Duck Weed

[fish_4_all]

I found 2 pieces of duck weed in my other tank a week ago and now it has multiplied to like 10. I still haven't figured out where it came from but I found a third piece in the original tank 2 days ago.

Is there something I am missing that might have held the duckweed?
The tank that it showed up in has micro sword, not growing well but stuck because of quarantine, 2 bulb plants, aponegeton or something or other. Is the duck weed a leeser form of any of these?

I think the duckweed is the lesser form, very, very small pads in groups of 2, maybe 1/8 inch size leafs.

 

[nitrous]

ya trhat happens to me, did you get your micro sword from a petland they usually have duckweed on thte tops of their plant tanks and it usually hides in the bags and then when you put the plants in your tank the duckweed goes in too

 

[fish_4_all]

I got it from my LFS and they don't even carry it nor do they like to order it. Might have snuck in but it was 10 days after I got the plants that it showed up.

 

[Purrbox]

It was probably trapped in the leaves of your new plant and then finally floated free as started reproducing. Amazing how little it takes of that stuff to invade your tank. Sorta like pond snails hitchhiking in.

 

[nitrous]

ya we had water lettuce in our pond last year, we bought 3 and then in the peak of summer the whole pond was full and it is 13' by 4'!

 

[mr funktastic]

what is duck weed? why dont people like a plant that grows incedible fast and u get it for free?

 

[Purrbox]

Duckweed (lemna minor) is a floating plant that rapidly reproduces and will block out the light to the rest of the plants in your tank if not kept in check. It can be great when you have fish that think it makes a tasty snack or as cover in a fry tank, but in a regular planted tank it has a tendancy to starve your other plants of light. If unchecked it can also clog your filteration equipment.

 

[fish_4_all]

When I start getting too much I will send you some funktastic then you can decide. I have a tank that I have been thinking about using as no plants and as a breeder tank so maybe the Duck Weed will be a very good plant to have in that tank. I have read you don't have to add CO2 because it absorbs nutrients through the leaves both above and below the surface as well as macros and micros through the roots. Could be very good to prevent any algae if the light is so low below the duck weed in the tank it can't grow. Will also have to try clover as the only plant on the bottom of a tank and see how the fish deal with it. Might be an awesome breeder tank for live bearers. The babies go under the clover and the adults stay above.

That brings up an intersting question: How would you divide off a small area in front of the outflow of the AC in order to help the Duck Weed establish it's "colonies"?

 

[Zezmo]

I have a tank with a 5 watt incandescent bulb on it. Even in that tank duckweed grows like a pest. Some larger Rainbowfish (like M Splendidas) will eat it all up.

 

[fish_4_all]

Well if it grows that fast it should do exaxtly what I want it to do. I would think with as fast as it grows, it should eat the nutrrients very fast and help to eliminate algae.

Zezmo, do you fertilize?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I found out I can't keep duckweed in my 26G, my Fire Red Dwarf Gourami eats it up.

 

[Zezmo]

I found out I can't keep duckweed in my 26G, my Fire Red Dwarf Gourami eats it up.

Oh no Lonewolf, that mean he ate up the Duckweed I sent you a few months back?

The ultra low light tank is not fertilized or anything ATM. I use it for hatching fry, the duckweed is very good under those conditions to keep nitrates low and help the fry feel more secure.
I was just making a point about how this stuff pretty much will grow under any conditions. In December or so I shipped Lonewolf a small amount of duckweed. I was sick for a few days after i had packed it. The duckweed was in a small plasic tube with a few drops of water on my desk. In the few days I was out sick the duck weed in the tube almost doubled. Unless you use it for some specific purpose (like my fry tank above) I would say that this stuff is pretty much a pest plant.

 

[fish_4_all]

Sounds like it is definately a niche plant. Will serve well in my fry tank.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I found out I can't keep duckweed in my 26G, my Fire Red Dwarf Gourami eats it up.

Oh no Lonewolf, that mean he ate up the Duckweed I sent you a few months back?

The ultra low light tank is not fertilized or anything ATM. I use it for hatching fry, the duckweed is very good under those conditions to keep nitrates low and help the fry feel more secure.
I was just making a point about how this stuff pretty much will grow under any conditions. In December or so I shipped Lonewolf a small amount of duckweed. I was sick for a few days after i had packed it. The duckweed was in a small plasic tube with a few drops of water on my desk. In the few days I was out sick the duck weed in the tube almost doubled. Unless you use it for some specific purpose (like my fry tank above) I would say that this stuff is pretty much a pest plant.

Every bit of it, lol......

But I got more growing in my 75G that came in on a lot of the plants I ordered. I keep taking them out and more reappear. Just cant get rid of them, lol. And no fish in that tank eats it.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I accidently deleted all my inbox. Who was asking me about duck weed?

 

[fish_4_all]

Well mine seems to multiply by 25% every 2 days so the more I get the faster it seems to appear. Will be awesome once I get my tank set up with a couple sponge filters. Should make the best cover for a fry tank I have could ever want. Now if I could figure out how to get light under the duck weed so other plants will grow, I would have the perfect tank.

 

[krap101]

i read that duckweed has a couple times more protein than soy.. kinda random but heh.

 

[nitrous]

i was asking you about sending me some duckweed lone

 

[Lonewolfblue]

i was asking you about sending me some duckweed lone

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