Hey everyone,
I've recently added some amazon frogbit and salvinia to my tank, and I'm really happy with how they're looking - the fish seem to love them too.
The roots are growing like crazy though - 7 inches in under a week is pretty impressive. I'm not sure if I need to prune them or if I can just leave them be. To be honest, I'm not a fan of pruning and the whole idea behind my tank is to keep things natural and rustic. I've got bacopas growing all over the place and it's got a great, wild look to it. I'd only prune the frogbit if it's absolutely necessary.
Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
Re: Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
I only tidy up the tank when my fish start swimming up to the glass, looking like they're asking for a pruning session, which is basically never, given my whole 'wild jungle' vibe.
Re: Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
I've never been one for pruning roots, to be honest. I think it's best to leave them be. The roots are where the plant absorbs nutrients and releases oxygen, after all. I've noticed that even with the same species, floating plant roots can vary greatly from tank to tank - it's clear they're adapting to their environment. My take is, let them be. And as others have mentioned, the fish seem to enjoy browsing through the roots - it's just their natural behavior.
Re: Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
Not touching them, the salvinia roots are going crazy now - it's all looking amazing. Been meaning to share some pics of my tank, it's a mess but I love it. Finally got a decent one with all seven barbs in it.
Planning on getting a few more bacopas once I figure out the exact type - the one growing out of the driftwood is taking over, haha. Also considering another crypt for the bottom right, just need to ID the strain first.
Planning on getting a few more bacopas once I figure out the exact type - the one growing out of the driftwood is taking over, haha. Also considering another crypt for the bottom right, just need to ID the strain first.
Re: Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
I've never tried pruning roots, but I would suggest leaving them. I've actually had experience with pruning roots on various plants - Anubias, Crypts, Blue Stricta, Water Sprite, Banana Lilly, and Vals, all without any negative impact. I'd like to propose a little experiment: try pruning 50% of the roots on one of your frogbit plants, then put it back in the tank. I'm confident they'll grow back quickly. I recall when I got this particular Crypt, I trimmed a whopping 75% of its roots, and it didn't harm the plant one bit.
Re: Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
Honestly, I'm really fond of the look right now - those tiny 'hairs' give the frogbit a lovely conical shape. If I trim the length, it'd be a bit of a nightmare to keep the shape, I'd basically have to give it a regular haircut.
Re: Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
Trimming roots on plants like swords and crypts during planting or transplanting is one thing, but constantly cutting roots off floating plants is another story altogether. I wouldn't go pulling up substrate-rooted plants just to trim the roots, and while I'm not saying cutting roots on floating plants is particularly bad, it just doesn't seem necessary and will likely affect the plant's response in some way.
I had an interesting experience with Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes). In my tanks with fish, the roots only grew down about 3-5 inches. But in my 20g QT tank, which was empty of fish at the time, the roots grew all the way down to the substrate and the water was thick with them. It seems like without fish present, the plants will grow longer roots and leaves to take up more nutrients when they're scarce. I've seen similar behavior with Water Sprite, where the roots grow longer in some tanks compared to others, and it seems to be related to the organics and nutrients from the fish load.
I had an interesting experience with Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes). In my tanks with fish, the roots only grew down about 3-5 inches. But in my 20g QT tank, which was empty of fish at the time, the roots grew all the way down to the substrate and the water was thick with them. It seems like without fish present, the plants will grow longer roots and leaves to take up more nutrients when they're scarce. I've seen similar behavior with Water Sprite, where the roots grow longer in some tanks compared to others, and it seems to be related to the organics and nutrients from the fish load.
Re: Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
I reckon those roots growing like crazy in under a week could be down to a lack of ammonium, eh? Guess that's proof my tank's cycled, right?
But seriously, it's worth keeping in mind that just because the roots are going wild, it doesn't necessarily mean the plants are thriving. I mean, the leaves are looking healthy, and new ones are sprouting, so that's a good sign, right?
But seriously, it's worth keeping in mind that just because the roots are going wild, it doesn't necessarily mean the plants are thriving. I mean, the leaves are looking healthy, and new ones are sprouting, so that's a good sign, right?
Re: Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
It seems like the root length could indeed be related to nutrient levels. I recall a similar experience with my QT tank where the roots of the Water Lettuce grew down to the substrate when there were no fish present. This led me to believe that the plants were trying to compensate for the lack of nutrients.
It makes sense that fast-growing plants like floaters would take up a lot of ammonia/ammonium. I've had discussions with experts in the field, and they've confirmed that it's unlikely for ammonia levels to increase beyond what the plants can handle, given the natural processes occurring in a well-maintained tank.
Just because the roots are long, it doesn't necessarily mean the plants are thriving. However, in this case, the leaves are looking healthy and sprouting new ones, which is a good sign.
It makes sense that fast-growing plants like floaters would take up a lot of ammonia/ammonium. I've had discussions with experts in the field, and they've confirmed that it's unlikely for ammonia levels to increase beyond what the plants can handle, given the natural processes occurring in a well-maintained tank.
Just because the roots are long, it doesn't necessarily mean the plants are thriving. However, in this case, the leaves are looking healthy and sprouting new ones, which is a good sign.
Re: Growing amazon frogbit roots successfully
Pulling up substrate-rooted plants to cut the roots back isn't something I'd recommend. Who would even suggest doing that?
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