The forgiving carpet plant. Round bright-green leaves on creeping stems that form a dense lawn — easier to establish than HC Cuba, and it roots far more securely. Grown in sterile Vitro Culture®, so it arrives free of snails and algae.
What You’ll Receive
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Choose Your Pack Size: Available in 1 BAG, 5 BAGS, 10 BAGS, or 20 BAGS to suit any project size.
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Ready to Plant: Each sealed 4-inch Vitro Culture® bag provides approximately 2–3 small clump plantlets, perfectly primed to transform your aquascape.
Plant Profile
- Common name — Monte Carlo, MC, New Large Pearl Grass
- Scientific name — Micranthemum tweediei 'Monte Carlo'
- Origin — Argentina and Uruguay
- Placement — Foreground carpet
- Shipped size — Approx. 2-3 tissue-cultured clumps, roughly 1 inch
- Mature height — 1–2 in
- Suits — 5 gallons and up
- Growth rate — Fast
Care
- Difficulty — Intermediate
- Light — Medium to high. Stronger light keeps it flat rather than climbing
- CO₂ — Recommended, not required
- Water — 68–78°F · pH 6.0–7.5
- Substrate — Required. Fine nutrient substrate holds the plantlets best
- Growth habit — Amphibious. Also grows emersed
- Propagation — Runners — trim and replant
Grower’s Notes
- It roots far more securely than HC Cuba. That is the main reason to choose it — newly planted portions stay put instead of floating off, which is the failure mode that defeats most first carpets.
- Separate the culture into small portions and plant them an inch apart. It fills the gaps by runner faster than you expect.
- Without CO₂ it still carpets, just slower and slightly taller. This is the carpet that works in a low-tech tank.
- Trim once it reaches an inch. An untrimmed mat thickens, shades its own base, and starts lifting away from the substrate in sheets.
- Rinse the gel off completely before planting. Also available as fresh-cut and potted plants.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Monte Carlo Care Guide.
Notes
- Photos are for reference; color and density vary with lighting, CO₂ and nutrients.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
At a glance
- Free shipping on orders of $150 or more (after discounts) within the contiguous United States, by USPS.
- Free thermal protection is included with every shipment, all year round.
- Processing: most orders leave us within 1 to 2 business days. Tracking is emailed when your order ships.
- USPS (2 to 5 business days) ships Monday through Saturday.
- UPS 2nd Day Air® ships Monday through Wednesday. Order by Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- UPS Next Day Air® ships Monday through Thursday. Order by Wednesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and military addresses ship by USPS at a flat rate shown at checkout.
- Weather holds: during extreme heat or cold we may hold live orders until it's safe to ship.
- We ship within the United States only.
Please bring live plants indoors and unpack them the day they arrive. Every live order is covered by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee.
The complete rules, including lost packages and address issues, are in our Shipping Policy. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Every live order is backed by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives dead, we'll make it right.
How it works
- Tell us within 24 hours of the delivery time on your tracking.
- Send photos of the affected items in their original, unopened packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label, to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com with your order number.
- We'll make it right with a replacement, store credit or refund for the affected item.
Good to know
- Some melting or yellowing as plants adjust from greenhouse to aquarium life is normal. They regrow from healthy roots and rhizomes.
- Please bring your package indoors and unpack it the day it arrives.
- Free promotional items and shipping charges are not covered.
The complete rules, including what's covered and what voids the guarantee, are in our Returns, Refunds & Live Arrival Guarantee. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised these tissue culture plants for arriving healthy and vibrant. Shoppers noted generous portions, excellent packaging, and quick adaptation. Most reported minimal melt and strong growth. One customer mentioned tissue cultures may need high-tech setups. Overall, highly recommended for carpeting aquariums.
- Came in pristine condition, zero leaf melt, plants vibrant and doing well
- All came perfect condition, really green, no browning, thriving with new growth after 2 weeks
- Single portion so generous, enough to start 5 tanks, really thriving with offshoots
T
Monte Carlos arrived on time and in perfect condition. Pictured is the planted aquarium day the plants arrived.
G
They got to my house in great condition and looking good .
