brush or your hands. The gel may bring slight changes in the water parameters. Therefore, make sure it is completely removed from the plant before burying in the substrate.