# Utricularia Gibba.......



## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

This is ment to be an informative yet learning thread

for those of you that dont know Utricularia Gibba is theres a link to some info:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ls.php?id=268&category=genus&spec=Utricularia

here are a few questions i would like for the general public to consider:

What (if there is ) fish out there will eat this stuff, but not the rest of my "normal" plants?

Is there another way to contol U. Gibba other than by picking it out very slowly with tweezers? (i.e. somekinda fish)

Why dont hobbyist take the time to seperate this stuff out before they sell their plants to others? (all your doing is enabling the plague)

I think ill start with this for now. Anybody feel free to chime in with any experience or suggestions.

Thanks
Elliot

How are you going to help stop the trade of this noxious weed?


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

Bump!!!! nobody has anything to say?


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## freshyleif (Jan 9, 2008)

I have not seen this before but it sounds like a real PITA. I am sorry to hear that you have it. It makes me think of the duckweed I put in one of my tanks and will never get out.:doh: Maybe some kind of pleco might like it? I agree that we all should let others know what we are selling and if there are hidden extras. Pictures are great but we all know you can't see everything and you are right all that it does is spread our own destruction.


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## Dielectric (Oct 7, 2008)

I currently have this in my 125. It hasnt become a nuisance....... yet. It was brought in on some plants from RMC.


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## _chicken_ (Oct 7, 2007)

doubleott05 said:


> Why dont hobbyist take the time to seperate this stuff out before they sell their plants to others? (all your doing is enabling the plague)


Don't assume hobbyists are "enabling the plague" intentionally. Even if you conscientiously remove all that you can see, it only takes a tiny fragment left behind for it to be able to grow back again.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

_chicken_ said:


> . Even if you conscientiously remove all that you can see,


you see its not that they ddint attempt to remove it, its that they didnt let me know that there was some in a shipment. a little courtesy goes a long way. that way at least i know what i could possibly get.

IMO u gibba is worse than algae.

Thanks


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## Nymsley (Mar 24, 2009)

I can't get it to grow, doesn't seem to like my tanks. I had a bit in a betta tank and a _T. espei_ tank but it just disappeared and hasn't showed itself in months.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

hmmm
what were your water peramaters?


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## ObiQuiet (Oct 9, 2009)

I don't know much, but my learning period about UV leads me to suggest this line of reasoning:

1. A UV sterilizer removes usable iron from the water column.
2. It's primarily the floating plants need that iron to grow
3. Utricularia Gibba is a floating plant
4. Therefore, a UV sterilizer on full-blast may take care of it. 

I know UV limits the growth of hornwort and duckweed, but would it work for this plant too? Is it possible to run the UV long enough to kill, not just slow, this plant?

(Other floating plants and mosses could be removed to a safer place in the meantime.)


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

A UV sterilizer only affects the chelant added to the iron and does nothing to the iron itself.


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## Nymsley (Mar 24, 2009)

doubleott05, the tanks get aged NYC tap water. I can't say what the parameters are since I don't regularly test after cycling. The tanks have been going for around 1.5 years.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

hmmmm. well a uv sterlizer wont kill this stuff cause i have one on full blast all the time. 

does anybody know of a fish that will eat this crap?


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

I've never seen fish do much more than nip at it. You'll just have to remove it manually as far as I can tell. deep breaths, patience, persistence..  U.gibba's worst enemy in my tanks was the toothbrush and persistence. It took me longer to get rid of wolfia. That one's a hoot.

on the upside, if it gets so bad that you have floating masses of it - U.gibba does have attractive yellow inflorescence. When I had this one, I tried to get rid of it, but also made the most of it. Its kind of an interesting plant once you get past the annoying invasiveness of it.

here's some scans I took, looks like it caught a critter:


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

thanks ashappard.
i have an afro comb/pic that i use to get it out. i hate that crap. i was using my pincettes. the pic is so much better and gets more gibba.

wolfia? whats that


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Gibba is a pest for sure. As bad as algae?... I don't think so. It takes quite a while for it to get out of control. It's easily removed - though you may not get all of it, for sure. It still filters the water, it doesn't kill other plants and it doesn't shade anything.

