FAQs on Limnobium, Amazon Frogbit for the Planted Aquarium Related Articles:

Frog bit question      5/3/17
Hi,
I have a 26gal. bow front high tank with three schools of tetras, 10 each (emperor, rummy nose, and neon) and three Corydoras. A few of the female emperors are being bullied a little, and look like they want hide near the
top of the tank. I'd like to get some frog bit for them, but I've tried it in the past and haven't had much luck with it, even though it's supposed to be easy.
<Does sometimes depend on the batch, to be honest.>
At one time I had yoyo loaches, and I discovered they were eating it, but they are gone now. The other possible issue is that I have an aqua clear hang on filter, and I read that it can disturb the floating plants. I don't want to change the filtration. My water parameters are soft and 6.4 pH.
Would it be worthwhile to try frog bit again? Anything I can do to help it grow? I have led lighting.
Thanks for your time!
Christine
<Good lighting, fresh flow of air through the hood, and nothing damaging the roots (such as herbivorous fish) all seem to be keys. Would also be aware of allopathy -- some combinations of plant species don't work, for reasons not fully understood. Good luck, Neale.>
Re: Frog bit question      5/4/17
Thank you! I'll give it another shot.
C.
<Good luck. One my favourite species, though like you, I've found it hit-and-miss at times. Cheers, Neale.>

Duckweed or Frog bits      4/20/14
Hello:
<Judy,>
I am trying to decide on an easy plant for the aquarium.
<Choosing such is a common problem for many aquarists.>
I have two angelfish, a group of emperor tetras, a few swordfish and a Bristlenose in the 75 gallon. I had Indian Fern before and bit by bit it just got sucked up into the filter until it was gone.
<Curious.>
I was thinking Duckweed, but I heard angelfish eat them or Frog bits.
<Duckweed won't ever be eliminated by the Angels, and I'd be surprised if they ate very much of them at all (Angels are more or less entirely predators in the wild, primarily taking insect larvae). While they might peck at Lemna spp. while foraging, I'd be surprised if they actually ate the stuff with much enthusiasm.>
The fish I have may eat the roots of the frog bit.
<Actually less of a problem than you'd expect, assuming the Amazon Frogbit is growing reasonably briskly. I have kept this species with herbivorous fish, such as Ameca splendens, which really does eat Frogbit roots and Indian Fern leaves, and up to a point, the Frogbit in particular persisted fairly well. Unless the roots are totally eaten away, it seems to manage okay, and all I did was remove moth-eaten specimens, leaving the numerous daughter plants to take their place. None of your fish are anything like as herbivorous as Ameca splendens, so should be fine. Swordtails are algae eaters to a degree, but they don't eat (healthy) plants so far as I know.>
I have an empty 10 gallon to maybe keep growing the duckweed in to replace what is eaten. Just wondering what is the best to get. I like a floating shade plant.
<Any of the choices you mention is viable. Growing something like Indian Fern in the spare tank, perhaps on a windowsill, then dumping clumps in the Angel tank would be a nice idea. Just sometimes it fails to take, either getting clogged up with blue-green algae or else just going brown and falling apart, bit by bit. Duckweed is easy to grow, but difficult to
remove if you change your mind, and it can be a menace to some types of filter because it's so small. Strong water currents can submerge individual plants, pushing them down towards the filter inlet where they clog the inlet grille. On the other hand, few plants are as authentic as Duckweed, and in tanks with gentle water currents it adds a nice thick layer of green, and growing so fast that you can physically remove nitrate (yay!) on a daily basis if you want. Amazon Frogbit is a lovely plant, and always worth trying. It looks awesome in tanks that aren't too deep so the roots (over 20 cm/8 in given the chance) actually anchor in the sand, creating a really complex habitat that's perfectly suited to small fish and shrimps.
The only thing it hates is being burned or dried out, but provided your lights aren't right on top of the water, you should be okay.>
Thank you
<Duckweed is free, so a no-brainer if you're not too bothered about the hassle involved in removal. For the other two, trying them out is the best advice I can give! Cheers, Neale.>

