# I want the Duckweed! : )



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

I got some duckweed from the local fish store. This morning, it was all gone. I checked the filter...but didn't see any in the canister. Anyway, I ordered some more. How can I keep it up top! I understand some might sink...I think i have the output low enough to just push it around...any ideas?


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I think the first photo above shows the culprits - look at the sly smile they have.


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

hoppycalif said:


> I think the first photo above shows the culprits - look at the sly smile they have.


haha, fish eat that? gesh, i'm such a newbie i never thought of that. i cut back on their feeding to reduce some algae.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Some fish love duckweed as a snack, but not most. It looks like yours are cherry barbs? If so, I'm pretty sure they are among those who eat it.


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

i have two cherry barbs.
oh no! i hope they don't eat it!


----------



## bdement (Jun 4, 2007)

Yah, one (or more) of your fish are definitely eating it. Duckweed is quite prolific though, some people consider it a plague in their tanks (I have 1 with, 2 without), so if you could get a large enough batch to start with, the growth may be able to out pace the consumption. Duckweed is the kind of plant you should be able to get for free if you ask politely  (sorry I don't mean me)


----------



## Volenti (Oct 12, 2007)

You can set up some duckweed in a shallow container in a sunny spot so you'll always have a supply to add to the tank, I do that for my goldfish who would other wise consume it all in short order.


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

i can just put in in a container on the window?
water doesn't have to be heated or anything?


----------



## npnailer (Apr 16, 2007)

azzazal, duckweed grows to the arctic circle and beyond, so nope..no need at all to heat the water, other then to keep it above freezing! As for hoping the duckweed proliferates...just be careful what you wish for!


----------



## cynkatt (Nov 10, 2007)

i got my duckweed for free LOL the lfs i go to has tons in the tanks so some alwasy ends up in the bag with other plant or fish purchases. I didnt have alot, maybe 30 pieces at most, now it pools up in spots on the surface and covers a 1/4 of the tank its in. each time i do a water change i lose some and think it will start to disapate but within a cpl days the amount is up to same again...pretty sure several of my fish snack on it too...barbs,platty,gouarmis..stuff keeps growing just fine....so as long as u start with a decent amount it will remain in the tank, a step ahead of the fish


----------



## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Duckweed is the bane of my existence. You guys are nuts! 

As long as the stuff has water, it'll multiply.


----------



## Jeff.:P:. (Nov 20, 2007)

I have amazon frogbit if you want. 
Over in newton, MA.


----------



## Questin (Sep 30, 2007)

For the life of me I can not find oliver knotts duckweed umbralla, but its pretty cool, I will post a link once I do.

Edit:
Sweet, found it
http://www.pbase.com/plantella/image/69527492
http://www.pbase.com/plantella/hqjbl

I guess its a floating umbralla, not duckweed, but you could still do this with duckweed


----------



## cynkatt (Nov 10, 2007)

ooo thats nice, how much do u have to give? i wouldn't mind some also, LMK 



Jeff.:P:. said:


> I have amazon frogbit if you want.
> Over in newton, MA.


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I agree with Jessie. You guys are nuts. Can I borrow your cherry barbs for a few days? I've been trying to get rid of the stuff for almost a year in one of my tanks. I know for a fact that SAE's, cardinals, glass cats, corrydoras, and angelfish don't eat it. Guess how I know......


----------



## Amazon_Replica (Nov 24, 2007)

I somehow aquired _Salvinia rotundifolia_ and they say it is easier to manage than duckweed. 
I have never had duckweed. The idea is good, but can really apply 
to a moss tank or a really low light tank the best, and frogs like it


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

So, my duckweed arrived!
I have a breeding net that i put some in, hopefully it will grow and the fish won't eat it!
i also put some in the tank for munching.
then, i put some in a container and put in front of the window. 
hopefully that will work too!


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

Amazon_Replica said:


> I somehow aquired _Salvinia rotundifolia_ and they say it is easier to manage than duckweed.
> I have never had duckweed. The idea is good, but can really apply
> to a moss tank or a really low light tank the best, and frogs like it


ohhhh, that's awesome!!


