advice on caring for my frogbit

[Lexat]

I'm curious about the brown markings on my frogbit - are they a sign of a nutrient deficiency or a natural pattern specific to a particular variety?

Most of the plants have developed roots, and some of those roots are quite long. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble getting a clear photo of the roots since they're currently tangled with my elodea densa.

If you take a closer look, you'll notice I have a lot of baby frogbit plants - initially, I thought they were duckweed, but they have tiny roots, so that rules that out, right?

[boomer]

You've got Frogbit on your hands. I had a similar experience with the temperate species, and I noticed the brown or yellow leaves would eventually die off. As long as you're using a well-rounded fertilizer, you should be in the clear. I had to remove the affected leaves during water changes, but my Frogbit just kept on growing.

[powerin]

I'll be taking out any brown or yellow leaves at each water change, just to keep things tidy. I'm also having to remove a fair amount of floaters regularly, they're growing like mad.

[boomer]

I'm curious about the brown markings on my frogbit - are they a sign of a nutrient deficiency or a natural pattern specific to a particular variety?

Most of the plants have developed roots, and some of those roots are quite long. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble getting a clear photo of the roots since they're currently tangled with my elodea densa.

If you take a closer look, you'll notice I have a lot of baby frogbit plants - initially, I thought they were duckweed, but they have tiny roots, so that rules that out, right?

Don't worry about those markings. I've seen similar on a photo from Tropica.

[shakinStevens]

Brown dying leaves on your floating plants usually point to a nutrient deficiency - likely one of the following: nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, phosphate, chlorine, molybdenum or nickel. These are all mobile nutrients, meaning when one is in short supply, the plant takes it from the old leaves to support new growth. The old leaves then die off.

To troubleshoot, check your nitrate and GH levels. If your nitrate isn't zero, you probably don't have a nitrogen deficiency. The GH test measures overall magnesium and calcium levels, but it won't pinpoint which one's deficient. If it's very low, adding a GH booster to increase the GH by one degree should be enough to solve a magnesium deficiency. Alternatively, a large water change can help, as tap water contains some GH.

As for the thin brown lines, I'm not sure which nutrient deficiency causes those, but I suspect it's related. Healthy floating plants shouldn't lose their leaves, but many people experience this issue even with fertilizers. Most fertilizers lack sufficient calcium and magnesium, which are macronutrients that plants need in higher quantities than just trace levels.

[boomer]

I'm curious about the brown markings on my frogbit - are they a sign of a nutrient deficiency or a natural pattern specific to a particular variety?

Most of the plants have developed roots, and some of those roots are quite long. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble getting a clear photo of the roots since they're currently tangled with my elodea densa.

If you take a closer look, you'll notice I have a lot of baby frogbit plants - initially, I thought they were duckweed, but they have tiny roots, so that rules that out, right?

The GH level you mentioned is perfectly fine. I've had issues in the past with my GH being extremely low, almost non-existent, and it caused problems for my plants. However, in your case, 5 dGH is more than sufficient.

I think a comprehensive supplement like TNC Lite should cover all the necessary nutrients for your plants. According to the instructions, how often are you supposed to dose it?

It's worth noting that aquatic plants don't typically use nitrate as a nitrogen source. They prefer ammonia or ammonium. Nitrate is only used under specific conditions, and even then, it's not the preferred source. Plants have to convert nitrate back into ammonium, which is an energy-intensive process, and they only do this when other sources are scarce.

[Snout]

I'm curious about the brown markings on my frogbit - are they a sign of a nutrient deficiency or a natural pattern specific to a particular variety?

Most of the plants have developed roots, and some of those roots are quite long. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble getting a clear photo of the roots since they're currently tangled with my elodea densa.

If you take a closer look, you'll notice I have a lot of baby frogbit plants - initially, I thought they were duckweed, but they have tiny roots, so that rules that out, right?

The small plant is indeed duckweed, and as you've observed, they do have roots. From my experience, I've noticed that duckweed with access to fertiliser tends to develop shorter roots, whereas those without fertiliser seem to grow longer roots, almost as if they're searching for nutrients.