# Dying amazon frogbit



## Daximus

Lack of nutrients? Any fish in the tank? High light or low light? Does this happen after the Excell dosing? Too many water changes?


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## FriendsNotFood

I dose a ton of ferts... macros and micros, both liquid and root tabs, the only thing I don't dose is nitrate because it's already high. There's a bunch of fish and shrimp in the tank... they get fed plenty. Is there such a thing as too MUCH nutrients in the water? Oh and what's wrong with water changes? 

I can't even grow algae in this tank ): Probably the first time anyone's been sad about that.


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## Daximus

FriendsNotFood said:


> I dose a ton of ferts... macros and micros, both liquid and root tabs, the only thing I don't dose is nitrate because it's already high. There's a bunch of fish and shrimp in the tank... they get fed plenty. Is there such a thing as too MUCH nutrients in the water? Oh and what's wrong with water changes?
> 
> I can't even grow algae in this tank ): Probably the first time anyone's been sad about that.


Lol! I was just asking questions. My first thought was lack of nutrients. Like, if you had a tank without fish and were not dosing that might explain the issue. Nothing wrong with water changes, I was just brainstorming. 

Hmm, well it's probably not Co2, you have light, you have ferts...maybe the Excell? Are you dosing it exactly right? Too much can have an impact on some plants.


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## Monster Fish

How's your lighting?


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## Warlock

i use the EBI Fluval Shrimp tank with stock light..

forgbit goes NUTS!!

then i have some in 29g with 8k light and water filled about half way.. it does not do as well.. more current/movement due to sponge filters when compared to fluval nano filter in shrimp tank..


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## jsuereth

Do you have plants in the tank> The death of the frog bite could be a "good thing" (tm). 

If your plants in the tank become well established, they can kill off floating plants in the tank. This is the sign of a more mature aquarium. I've lost all the duckweed in my tanks currently, but want to pick some more up for the tank I'm starting. 

Basically, rooted plants *can* pull nutrients from the substrate, but they will prefer pulling from the water-column. It's a competition thing.


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## somewhatshocked

That's only going to happen if there aren't enough nutrients in the water column for the floating plant to absorb. And if that's the case, more can easily be added.



jsuereth said:


> If your plants in the tank become well established, they can kill off floating plants in the tank. This is the sign of a more mature aquarium.


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## Capsaicin_MFK

I asked somewhatshocked why my frogbit is dying and he told me it doesn't like surface movement. My tank has lots of surface breakage which means no floaters for me... :-C


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## jsuereth

Ah, that's another good reason . Sometimes though, plants will just fail to do well. There've been some interesting studies on allelopathy. If a plant is doing poorly in a tank, with no reasonable explanation, I'd just try a different plant, or get a different tank.


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## FriendsNotFood

Does anyone know if frogbit benefits from CO2 at all? Does it grow bigger with CO2 injection? Or does it get CO2 primarily from the atmosphere?


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## GeToChKn

ya tanks that stay still seem to do the best. My dwarf frog tank, it grows like crazy, ironically enough. lol.


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## shrimpzoo

I got my Frog bit from GeToChKn and it arrived in great condition.

But after a few weeks it started to deteriorate in my new tank (I upgraded from 5.5gal to 10gal). But after dosing some Seachem Flourish Comprehensive and adding some water lettuce and bacopa australis as floaters the frog bit started to thrive and become greener and grow its roots back..

So I really do believe in the concept "allelopathy" because the Frog bit also did well when I had duckweed (in my 5.5 gal). After I isolated the duckweed, things started going downhill for my frog bit in the new tank.

I'd say get some cheap water lettuce or try some different combos like jsuereth said. I say give it some time. It took me 6 weeks to realize the frog bit was making a come back.

p.s: my tank doesn't have CO2 so I don't think it is necessary. and oh, I also raised my lights a bit higher from the frog bit because I thought my lights might be melting it. Try raising your lights higher and see if it makes a difference.

and HAH turns out you were in that thread too XD http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/159196-advice-ferts-amazon-frogbit.html


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## FriendsNotFood

Haha I had the opposite experience from you shrimpzu... or maybe it was a complementary experience? My frogbit started dying off in my 2.5 gallon after I added red root floaters. Those are long gone now since they didn't make it either, but the frogbit never bounced back.


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## shrimpzoo

lol I actually wanted some red root floaters. Couldn't find a provider in my area though ): got me some water lettuce and bacopa australis instead (which I am happy with now).

But, sorry to hear about your 2 floaters. Did you want them cause you liked them? or did you just need a floater plant? Because if you are looking for a floater plant you could try water lettuce or greater duckweed if you want. Just know that duckweed will overtake your tank (so consider water lettuce THEN greater duck weed) besides greater duck weed is KINDA like frog bit.

Best of luck to you.


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## FriendsNotFood

There's always someone selling red root floaters on this forum, not sure how shipping to Canada works though. I've also read they need CO2.

