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Duckweed. Friend or foe

RolyMo

RolyMo

Member
Joined
19 Jun 2012
Messages
430
Location
Fareham, UK
Sounds a weird question, but here we go.
I just got some cherry red shrimp through the post and they came in a bag with duckweed on the surface of the water. I am assuming to help the shrimp hold onto something during transport.

Now having added the shrimp i have the duckweed swirling about on surface of the tank.

Is it to be viewed as good or viewed as a weed that is hard irradiate?


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I have it in all my shrimp tanks as a water purifier and since I have some slow growing plants like Fissidens Fontanus it would help to dim the lights to limit algae growth on them. Some people believe its hard to remove if they miss some hiding behind filters etc but in my opinion if you really wanted to remove them you can. They are very fast growing so you may feel like you have to constantly remove some to allow more light to you plants.
 
It all depends on what kind of tank you're running. If it is a low-tech tank, your plants will probably benefit from the diffusion of light, thus reducing CO2 and nutrient demand. In a high tech tank, it's basically just going to steal the nutrients (especially nitrates) that your plants need in the high demand environment.
 
I have duckweed in a couple of my tanks.

The only thing that is irritating is that whenever I have to do any maintenance in the tank I end up with it all over my arm.

It is very easy to remove. Just skim of with a net. The difficulty is making sure you get all of it. However just a few odd bits will take time to re-establish to full coverage.

I do not think it is a fan of surface movement though. The duckweed in my pond is much better looking than in my tank. It seems to develop to a much better stage in the pond and it actually looks quite nice.
 
i see it as foe, its gotten into 1 of my tanks, and im determined not to let it spread to my others
 
Gents. Thanks for the feedback. Extremely generous. Its interesting to see how people view it. I guess its a bit like the salad leaf Rocket, after all its a weed, but somehow its used as a premium leaf in posh Italian salads.
I will continue to observe and see what the fish and other plants make of it and clear it out if necessary.
 
Floaters in general make an excellent addition to almost any tank. However, I'd much rather have something larger, more attractive and easier to manage than duckweed. It took me nearly a year to eradicate it from my big tank, but that is a particularly tricky one due to the size, shape and emergent plants hiding fragments.
 
Foe. Trying to get rid of it for almost a year. One tiny bit left and the whole tank is full of it in two weeks.

Also vallis do not go very well with it.
 
Hi all,
BigTom said:
Floaters in general make an excellent addition to almost any tank. However, I'd much rather have something larger, more attractive and easier to manage than duckweed.
Click to expand...
On the balance I'm a fan, and I always some Duckweed, although I agree with "BigTom's" post that Amazon Frogbit or Salvinia are a lot easier to manage.
ghostsword said:
rather have riccia
Click to expand...
I've got Riccia as well as Lemna minor. I find Riccia even more difficult to get rid off and it gets absolutely everywhere.
Juliusz said:
One tiny bit left and the whole tank is full of it in two weeks.
Click to expand...
This is a nutrient response and particularly a response to high nitrogen levels. Duckweed has a really quick response to nutrient levels in the water, partially because all floaters and emergents have access to aerial CO2.

Because of the speed of this response it allows you to use the "Duckweed Index".
Have a look at this thread: <Low maintainence, long term sustrate | UK Aquatic Plant Society>

cheers Darrel
 
foe i hate the stuff with a vengeance
 
if only i could stick a goldfish in my tank for a few days to get rid of it :L +1 to riccia and frogbit
 
silver sharks like it as well
 
the tank its in is getting a rescape soon... i might just add riccia to compete with it, then kill that off with liquid carbon
 
riccia is a good plant i have it in a few tanks
but duck weed is a pain in the bottom i have
scooped it all out and only to find it growing
the next time i looked aaaaarrrrghggh pulling my hair out
 
i know the feeling, at least with riccia you can does excell to get rid of it :L, iv got an infestation of duckweed in 1 of my tanks, hate the stuff with a passion, i have sold a little online though... god knows why people want it :L
 
I like to think of duckweed as a water cleaner, it keeps the surface broken up of any extra proteins and is fantastic cleanser of the water, with its roots always providing spots for nibblage and even in bigger tanks when the roots grow out I've seen fry hiding around them, its fantastic. I love duckweed and my only fault with it is, It won't let me grow it in my tanks! Bugger keeps dying.
 
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