Duckweed!

[shadowstars123]

I just got some plants shipped, and carelessly, I did a quick rinse and tossed some java moss in my tank, I spread it apart to find a MASSIVE cluster of duckweed, it spread everywhere. I scooped out as much as I could, but I'm pretty sure theres some left. What do I do now?!

 

[Mr. Limpet]

I just got some plants shipped, and carelessly, I did a quick rinse and tossed some java moss in my tank, I spread it apart to find a MASSIVE cluster of duckweed, it spread everywhere. I scooped out as much as I could, but I'm pretty sure theres some left. What do I do now?!

Yell at the guy who sent you the duckweed bomb lol. That stuff is very invasive and almost impossible to get rid of.

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=143

 

[shadowstars123]

Yell at the guy who sent you the duckweed bomb lol. That stuff is very invasive and almost impossible to get rid of.

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=143

So am i just screwed with a tank full of duckweed in a few days?

 

[Mr. Limpet]

So am i just screwed with a tank full of duckweed in a few days?

Did you pull all the moss out that it was loaded in?

Just picking what you see in the moss wouldn't be enough IMO, you'd want to get all the moss out of your tank and with some luck you might be OK. You said plants, so the other could have it in them too.

I've never had it, but I've read some horror stories about it and I'm sure it's more than a few days for it to get out of control. Keep a close eye on your tank, since I'd think it will get into other plants/decco too. If you share nets or whatever with other tanks, you might want to not do that for a while.

 

[shadowstars123]

Did you pull all the moss out that it was loaded in?

Just picking what you see in the moss wouldn't be enough IMO, you'd want to get all the moss out of your tank and with some luck you might be OK. You said plants, so the other could have it in them too.

I've never had it, but I've read some horror stories about it and I'm sure it's more than a few days for it to get out of control. Keep a close eye on your tank, since I'd think it will get into other plants/decco too. If you share nets or whatever with other tanks, you might want to not do that for a while.

I pulled oit the moss, but it was too late, it was spread everywhere. So i took out a cup, and a 5 gal bucket, and started scooping...

 

[Mr. Limpet]

I pulled oit the moss, but it was too late, it was spread everywhere. So i took out a cup, and a 5 gal bucket, and started scooping...

Yep, sounds like it could be a tough go to clear it out. Hopefully someone will chime in with first hand knowledge on how to deal with it.

Good luck!

 

[dollabill420]

What is duckweed sounds intense, read another thread that they said it was a good low light plant for beginners, didn't know it was invasive thank you for the heads up

 

[mudraker]

Scoop, scoop and scoop again, shadow.

While the stuff is invasive, it can be gotten rid of. But you have to be more determined than the duck weed.

What kind of lighting do you have? And what kind of planted tank?

It's easier to get rid of in lowlight tanks than med or high light.

Duckweed needs a lot of light to get super-invasive.

Yell at the guy who sent you the duckweed bomb lol

True, and there should be disclosure if duckweed is included in a load of plants.

The good news is that at least you recognized it as duckweed and took action right away.

 

[shadowstars123]

Scoop, scoop and scoop again, shadow.

While the stuff is invasive, it can be gotten rid of. But you have to be more determined than the duck weed.

What kind of lighting do you have? And what kind of planted tank?

It's easier to get rid of in lowlight tanks than med or high light.

Duckweed needs a lot of light to get super-invasive.



True, and there should be disclosure if duckweed is included in a load of plants.

The good news is that at least you recognized it as duckweed and took action right away.

I spent about half an hour just scooping out water full of duckweed yesterday, and this morning the surface is free of duckweed. I hope it'll last, but not sure if any of the duckweed is still stuck underwater.. At first I thought it was plantlets from another plant, then I realized what it was, and just scooped out 10+ gallons of water just getting duckweed out.

 

[jetajockey]

just pull it out anytime you see it, stay vigilant. Or leave it and let it flourish

 

[shadowstars123]

If I leave it in, would it cause a chemical imbalance because I have other plants in the tank.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Not a small amount. If you have a large amount, it can suck up nitrate really quick though. If you just pull it out as you find it, you'll be fine.

 

[jetajockey]

it will soak up nutrients just like any other plant does. If you let it get too thick it will block out the light getting to the plants, but otherwise it's not a big deal.

 

[Jason7894561230]

I actaully really like duckweed and i did have it in my tank, until i had to tear it down..... then there was none there

 

[fort384]

It won't be that hard to get rid of... it does grow quickly, but if you just scoop it out with a net you will be fine. You will see a few leaves here or there for the next few weeks, but eventually it will be gone.

 

[basketballqt]

I actually like my duckweed as well... I have had it for about 2.5 months and it is just now starting to cover my 10 gallon tank... I'll just scoop some of it out and let it build again... I have mystery snails and they eat this stuff like it's going out of style!