I liked the floaters, my fish and shrimp LOVED the floaters, but I'm mostly wondering if killing off amazon frogbit is just a symptom of something else I'm doing wrong in my tanks. I've only been in this hobby for a couple years and I killed many anubias before so I'll take any chance to learn (;


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## Miles

I had frogbit under 2 t5's (like, 1.5 inches away) and I think the light was too high, cause it made the plant turn brown and get small


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## Miles

Wait you've killed anubias? If you've killed anubias something is horribly wrong lol


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## Postal Penguin

FriendsNotFood said:


> Does anyone know if frogbit benefits from CO2 at all? Does it grow bigger with CO2 injection? Or does it get CO2 primarily from the atmosphere?


It does amazingly better with CO2. I have one tank with CO2 injection and a single convict, the frogbit grows huge, petals about the size of quarters to half dollars and roots that are about 6-12" long. I throw about a gallons worth away a week.

In another tank that gets the exact same water, has a higher stocking but no CO2, the frogbit leaves are tiny and there are almost no roots. The frogbit also doesn't seem to grow but just persist. 

That to me makes me think that its either the lower pH due to the CO2 or the CO2 itself.


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## FriendsNotFood

That makes sense. That's what I have, tiny leaves and barely any roots. When my tank was first set up it was growing like crazy with huge leaves and super long roots. I guess there's something about a new tank/new soil that provides CO2? Tons of new water maybe?


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## ykh

my experience is that frogbits thrive in open top tanks.


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## TWA

My experience is that amazon frogbit thriving in aquariums is just a myth.

I can't grow it either, I don't even get that far, mine dies before it takes off.


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## shrimpster

I have some frogbit in both open and closed top aquariums. It is growing at about the same rate. I also have some dwarf water lettuce in them as well. No co2 or ferts (they're shrimp-only tanks) and they have surface breakage from aeration. Maybe it is a pH issue?


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## FriendsNotFood

Could be pH, the pH in all my tanks is pretty high. Interesting.


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## somewhatshocked

As has been discussed previously in this thread, Amazon Frogbit will die for these reasons: too much flow, lack of lighting, lack of available nutrients in your water column. Those are the top three reasons, really.



TWA said:


> My experience is that amazon frogbit thriving in aquariums is just a myth.
> 
> I can't grow it either, I don't even get that far, mine dies before it takes off.


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## s_s

I drip acclimated some new fish yesterday and came back from work today to find about half my frogbit is dead. Problem: water change 2 days ago left the water level a bit lower and dripping yesterday lowered it even more. And I don't think the frogbit liked the extra splashing caused by my HOB filter. 

So, I picked out he dead stuff and roped in the new stuff with a spare piece of airtube I had. We'll see how it grows. 

If you don't think it can grow, you probably just have too much surface agitation.


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## CorrinaCorrina

I have the same problem in my SPEC. I have it completely open, been running since Jan and the frogbit is hanging in there but not at all like I want it to. About a month ago the roots got really long and it looked super happy, then suddenly, without warning, it is getting worse. 

I have no heat in the tank and that was about the time that the AC was turned on in the office... do you think that may be hurting me? Does it need a specific heat level? I also don't dose, I have a beta and some MTS use spec stock lighting and have removed the pumpline on the filter so it won't agitate the surface (beta doesn't like it either.) There is still flow so no stagnation... I don't know what to do! I will try ferts this week... if you think a heater will help let me know, I will try anything (short of CO2 ha!)


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## George_87

First time poster... I've got an aquanano 40 55l tank I've been running around 3 months now. The frogbit went in around week 2 and from 4 plants the size of a 50p and roots 1" long, it went mad, took over half the tank and the roots must have been at least 12"... My vallis wasn't looking too good, so replaced it with Hygrophila Polysperma and since then the frogbit has completely died off! From flourishing to the point I've completely removed it cause it was dying off so quickly. Any suggestions?! If I buy some more in?


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## Zapins

George_87 said:


> First time poster... I've got an aquanano 40 55l tank I've been running around 3 months now. The frogbit went in around week 2 and from 4 plants the size of a 50p and roots 1" long, it went mad, took over half the tank and the roots must have been at least 12"... My vallis wasn't looking too good, so replaced it with Hygrophila Polysperma and since then the frogbit has completely died off! From flourishing to the point I've completely removed it cause it was dying off so quickly. Any suggestions?! If I buy some more in?


It will be a lot easier to help you figure out the plant issue you have if you start your own help thread in the Plants section with some close up photographs of the affected plants and add more info about any fertilizing you are doing (used what and how much) and setup. There are many similar looking possibilities that need to be worked through.


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## ikuzo

somewhatshocked said:


> As has been discussed previously in this thread, Amazon Frogbit will die for these reasons: too much flow, lack of lighting, lack of available nutrients in your water column. Those are the top three reasons, really.


totally agreed here
mine yellowed and wither because of nutrients lacking

i have a "recovery bucket" with high nutrient compost inside to recover damaged frogbit. kinda just in case i need frogbit backup


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## Zapins

This thread is a 2+year old zombie thread.


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