# Duckweed - Will I regret it?



## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

So I was given some free duckweed today and I had really no idea what it was. I like the idea of floating plants in the tank, but apparently duckweed can become a nuisance. Anyone have tips or experience with it? Good or bad idea?

I'm about to set up my Fluval Ebi with Cabomba, Windelov, Marimos and some Java Fern...maybe duckweed?

Cheers.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

you can always scoop it out i guess if you dont like it

im interested how your cabomba will do, someone told me it wouldnt work in my ebi but i love the looks of it, went with limnophila aquatica instead

keep us posted


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## O.C.D Fishies (Apr 21, 2010)

I regretted it and now I can't get rid of it. It cuts down the amount of light that getts to the other plants but is a good nitrates sponge, this also may take all the nutrients away from your other plants.


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

I am concerned about the Cabomba as well. From my previous experience in another tank it needed a lot of light. The bottoms turned yellow and made a huge mess. Perhaps I'll start off with just a few stems. 

I'll let you know how it goes. I haven't done it yet


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

the duckweed can and will grow fast. if you decide you dont' want them in the future, it will be a bit of a hassle to completely rid it. depending on the type of filtration you're using, it may clog up the filter. you may but not limited to considering water lettuce or some other type of floating plant that are available. i just personally find the small duckweed a nuisance.

the Cabomba is a nitrate soaker as well. if you have duckweed and cabomba, then the duckweed will more likely survive and the cabomba turn into mush like hornwort.


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## TCR (Jul 13, 2010)

I have some frog bit if you want to try a floating plant that dosent get to out control.. But you have to come pick it up (free)


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

O.C.D Fishies said:


> I regretted it and now I can't get rid of it. It cuts down the amount of light that getts to the other plants but is a good nitrates sponge, this also may take all the nutrients away from your other plants.


Good point about blocking the light. If I say put in 10 leaves in how many will I have in a week? How does it propagate?



jobber604 said:


> the duckweed can and will grow fast. if you decide you dont' want them in the future, it will be a bit of a hassle to completely rid it. depending on the type of filtration you're using, it may clog up the filter. you may but not limited to considering water lettuce or some other type of floating plant that are available. i just personally find the small duckweed a nuisance.
> 
> the Cabomba is a nitrate soaker as well. if you have duckweed and cabomba, then the duckweed will more likely survive and the cabomba turn into mush like hornwort.


I was wondering about the filter sucking it up too, but duckweed doesn't sink...or does it? I will be using I think a Fluval Nano.

Hmm...maybe I'll grow the duckweed in a bucket or bowl for now and see how the Cabomba does first then. Thanks.



TCR said:


> I have some frog bit if you want to try a floating plant that dosent get to out control.. But you have to come pick it up (free)


Aldergrove is a little far for me  but thanks for the offer! Appreciate it.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

that's a good idea to try out the tank without the duckweed. see how the cabomba does. lots of floating plant choices and floating plants with cool and neat hanging roots 
wish i had some water lettuce to give to you.


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## lednail (Apr 22, 2010)

don't do it. It has weed in the name for a reason.


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## thefishwife (Apr 21, 2010)

I can't get enough duckweed , but that is what we feed our turtle she loves it!

So for me duckweed is not a nuisance, I just try to keep up with growing it for her.


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

lednail said:


> don't do it. It has weed in the name for a reason.


Indeed it does. Perhaps that should be enough


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## Jonnymoss (Dec 18, 2010)

its the devil!!! in aquatic plant form


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I have lots of duckweed, so feel free to come around and look at it. 

I recommend water lettuce as a floating plant, rather than duckweed. Shrimp love the trailing roots that water lettuce has, and it is a floating plant with larger leaves that doesn't multiply.

My duckweed multiplies very rapidly. I gave someone some water lettuce from one of my tanks and within a week, the entire tank was taken over by duckweed. The entire surface was covered. After a month, the duckweed can easily be an inch or more thick, a floating mat of little bits. Once it's in your tank, it's hard to get rid of.

