[minorhero]

Pearl weed grows in a great big clump in every direction it can go. Hence the weed part of the name. Just hack it back when it tries to go directions you don't want it to go. Eventually it will grow up as well as out.

Honestly its not a great plant for the well manicured aquarium because of the rapid speed it grows into a giant ball of green. It is a great plant if you just need plant mass in a tank and don't want to be bothered with plants that are more fussy. I hope it works the way you want it to, but if your experience is like mine, then you will probably replace it with a more orderly plant inside of a year.

 

[minorhero]

I want a bit of a wild look, so I don't plan to try to manicure it too much as long as it doesn't totally take over the tank.

That said, are there other easy-to-medium plants you know of that are similarly small-leaved? It's extremely difficult sometimes to tell just how small the leaf structure is in online photos, and I'd love backup options if it doesn't work out well. I'm trying for some forced perspective in the tank, which is why I chose it.

Rotala is a good choice and definitely better mannered then pearl weed which will definitely take over any tank if left to its own devices.