# Markings on frogbits



## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I have some frogbits that have been apparently doing quite well in my shrimplet brood tank under a 23W spiral 'daylight' bulb. 6500K, in an 8 inch round reflector about seven inches above the water. I fertilize with Flourish, but not since the shrimplets morphed, ditto for Excel. The frogbits have been growing, and making plantlets, spreading quite fast. Lately I've noticed some markings on their leaves that were not there before. Darkish, sort of brown/purplish, radiating from the mid spine of the leaves, not solid lines, sort of broken. Still no blasted camera, sorry. Don't look sick, in fact, they look neat, but I have never seen them before on any other frogbits. I wonder if they indicate some nutritional lack or something ? Same tank is growing plenty of healthy giant duckweed and water sprites, as well as a fair size assortment of stem plants, moss, swords, all looking extremely healthy and growing well.
Water params have changed somewhat from the main tank. This one has become much softer and more acidic since I set it up, but nitrites are either zero or awfully close to that, nitrates well under 20. PH just under 7.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Sounds normal, we're these mine frog bit by any chance?
I've had mines start markings too once, it could be a nutrition thing, but ive grown these in my shrimp tank with no ferts and they grew faster than my high tech tank. I wouldn't worry to much about it unless they start to yellow and die, and as long as there are new growth doing just fine.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Actually, no, these were not from your tank.. I got most of them from Scotmando, and a couple of small ones from Jaysan. All of them are growing, putting out new leaves and plantlets. I get the odd yellow leaf, but they're always the oldest ones, so I assume they are simply old and pinch them off. I quite like the markings, it makes them even more attractive, but most of the ones I see in other people's tanks are solid green, not marked like these have become. I do wonder if it's to do with light, since the one I had in my low light tank has stayed all green, while the ones that are getting a lot more light are all getting the markings on them.


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

default said:


> Sounds normal, we're these mine frog bit by any chance?
> I've had mines start markings too once, it could be a nutrition thing, but ive grown these in my shrimp tank with no ferts and they grew faster than my high tech tank. I wouldn't worry to much about it unless they start to yellow and die, and as long as there are new growth doing just fine.


I did get some from you and they looked fantastic when I got them from you... and that was their best day. I just can't do well with frogbits. They slowly turned yellowish then brown then died. I probably have about a quarter left after about 2 months and they aren't looking good either. Not sure what's wrong (with me). There is quite a bit of surface flow in that tank but their roots basically just swing slowly back and forth. I use airline tubing to form a circle and keep them in the circle so they don't float everywhere, they are probably 10" away from underneath of a 13w CFL 6500K that's 5" above the water, all the moss in the tank grow really nicely though.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Maybe you should spring for the higher wattage bulb ? The ones I got from Scotmando and Jaysan were, respectively, a couple of medium size ones, one largish one ,and two or three quite small ones. All of them were all green when I got them. In my low light 30 G they did poorly.. when I put them in the 5 G under the 23W spiral daylight bulb, which is in a basic aluminum round reflector with a clamp on it, they grew like weeds. I just had to take a big bunch out of the tank because they'd totally covered the surface and and were starting to grow emersed. Roots on some are nearly on the tank bottom. All have the pretty markings and are producing babies like mad. I have come to the conclusion that they do best with more light. At this point, no C02, Excel only when I remember, maybe twice a week and Flourish about once a week. They are the healthiest darn things, I will have to sell some soon. If you want I'll bring some to the meeting and you can have them.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

randy said:


> I did get some from you and they looked fantastic when I got them from you... and that was their best day. I just can't do well with frogbits. They slowly turned yellowish then brown then died. I probably have about a quarter left after about 2 months and they aren't looking good either. Not sure what's wrong (with me). There is quite a bit of surface flow in that tank but their roots basically just swing slowly back and forth. I use airline tubing to form a circle and keep them in the circle so they don't float everywhere, they are probably 10" away from underneath of a 13w CFL 6500K that's 5" above the water, all the moss in the tank grow really nicely though.