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

Jeff.:P:. said:


> I have amazon frogbit if you want.
> Over in newton, MA.


YES!!! how?


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

Jessie said:


> Duckweed is the bane of my existence. You guys are nuts!
> 
> As long as the stuff has water, it'll multiply.


i put a bagful in, a 2x3 bag...i'll let you know how long it lasts!!


----------



## Jeff.:P:. (Nov 20, 2007)

I'll be around this saturday. The wife and I are going to wachusett on sunday. 
PM me if your interested.


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

For those of you who don't like duckweed - Mollies will eat it. Course you may think the mollies multiply faster than the duckweed!


----------



## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

I made the mistake of putting Duckweed intentionally in one aquarium 12 years ago... I moved three times since then, once from one state to another, and since then one aquarium became over 40 aquariums all constantly full of duckweed, and I have helped spread it across the country! Once you have it you will never get rid of it! It is a curse! Come to Oregon, I will give you bucket fulls...


----------



## fluffiebuggie (Sep 25, 2007)

I accidentally allowed some duckweed into both tanks with other plants, and now I spend a few hours every couple of weeks taking most of it out.
It is nice to have some though, it creates that nice green glow, and allows a hiding place for fry and shrimp.


----------



## ruki (Jul 4, 2006)

I used to hate duckweed, but now not so much.

It's basically "live green food" for my goldfish. I scoop it out and they are very happy with it. But, there are several types, and some are more appropriate than others in the aquarium.

The one we all seem to hate is probably lesser duckweed, Lemna minor. It's a pest and difficult to remove from a tank. However, you can remove it from a tank by hosting a fish in the tank that loves to eat it. Unfortunately most of these fish like to eat plants other than duckweed.

I didn't know that cherry barbs wanted to eat this. They really don't remove it from my tanks. But thanks for this tip! I'll try getting some cherry barbs in a Lemna minor infested tank and not feeding them for a few days and see if they clean up the mess!

A better duckweed is Giant duckweed, Spirodela polyriza. It's much easier to remove from a tank and goldfish will still happily eat it. It sucks up excess nitrogen from a tank so, it's a great natural filter for breeding tanks.

I also have some water meal or Wolffia. It's the size of a pin head. Impossible to remove from an aquarium unless a fish wants to eat it all. And it just happens to be a perfect live green food for platy-like live bearers, so I really like this stuff. I have some Wolffia columbiana. A fried took some to a high power microscope so it could be IDed. 

BTW, there's a great duckweed guide online... http://waynesword.palomar.edu/1wayindx.htm
tons of pages past this quite detailed introductory page.

There's tons of species, according to the sequencing slide he posted their family tree looks like this:









Sometime I want to try more species. Some I can get from area lakes, but not most aren't exactly local. Anyone out there have any Landoltia punctata or Spirodela intermedia?


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

wow, funny...some can't get rid of it and i can't keep it! i have a tank separater in my goldfish tank, so i put some on the side with no fish, and i'm pretty sure it can't fit thru the separater. in one weeks time, its all gone and there's no fish there! weird! i guess i need to think up something else!


----------



## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

My goldys love it! I have a duckweed farm just for them.


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

I'm trying to grow my own.
I put some in a bowl on the windowsill....

now i wait i guess?


----------



## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

You should have no problem if they recieve good sunlight. In a week you should have the whole thing covered.


----------



## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

Yikes. I got a few little plantlets of it in a plant shipment and even when I thought it was all gone my tank is plagued by it. If I don't keep on it, it will severely limit the amount of circulation in the water. I hate the stuff. My mollies don't eat it either


----------



## azzazal (Dec 27, 2007)

Jessie said:


> Yikes. I got a few little plantlets of it in a plant shipment and even when I thought it was all gone my tank is plagued by it. If I don't keep on it, it will severely limit the amount of circulation in the water. I hate the stuff. My mollies don't eat it either


my goldfish and danios love it!


----------

