01
Overview
HC ‘Cuba’ carries leaves barely a millimeter across, knitting into the tightest, most jewel-like lawn aquascaping can produce. Takashi Amano's use of it defined the modern Iwagumi look, and it remains the reference against which every carpet is judged, demanding credentials and all.
02
Aquascaping use
It is the canonical Iwagumi lawn, rolling unbroken between stones under open light. Nothing else makes a tank read as large, because nothing else is as small.
03
Planting
Plant many tiny plugs a centimeter apart in fine active substrate, ideally dry-started to root before flooding. Shallow roots mean gentle first trims and no digging fish, ever.
Fine active substrate
04
Light & CO₂
High light and unbroken CO₂ are the admission price; the carpet compacts or dies by that standard alone. Good flow across the lawn distributes both.
05
Substrate & fertilization
Column dosing over an active substrate covers it; consistency beats quantity. Iron shortfall yellows the tiny leaves almost overnight.
Feeding behavior: Mixed feeder. Nutrient demand: high.
06
Growth, trimming & propagation
Mow lightly and frequently once knitted, never letting height build; thick carpets trap gas and peel off the substrate in sheets. Replant trimmed patches immediately.
Division and replanting of small trimmed clumps
07
Common problems
- !Carpets lift wholesale when allowed to thicken
- !Fails predictably without high light and CO₂
- !Vulnerable to uprooting until fully knitted