Is this correct for Amazon Frogbit?      2/8/14 I just got in my Amazon Frogbit and placed it in the water today. Here is what it looks like under the water's surface. The roots are pointing down as they should be. Is the Frogbit supposed to look like this? Here is a picture of what it looks like on the surface. Is this what it is supposed to look like? <Photos are a bit small... but if it has round, coin-leaves that are spongy underneath, and it has feathery roots, it's Amazon Frogbit.> I got it inside a floating ring right now to protect it from my 30 gallon tank's strong current. The tank filter has a gph of about 100. The bulb they have for light is an Aqueon Floramax plant growth t-8 bulb of 15 watts and 18". The light system they have is a 24" strip light that only accepts t-8 bulbs. I have the bulb placed directly over the area the Frogbit is in. The Frogbit is about 4" from the light right now. There is a fan blowing to help vent the aquarium. There is 1 goldfish in the tank. <Will likely eat the roots, so wait a while for a decent sized clump, so any damage will be spread out.> The Frogbit is protected from the fish by a tank divider. Let me know if there is anything else I should be doing. Thank you. <Welcome, Neale.> Re: Is this correct for Amazon Frogbit?   /Ed Solt Yes Amazon fro bit is large in size looks like what you have.  As long as you have a divider you got this right. See my web site at www.gardenpondservice.com http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garden-pond-services/id402020472?mt=8#ls=1

Plant Update      2/8/14 Just wanted to give you an update on my plants to see what you think. Here is a photo of the Amazon Frogbit from the surface. I gave my plants a dose of liquid iron supplement. Seachem brand. That seemed to perk up all my plants. Here is a photo of the Sagittaria Subulata. The Sagittaria already had root tablet iron supplements going for them. But the additional liquid supplement seemed to help perk them up as well. Here is a picture of the Amazon frog bit from beneath the surface. <Do go easy with the fertilisers... can stimulate algae growth; use strictly as described on the packaging, and I'd use maybe 25% that dose while you only have a few, small plants. Ramp up to 50% then 100% dosage only once the plants get going.> Are there too many leaves under the water's surface? <Nope; will sort itself out.> Also that stream of bubbles in the background is my tank's outgoing water current. Just an example of how strong the current is, I think. Also you can clearly see the tank divider. I think the divider also offers some protection from the strong current. Combined with the floating ring I got going, the Frogbit should be fairly safe from the current. <Indeed.> Thank you. <Welcome, Neale.>

Frogbit and Feeding Rings    2/4/14
I have a strong current in my goldfish tank that causes the water to bob up and down. I plan to add Amazon Frogbit to the tank. Can I use floating feeding rings to keep the Amazon Frogbit from going under the water? Thank you.
<Unless the water current is insanely strong, there's no need. Frogbit has spongy, floaty leaves and will simply collect wherever the current pushes it. It is basically unsinkable. Cheers, Neale.>
re: Frogbit and Feeding Rings      2/5/14
Thank you Neale.
<Most welcome.>
Amazon Frogbit establishment time       2/6/14
How many weeks does Amazon Frogbit take to establish itself?
<Should settle down very quickly, and baby plants should be apparent after a week or two, assuming good lighting, etc. Everything is slower under weaker light. Cheers, Neale.>
re: Amazon Frogbit establishment time       2/6/14
Thank you Neale.
<Most welcome.>
Amazon Frogbit trimming?    2/16/14
Do you need to trim Amazon Frogbit? If so, how do you trim it?
<Not as such, no; you remove surplus plants and compost them or better
still give them to grateful aquarists! Cheers, Neale.>
re: Amazon Frogbit trimming?  2/17/14
Thank you Neale.
<Most welcome.>

Amazon Frogbit  5/11/10
Good morning crew,
<Hello,>
As you guys suggested, I obtained some Amazon Frogbit in an attempt to control my brown algae.
<Yep, can help.>
I wasn't able to locate any Indian Fern.
<Do keep looking for this.>
So, in the tank goes the Frogbit and for whatever reason (surface water turbulence, ARO eating it?)
<The roots are certainly edible, and some fish will eat them, eventually killing the plant. Does need good, strong light.>
over the two month period its been in there, the population has decreased.
<Oh.>
Last weekend I fashioned a separate sump to contain the Frogbit and provide it with its own light source on a timer. The light came from a time when I had a salt water Refugium with Macro Algae and it worked great with that application.
<Can work.>
My questions are these:
1)Is Frogbit typically considered a fast growing plant?
<Yes.>
2)Any idea how fast?
<Difficult to say, but an established, healthy plant will be adding new leaves every few days.>
3)How many hours a day is it safe to leave the light on.
<10-12 usually works fine for most plants.>
As always,
Thank you,
Pat
<Cheers, Neale.>