DESCRIPTION:
Amazon Frogbit is a hardy, durable, easy-care, free-floating aquatic plant that is popular for freshwater aquariums and ponds. It is native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, where it grows naturally in ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers. In aquariums, it is prized for its ornamental value and its ability to provide shade and cover for aquatic creatures. The plant features rosettes of round to oval-shaped leaves that float on the water’s surface and characterized by its circular, lily pad-like leaves. Each leaf is attached to the plant by a slender stem, allowing it to float freely. Amazon Frogbit also produces small white flowers with yellow centers, though flowering is less common in aquarium settings.

Overall, Amazon Frogbit is a popular and attractive floating plant that adds beauty and natural aesthetics to aquariums and ponds. With its ease of care and beneficial properties, it is a valuable addition to freshwater environments for both hobbyists and aquatic creatures alike.

CHARACTARISTICS:

• Amazon Frogbit is known for its rapid growth rate, making it an effective natural water purifier and nutrient absorber (denitrification) in aquatic environments.
• Its root system consists of fine, branching roots that hang down into the water column, providing additional surface area for nutrient absorption.
• This plant is adaptable to a wide range of water parameters and lighting conditions, making it suitable for both low-tech and high-tech aquarium setups.
• Amazon Frogbit is a hardy plant that requires minimal maintenance once established, though regular pruning (by removal) may be necessary to prevent overcrowding and maintain water flow. (see How to Dispose of Aquatic Plants)

IDENTIFICATION:

• Amazon Frogbit can be identified by its floating rosettes of round to oval-shaped leaves and slender stems. The leaves are typically bright green in color, though variations may occur, and have a smooth, waxy texture.
  
• Size: Leaves typically range from 1 to 3 inches in diameter per individual rosette.
• Each leaf is attached to the plant by a thin, translucent stem that allows it to float on the water’s surface.
• The plant’s root system consists of fine, branching roots that hang down into the water column, providing additional stability and nutrient absorption.
• Plant origination: Native to Central and South America.

• Great for both beginner and expert aquarists
• Optimal growing conditions:
• Minimum tank size: Small to large aquariums
• Tank placement: Floating on the water surface
• How to plant: Simply let it float on the water surface
• Growth rate: Moderate to fast
• USDA hardiness zone: Not applicable (aquatic plant)

• Temperature range: 64°F to 84°F
• pH range: 6.0 to 7.5
• gH range: 4 to 8
• Lighting: Amazon Frogbit thrives in moderate to high lighting conditions but can also tolerate lower light levels. Providing at least 2-3 watts per gallon of full-spectrum lighting is recommended for optimal growth. 
• Nutrient requirements: Low to moderate
• CO2 demands: Low

MAINTENANCE: 

• The larger leaves and plant pods of Frogbit make this an easy plant to manage and remove the excess growth. 
• Remove excess growth regularly to prevent overcrowding and shading of other plants. 
• Regularly thinning out the floating mat can encourage the growth of new plants. 
• PLEASE DO NOT dispose of aquatic plants and livestock by dumping them down your toilet or sink drains. Nor in rivers, streams, or open waters. Please use proper methods and precautions. Thank you!!! 
• Read “Disposal of Aquarium and Pond Aquatic Plants”

PROPAGATION: Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) can propagate readily through several methods:

1. Runners: Amazon Frogbit produces daughter plants, also known as stolons, pods, runners, or offsets, that break off from the parent plant and float to the surface. These daughter plants develop their own root system and continue to grow independently. 
2. Division: Mature Amazon Frogbit pods can be divided by gently separating the daughter plants from the parent plant. Carefully untangle the roots and separate individual rosettes, ensuring that each division has a portion of the root system attached. These divisions can then be replanted elsewhere in the aquarium, in other aquariums or ponds, or shared with other hobbyists.
3. Propagation from Leaf Cuttings: While less common, Amazon Frogbit can also be propagated from leaf cuttings. Simply cut off a healthy leaf with a portion of the stem attached and float it on the water’s surface. Given time, new roots will develop from the stem, and a new plant will form.
4. Natural Fragmentation: Amazon Frogbit can naturally fragment as part of its growth process. This can occur due to physical disturbances or environmental factors. Fragments of the plant can float to the surface and establish themselves as new plants given suitable conditions.
5. Sexually, through flower pollination and seed production: Seeds germinate in about a week and should be sown on the surface of the water in shallow containers, and then transferred to larger containers, or when they have developed one set of leaves, they may be planted on water surfaces as a floating plant.

Overall, Amazon Frogbit is a prolific propagator, and maintaining its growth may require periodic thinning to prevent overcrowding in the aquarium. By utilizing these propagation methods, aquarists can expand their Amazon Frogbit population or share the plant with other enthusiasts.

GROWTH: Fast-growing under ideal conditions; slow-growing when conditions are less than optimal

• Placement: Water surface to grow as a floating plant in slow moving waters.
• Planting: Frogbit is a versatile plant, as it can be grown as either a floating plant, or you may plant its roots into the substrate and it can grow from the bottom of the tank or natural mud-bottom pond.
• The floating pods provide a natural cover to protect fish from the sun and predators. When grown as a floating plant, the trailing roots may provide shelter for fry and shrimp.

• Observe the roots: shorter, bushy roots are signs of healthy roots that are getting enough nutrients in the water column. Longer, trailing roots are signs that the roots are seeking a source of nutrients and it may be time to add liquid fertilizer to the water column, or signs that it’s time to thin out some plants if any are overgrown.

• Fertilizing Needs: Does not normally require additional aquatic plant fertilizers. But they might help this plant to flourish in aquariums with no natural nutrients in the water.
• The leaves of the plants should lay prostrate on the surface of the water. If the leaves begin to curl downward, this is typically a sign of overcrowding.

PESTS AND DISEASES: None serious.

• Some aquatic snail species enjoy the soft, spongy underside of the leaves. You can reduce this issue by keeping the plants away from the sides of the tank and more toward the middle.

DISADVANTAGES

• The most notable disadvantage is, if left unmanaged, frogbit can quickly overrun 100% of the water surface of an aquarium or pond, reducing gas-exchange and preventing light from reaching beneath, which hinders or stops photosynthesis from occurring in the plants beneath.
• Additionally, overcrowding can lead to unhealthy plants, decaying and moldy plant matter, which in turn increases ammonia and surplus nutrients.
• Intense nutrient uptake from the water column can starve all other plants.
• Water droplets on top of leaves can cause the leaves and plants to rot. Keep the tops of the leaves dry and away from filters or fast waters.