Question on my frogbit

[AlexT]

I wanted to know what to make of the brown markings?

Are they a sign of deficiency? Or are they some kind of a pattern to do with a certain variety of frogbit?
Most of them have roots, and some have really long roots. I can't get a decent picture of the roots as they are bunched in with my elodea densa at the moment.

You might be able to see them, but I've got loads of baby frogbit. I thought it was duckweed but it has little roots. So not duckweed?

Thank you.

 

[Byron]

That is Frogbit. The brown/yellow leaves will die off, I had a fair bit of this with mine but it was the temperate species. As long as you are using a comprehensive fertilizer (liquid) it should be OK. Mine kept growing and growing, in spite of the yellowing leaves that I removed at each water change if they look really finished.

 

[AlexT]

That is Frogbit. The brown/yellow leaves will die off, I had a fair bit of this with mine but it was the temperate species. As long as you are using a comprehensive fertilizer (liquid) it should be OK. Mine kept growing and growing, in spite of the yellowing leaves that I removed at each water change if they look really finished.

Thank you. I was thinking about the thin brown markings? Just part of the normal colouring? I'm still using the TNC light once per week as instructed on the bottle.

 

[powerdyne6]

At every water change I will remove any brown/yellow leaves from my tank.

Plus I always need to remove a couple handfuls as my floaters are growing like crazy

 

[Byron]

Thank you. I was thinking about the thin brown markings? Just part of the normal colouring? I'm still using the TNC light once per week as instructed on the bottle.

I wouldn't worry about the markings. Here's a photo from Tropica that has similar.

 

[StevenF]

brown dying leaves is caused by a nutrient deficiency likely nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, phosphate, chlorine, molybdenum or nickel. These nutrients are mobil nutrients. When one of them is in short supply the plant strips the nutrient from the old leaves and then moves them to support new growth. The old leaves then die. check your nitrate and GH. If your nitrate is not zero you don't have a nitrogen deficiency. The GH test measures overall magnesium and calcium levels. But it doesn't tell you if the deficiency is calcium or magnesium. if it is very low add just enough CH booster to increase GH by one degree GH. that is more than enough calcium and magnesium to solve a magnesium deficiency. Or instead of a GH booster you can do a large water change there is GH in tap water. And if you do a 50% water change once a week you might avoid this issue.

Auto the blue lines,,, i believe that is also a nutrient deficiency but I don't know which nutrient causes it. Healthy floatingpalnts will not loose there leaves. But many have this problem with them even if they are using a fertilizer. Most fertilizers don't have any an calcium and or only have trace nutrient levels of calcium and magnesium However calcium and magnesium are macro nutrients and plants require much more than trace levels of each.

 

[AlexT]

brown dying leaves is caused by a nutrient deficiency likely nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, phosphate, chlorine, molybdenum or nickel. These nutrients are mobil nutrients. When one of them is in short supply the plant strips the nutrient from the old leaves and then moves them to support new growth. The old leaves then die. check your nitrate and GH. If your nitrate is not zero you don't have a nitrogen deficiency. The GH test measures overall magnesium and calcium levels. But it doesn't tell you if the deficiency is calcium or magnesium. if it is very low add just enough CH booster to increase GH by one degree GH. that is more than enough calcium and magnesium to solve a magnesium deficiency. Or instead of a GH booster you can do a large water change there is GH in tap water. And if you do a 50% water change once a week you might avoid this issue.

Auto the blue lines,,, i believe that is also a nutrient deficiency but I don't know which nutrient causes it. Healthy floatingpalnts will not loose there leaves. But many have this problem with them even if they are using a fertilizer. Most fertilizers don't have any an calcium and or only have trace nutrient levels of calcium and magnesium However calcium and magnesium are macro nutrients and plants require much more than trace levels of each.

Thank you. My nitrate always hovers around 10ppm and my GH is 5

 

[Byron]

Thank you. My nitrate always hovers around 10ppm and my GH is 5

The GH is more than sufficient. Mine was near zero (7 ppm or less than half 1 dH). A comprehensive supplement, like the TNC Lite, will be sufficient for nutrients. How often do they say to dose it?

Aquatic plants do not take up nitrate except under specific conditions which will not apply here. They use ammonia/ammonium. It takes plants about 24 hours to switch gears to use nitrate, and it is high energy because they have to convert the nitrate back into ammonium and plants do not do this unless everything else is available.

 

[AlexT]

A comprehensive supplement, like the TNC Lite, will be sufficient for nutrients. How often do they say to dose it?

Once per week

 

[Naughts]

. I thought it was duckweed but it has little roots.

The small plant is duckweed, they do have roots. I'm guessing here but IME those with fertiliser grow short roots and those without grow longer roots to search out the nutrients.