K
Ordered Monte Carlo and S. Repens. They arrived pretty quickly this week and they were healthy. I'm glad I found APF on Google. Waiting to see how they do in my aquarium.
R
They came looking fantastic and so far haven't melted in my aquarium. 🙂
K
These plants arrived a gorgeous green and were packaged securely in thermal bubble wrap, and arrived early! They are healthy and there are no dead spots at all, and it's been a few days since I bought them, and no browning has occurred. I will definitely buy from this shop again!
D
I got 10 monte carlo and 5 dwarf hair grass tissue cultures and used DSM on my 90p! Very happy with my purchase and can't wait for my carpet to grow! #ADA #CUBE GARDEN
A
Will defiantly buy again, perfect to add as leaves on a bonsai tree!!!!
E
Grabbed two of these , kept one intact & broke up the other since when soaking it loosed a little bit more than the first, but actually turned out well so I’m happy !!! Extra excited about how much they have opened up and have started growning upward I’m short time
M
These plants look so green it's amazing. I ordered around 20 and so happy I did. I dont think I needed as many for a dry start method but I wouldnt change a thing. The Montecarlo portions are more then I was hoping for and beautiful. Made planting extremely easy and peaceful. I will order again once I'm ready to flood my tanks maybe try some red plants this time and cant wait as everything I ordered was literally perfect. Buy with absolute confidence and look forward to recieving greatness. I appreciate a company that puts this much into all aspects of customer service and it shows from the packaging to the beautiful plants. Thank you very much.
B
Arrived healthy, will pecked and look great in the aquarium
J
The plants arrived very healthy. They have adjusted and begun to grow.
S
All plants were packaged well anf in good condition.
S
I LOVE Monte Carlo, and my last shipment came in pristine condition. I used this as the "leaf" portion of a "bonsai tree" in my newest tank, and this looks great. I've had zero leaf melt, and the plants are vibrant and doing well. Will bit be my last order from APF!!
K
The montecarlo arrived looking pretty great . I had to order the vitro version, I don't think they had potted at the time. One week later, they are just about completely melted. Sad. But I suppose this is typical during cycling a new tank. Im giving a high rating because they arrived nicely packaged and very healthy looking.
S
I've ordered several plants. All of them arrived quickly & in good condition. Each plant quickly adapted to my aquarium, all are still thriving. It's wonderful to find a company I can rely on.🙂
R
Excellent
T
Arrived healthy and happy...no melting looks great in my nano
p
Arrived healthy and as described
C
My single portion was so generous that I put good amounts into 4 separate tanks to see how it does in different lighting and substrate conditions). I still had a little left over to test on a 5th tank. The APF folks went above and beyond in every area. They helped me to navigate ordering around a major storm and that I would be out of town for a 2 day window. It worked out perfectly except that my shrimp had not had supplementary feeding while I was gone and swarmed the Monte Carlo (really all the plants I ordered) as soon as it was planted. They kept digging it up from everywhere it wasn't glued. I spent several days replanting it repeatedly. I only lost a significant amount in one tank that had shrimp AND nerite snails (and still some survived). Lesson learned feed everyone well before planting. It's really thriving at 2 weeks now and has numerous small offshoots coming out.
c
These plants are so cute and add so much to my aquarium.
L
Super pleased with the quality of my Monte Carlo tissue cultures! I will buy from APF again
E
APF never disappoints. Arrived well packed and healthy. Wouldn't buy anywhere else.
H
I have over ten years of aquascaping experience. While I have had great success with potted Monte Carlo I did not have much luck with this tissue culture. It slowly turned to brown mush in my aquascape. It looked plenty healthy upon arrival. It might be due to the fact that I use soil based substrate without co2. I believe that tissue culture plants acclimate more successfully in high tech tanks.
D
Shipping was fast and the plants all arrived in great health! This will now be my go to source for plants. Can’t wait to see how they grow!
C
I planted my 10 cups of Monte Carlo about 2 weeks before this review and I've experienced very little melt back (less than I'm used to with new aquarium plants) and I already see it rooting in and plenty of new growth! Very happy with my plants from APF!
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