Amazon Frogbit
Limnobium laevigatum
A popular floating plant with rounded leaves and long trailing roots that shade the tank, soak up excess nutrients and starve algae.
| Care Difficulty | Beginner |
| Lighting | Low to Medium |
| CO2 Requirement | Not required |
| Growth Rate | Fast |
| Placement | Floating |
Overview
Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) is a popular floating plant with rounded leaves and long trailing roots that shade the tank, soak up excess nutrients and starve algae. It is a beginner-level aquarium plant, making it a great choice for beginners and low-tech tanks.
This guide covers how to grow Amazon Frogbit successfully - its appearance and growth habit, lighting needs, whether it needs CO2, fertilising, planting and placement, propagation, and the common problems to avoid.
Appearance & Growth Habit
A popular floating plant with rounded leaves and long trailing roots that shade the tank, soak up excess nutrients and starve algae.
It is a fast grower used in the floating of the aquascape. Fast growth means regular trimming, but it also makes the plant a powerful nutrient sponge that helps starve out algae.
Lighting Requirements
Amazon Frogbit grows best under low to medium lighting. Low to medium light keeps it healthy without fuelling algae, so a basic quality LED is plenty.
Run lights on a timer for about 6-8 hours a day. Longer photoperiods usually feed algae rather than plants, so increase duration cautiously and watch for any green film.
CO2 & Fertilisation
CO2: Not required. It grows perfectly well without pressurised CO2, which makes it ideal for low-tech setups.
Dose a balanced liquid fertiliser (such as API Leaf Zone) for water-column nutrients. Yellowing, holes or stunted leaves usually signal a nutrient deficiency, not disease.
Planting & Placement
As a floating plant, simply rest it on the water surface - do not plant it. Keep some surface flow low so it is not constantly pushed underwater, and thin it so light still reaches plants below.
Propagation
It multiplies rapidly by sending out daughter plants on runners - simply separate and remove the excess to control it.
Sharing trimmings is part of the fun of the hobby - one healthy plant can fill a tank and stock several more over time.
Common Problems
The most common issue is algae on the leaves, which points to too much light, too few nutrients or weak flow rather than a fault with the plant. Melting (leaves dissolving) after planting is normal as it converts to underwater growth - keep conditions stable and new growth follows.
Keep light, CO2 and fertilisation consistent, remove dying leaves promptly, and avoid burying the crown or rhizome of plants that grow from one.
Is Amazon Frogbit Right for Your Tank?
Amazon Frogbit is an easy, rewarding plant that suits almost any freshwater tank, including beginner and low-tech setups. Combine it with our other plant and aquascaping guides to build a lush, balanced planted aquarium.