It might be the ferts in the water column, they do much better in "dirty" or high dosed water. If you get the chance swing by and i'll give you some more from my low light tank. I had them under crumby fluval spec LEDs and they grew almost like dandelions. Usually aslong as they're not stuck under a hood with no light source nothing seems to stop them.
Also did you "clean" them with anything when you got them? I've seen that damage frogbit. Easy way I found to clean it was to just trim the roots and dip em in some plain old tap water - algae rarely grews under the leaves and I've never seen any hydra growing on them either.


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

I didn't clean them. Since you told me there's no hydra/planaria I just put them in the shrimp tank. I am more experienced in dealing with hydra than keeping frogbits ;-)

Thanks for the offer, I might get some more when my cycling tanks are ready. 

You said you have them in a spec, aren't the flow too strong for them? Do you find them growing okay if they get blown around? I use an airline tube to make a circle so they don't move around too much, not sure if that's a bad idea.

PS: Karen, I hope you don't mind me hijacking your thread a bit ;-)


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## default (May 28, 2011)

randy said:


> I didn't clean them. Since you told me there's no hydra/planaria I just put them in the shrimp tank. I am more experienced in dealing with hydra than keeping frogbits ;-)
> 
> Thanks for the offer, I might get some more when my cycling tanks are ready.
> 
> ...


i grew them in the spec before i sold the unit. it was doing great - too good at some times, it would cover up the entire tank withing a week or two. they dont mind flow, the ones i gave you last time was from my high tech tank and they were both flying around when water levels were low and completely still when water levels were high. however i do find they are cleaner when they move around - harder for debris to settle?
and yea there was no need to clean, i cleaned them for you like how i do basically all my plants before selling or giving away. but in your case about the containment with the airline tubing, i would probably loosen it up alittle, let them move gently, might help - how the roots doing anyways? i trimmed them before i gave it to you, but i find the plants show signs when the roots stop growing or starts melting, as those frogbits i gave you got trimmed almost 5 times within 2 months as the roots just kept growing and almost clogged my koralia.


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

I'll remove the airline tube (btw, I use it for a circle about 8" diameter so they still move a bit) and see what happens.

Their roots started to break off about two weeks after I got them. Shrimps are grazing on the roots and under the leaves all the time.

I'll throw one or two in my spec to see what happens there. Thanks a lot for your help.



default said:


> i grew them in the spec before i sold the unit. it was doing great - too good at some times, it would cover up the entire tank withing a week or two. they dont mind flow, the ones i gave you last time was from my high tech tank and they were both flying around when water levels were low and completely still when water levels were high. however i do find they are cleaner when they move around - harder for debris to settle?
> and yea there was no need to clean, i cleaned them for you like how i do basically all my plants before selling or giving away. but in your case about the containment with the airline tubing, i would probably loosen it up alittle, let them move gently, might help - how the roots doing anyways? i trimmed them before i gave it to you, but i find the plants show signs when the roots stop growing or starts melting, as those frogbits i gave you got trimmed almost 5 times within 2 months as the roots just kept growing and almost clogged my koralia.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

No worries. But now I know why the frogbit did so poorly in my 30 G tank ! It has a low hood, tight, with one tube at the back.. the front of the tank gets next to no light, and the pump keeps the plants going in circles, but they tend to bunch up at the front. Oddly, some of them do very well despite this, but frogbit was not one of those. They dwindled and nearly died. Now they're in the 5G with the clamp lamp, they flourish.. and it blows my mind how fast they covered the total surface of that tank. In fact, the day I noticed how thick they had gotten, I was looking at the water and thinking, gee, it's looking really cloudy.. I wonder why ? That tank has always been like crystal clear. It was the frogbit roots.. so many of them with such fine hairs they made the water look cloudy ! But I really like them, they look great and the shrimp and fish love them.

I have also come to the conclusion that the brownish/purplish markings on the leaves are the result of the higher light levels in my 5G tank. It is the only real difference between the larger tank and the small one. It makes sense.. many plants exhibit redness or other colourations under more intense lighting.


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