Can't keep frogbit alive/green

[bettabrat]

Most people seem to have an issue with this crap over populating their tanks and blocking all the light. I can't keep any of it green or alive! What am I doing wrong? Is my lighting too strong? 2 x 40w plant lights hang over my 2 x 10g shrimp tanks (planted) and a 5g hex (planted) w/or w/out lids the outcome is always the same...wilted, yellowed w/brown spots, and they slowly die off. *sigh* :headshake2:

[red_wall]

Maybe it's them getting used to your tank?
Dieing off, then coming back?

[Hooked Newbie]

My guess would be too much light or too few water borne nutrients. Probably a combination of the two. Do you add any ferts? How long are your lights on per day?

[bettabrat]

Somewhere between 8-10 hrs a day sometimes more if I am fiddling in the tanks. No I have shrimp and snails I don't add anything to the water. Can you recommend something invert safe?

[Bk718]

From personal experience with frogbit and red root floaters, mine grew extra well when there was:
1- good light (which you have)
2- abundance of nutrients
3- open top tanks
4- 0 surface movement

It was amazing to see how the addition of glass versa top on my tank destroyed a large amount of the floaters. Seems as though they are not getting any air circulation and perhaps the light is slightly blocked by the glass itself. I now keep my water level about 3" lower from the rim and keep the back of the versa tops open.

[bettabrat]

From personal experience with frogbit and red root floaters, mine grew extra well when there was:
1- good light (which you have)
2- abundance of nutrients
3- open top tanks
4- 0 surface movement

It was amazing to see how the addition of glass versa top on my tank destroyed a large amount of the floaters. Seems as though they are not getting any air circulation and perhaps the light is slightly blocked by the glass itself. I now keep my water level about 3" lower from the rim and keep the back of the versa tops open.

I have a bit of surface movement it keeps the floaters in the right corner of the tank, duckweed grows like mad :mad2: I try and keep the tank tops off during the day because they are just dingy plexi-tops anyway they serve 1 purpose and that is to keep the bird-a-zoid out of the tanks and I guess it cuts down on noise at night. I assume my nutrients might be an issue...but unsure what to supplement w/since it's a shrimp tank. Maybe I should move the frogbit into a tank w/more nutrients...but then lighting becomes a factor. Grr!

[Hooked Newbie]

I've used Flourish in my shrimp tanks in the past with no ill effects.

[shawnhu]

I have floaters in all my tanks, but there is one particular tank that really takes off. That tank has a high bio-load, and a HOB filter. There is water movement, but not much. They are all the same size tanks, running the same lights. I really do think that it has to do with the nutrients available. The high bio-load in this tank supports these nutrient hogs.

[mellowvision]

yup. especially with high light, they need lots of nutrients.