That said, I like duckweed even though I have to scoop it out with every water change. It's pretty and I think that fish appreciate the shade. Endler fry like to swim in it. 

I found that adding water lettuce and duckweed to my Ebi cast quite a lot of shadow, and I ended up doubling the light and removing some of the floating plants. There's not a lot of surface area in the Ebi and if you add duckweed, it will be covered quite quickly. Somehow, it spreads from tank to tank even when you try to keep it in only one tank.


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## Jonney_boy (Apr 28, 2010)

It really depends on your setup and what you want out of it.

If you are running any type of hob filter where it 'drops" water into the tank, froget it. The duckweed will get pushed down into the tank and make a huge mess, clogging all the filters.

If you have a lot of small fish that like to swim up top, don't do it, becaues it is very hard to scoop out the duckweed without taking out small fish at the same time. (i'm thinking endlers here).

Duckweed is a excellent nitrate sponge. I have it in my 100 gal tank to control the nitrates and to feed my rainbow tank (beside it). It works great.

Now, duckweed WILL cover the water surface cutting down on the lighting availiable to the plants at the bottom of the tank, this may or maynot be a good thing. It is really easy to control in the sense you just take a net and "scoop" out most of it every few days.... almost impossible to completely get rid of tho since even a few leaves of it (which are tiny) will reproduce in a couple days.


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## hgi (Jun 13, 2010)

I got duckweed for free once before I actually knew about it.... I didn't really care but it ended up dying in my tank... odd eh? It just all started slowly turning white then boom dead... and I have weak lights so it couldn't of been from to much lighting.

The only thing I dreaded about it was when you stick your arm in the tank, reach to the bottom and pull your arm out your covered!


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

this is what happens to riccia (completely lost under the duckweed in the 1st photo) and pennywort with duckweed in the tank. 

If you have no other floating plants, it's easy to manage and has many benefits. If you do have other floaters, you will spend the rest of your days fighting it.


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## spit.fire (Jan 3, 2011)

i just threw a goldfish in my tank (i have a tank i put feeder fish in until they're big enough to survive in the pond) and it ate every last little bit of duckweed


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

See if CRS Fan has any Hygroryza aristata – Asian Watergrass. They are easy to control with water lettuce like root. Fairly unique looking too.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I have some of Stuart's Asian watergrass and can give you some if you want it. Of course, there may be little bits of duckweed stuck to it. ;-)



EDGE said:


> See if CRS Fan has any Hygroryza aristata - Asian Watergrass. They are easy to control with water lettuce like root. Fairly unique looking too.


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

Going to hold off on the duckweed for now. Sounds like I might end up regretting it.

I think I am going to try an experiment and put one leaf in a bowl by the window and see how fast it grows! 

Googling asian watergrass...


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## Keri (Aug 2, 2010)

I had it in my 55g and I HATED how it blocked out the light from the other plants and totally covered your arms when you put them in the tank. It took a long time to get rid of it but it might be easier in a small tank? It did look nice but I won't be putting it in again.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

No need to Google it. Stuart's got some for sale by it's Latin name in his post, "Bucket of plants, $25". In the last pic, it's floating on the top of the bucket.



Atom said:


> Going to hold off on the duckweed for now. Sounds like I might end up regretting it.
> 
> I think I am going to try an experiment and put one leaf in a bowl by the window and see how fast it grows!
> 
> Googling asian watergrass...


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## thefishwife (Apr 21, 2010)

Ursus sapien said:


> this is what happens to riccia (completely lost under the duckweed in the 1st photo) and pennywort with duckweed in the tank.
> 
> If you have no other floating plants, it's easy to manage and has many benefits. If you do have other floaters, you will spend the rest of your days fighting it.


Thats MY duckweed!!!!! hehehehe

Really all depends on what you want to use it for, as it does have some excellent points to it, as well as some lousy ones.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

thefishwife said:


> Thats MY duckweed!!!!! hehehehe
> 
> Really all depends on what you want to use it for, as it does have some excellent points to it, as well as some lousy ones.


I've got a fresh crop ready for Yurdle, my favorite _fishwife_


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