Pros and Cons to Duckweed?

[FreshObsessed]

I have been looking into some floating plants and I like the look of Duckweed. Ihave seen a lot of Planted Tanks with Duckweed in them. But I have also heard people talking badly about it. What are the pros and cons?

in advance.

 

[Luananeko]

Pros:
- Gives shade for fish that don't like bright lights.
- Easy to scoop out when you need to "cut back".
- Roots serve as food and hiding places for smaller fish.
- Undemanding.
- Good at sucking out excess nutrients in the tank.
- Grows fast.

Cons:
- Hard to get rid of if you decide you don't like it anymore.
- Small size means it can get stuck in filters, equipment, and other plants.
- Fast growth also means it wants to take over the tank surface which blocks out all light for non-floating plants. You'll be scooping it out every week to keep it in check.

 

[MABJ]

If you have surface agitation like a hob filter, I would say Don't bother.

I personally tried and it got messy. I cut a stick and put it dividing the tank, but that cut circulation a little. It is your call tho

 

[Austin.b]

You could always go with less invasive plants like dwarf water lettuce, frogbit/ salvinia, and red root floater.

 

[MABJ]

You could always go with less invasive plants like dwarf water lettuce, frogbit/ salvinia, and red root floater.

I didn't personally like salvinia. Others may have different opinions tho lol.

 

[Coursair]

I love the look of Duckweed. I hate when it gets stuck in other plants. It is a PITA but pretty.

I prefer my Water Lettuce and love my Amazon Frogbit

 

[JRMagno]

I second skipping duckweed if you have a hob filter. It's so small that it becomes a nightmare. I haven't been able to find a good replacement though. I'm currently using bunches of Anachris but I hate the way it looks.

 

[DragonFish71]

Personally, I use duckweed in some of my tanks for various reasons.

My african cichlids love to munch it, my gold dojos love to play with it, my shrimp love to cling to it and in my BW tank it helps hide any live bearer fry.

I also like the look of it and have no problems with it getting in the filters unless there's a lot of evaporation. Then it gets churned around in the current and sucked up.

 

[maxwellag]

Pros:
-Sucks up nitrate
-Provides some cover for fish
-Looks ok
Cons:
-If you have a HOB filter or other surface agitation, it makes a huge mess and looks bad
-It gets stuck on the tank sides as the water evaporates-then dries out and gets stuck
-Hard to remove
-Blocks a lot of light that plants need
-Can clog filter
-Gets stuck on decorations and moss
-Provides some shelter for unwanted pond snails

 

[maxwellag]

You could always go with less invasive plants like dwarf water lettuce, frogbit/ salvinia, and red root floater.

IME under enough lighting they grow just as fast. I used to have about 50 heads of water lettuce in my 20g, then I sold a ton and was left with about 5. 3 weeks later, I had about 25. Salvinia is a slower grower though, and IMO looks better.

 

[maxwellag]

I didn't personally like salvinia. Others may have different opinions tho lol.

There are many different kinds of salvinia. I think the most common kind in aquariums is salvinia minima. I love it because it looks really cool when it sparkles and it doesn't grow as fast as duckweed.

 

[FreshObsessed]

Thanks guys. All these opinions are great. I really like Dwarf Water Lettuce and Amazon Frogbit as suggested..I might have to look into those. I like the look of Duckweed and I heard it is great at keeping water clean but I do have an HOB filter...:\ I'lll find something else..

 

[Austin.b]

IME under enough lighting they grow just as fast. I used to have about 50 heads of water lettuce in my 20g, then I sold a ton and was left with about 5. 3 weeks later, I had about 25. Salvinia is a slower grower though, and IMO looks better.

By invasive, I meant it's much easier to pick dwarf water lettuce off the surface of the water than duckweed. Sorry for the confusion. Lets say that you dont want floating plants in the tank anymore. With Dwarf water lettuce, frogbit/salvinia, and Red root floater, it takes about 5 minutes to round them all up, where as duckweed will take days or even weeks to get out of the system.

 

[maxwellag]

By invasive, I meant it's much easier to pick dwarf water lettuce off the surface of the water than duckweed. Sorry for the confusion. Lets say that you dont want floating plants in the tank anymore. With Dwarf water lettuce, frogbit/salvinia, and Red root floater, it takes about 5 minutes to round them all up, where as duckweed will take days or even weeks to get out of the system.

Yeah I agree. Usually the term invasive (in nature terms) means reproducing and spreading rapidly, taking over environments. I do agree that other floaters are much easier to get out of the system. The easiest way I have found to remove a lot of duckweed is to take a brine shrimp net and just scoop it out.

 

[Atxpunx]

What about giant duckweed?!

 

[Coursair]

What about giant duckweed?!

Never had it, but can grow very fast and if allowed to cover entire surface can cause oxygen depletion and fish kills.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/m...kweed_Giant_Duckweed_Spirodela_polyrhiza.html

 

[Luananeko]

Giant duckweed has the same pros and cons as regular duckweed, although it's slightly less messy since it has the larger leaf size.