I'd never intentionally spread any pest plant. I can't imagine anyone who would. I guess I feel about this pest like I do about snails. If you keep plants you'll see it in your lifetime, but it will be a fleeting issue, and you tank will still be great, even if you don't get every piece.


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

doubleott05 said:


> wolfia? whats that


tiny (1mm), rapidly reproducing floater but likes to dip under the water when you try to net it out. It hides, regroups and covers the surface of a high light tank quickly. I picked some up from a collector in a batch of native plants. its like a green seed, very solid. supposed to be nutritious; high in protein and carbs. a very fine mesh fish net is needed to dip it out. shut off your filters and powerheads to keep it from moving around so much when disturbed. If you have any emergent plants or other crannies for it to hide in, its hard to eliminate.

not my pic - from www.dinosoria.com/plante-record.html


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

holy smokes i have never seen that before. sounds bad.


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

I've seen some descriptions that say wolfia grows slowly and isnt invasive in aquariums. Maybe its dependent on high light or nutrients. It really took off for me, but eventually I got rid of it. I had wolfia and U.gibba at around the same time actually. I think I got the U.gibba as a hitchhiker from an AZ plant supplier, and the wolfia hitchiked on some stuff from a local lake. I know I cursed several people with both during trades. Mostly the U.gibba.

the wolfia is a flowering plant also. tiny tiny flowers.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

ya i have been tormented with gibba for about 5 months now. i have to go in every 2-3 days with my afro pic and go to work. its like slave work


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## Revan (Dec 26, 2005)

It's hard to get rid of this plant because it's a plant, not an algae, and have the same requirements of the other plants but it grow very very fast.
I successful removed the U. gibba from my tank but it was hard:
1- I had to reduce NO3 and PO4 to limit the grow of this plant (elsewhere it grow too fast to remove all of that.)
2- For about a month, daily, I had to look at the tank and manually remove all the U.gibba that I can see.
Then when there was no more U.gibba in my tank I restored the normal NO3 and PO4 dosage.

Best Regards


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

thanks revan


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## TarantulaGuy (Apr 15, 2009)

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but HOLY CRAP is this stuff annoying. Its in my 10 gal, and its taking over. I can't just empty the tank and clean it, I have all sorts of RCS and Celestial Pearl Danio babies in it, so I have to treat it delicately, but goodness! I am going to have to take out the DW in there and get rid of over a years worth of growth of moss on it just to get rid of the u gibba and even then I know there's still gonna be lots of little floaters of it in there. Grrrr. Sad day :/ Anyone come up with any miracle cures for this yet?? I'm all ears.


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## James0816 (Oct 9, 2008)

TarantulaGuy said:


> Anyone come up with any miracle cures for this yet??


Good luck with that and Sry!

I think I have it almost wipped out. I let it grow in a big ball and then carefully remove it. More than likely there will be a few floating strands left. Just stay vigilant and carefully remove any stragglers. If it doesn't break, then you're on your way.


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## snail_chen (Dec 4, 2009)

My tank is also infested with this plant! I hate it despite its beautiful yellow flower!


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## TarantulaGuy (Apr 15, 2009)

Bah, I haven't even seen mine flower yet :-|


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

I got some of this crap once in my 33 gallon tank.
The trick is to chop your plants back and toss the stems. Use tweezers to pull out the little pieces. Let it all sit.

Keep your tank trimmed and keep pulling out pieces one at a time. Spend maybe 5 minutes each day but don't go too crazy.

Eventually there won't be a piece left in your tank.

Flagfish and I hear platy will chow down on this. I remember I wished it was algae. I would have nuked it.


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## James0816 (Oct 9, 2008)

Gordonrichards said:


> Flagfish and I hear platy will chow down on this.


Haven't heard this before....interesting.


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

I just discovered I have Wolfia in one of my shrimp tanks.
Its very interesting and it popped up out of no where.

The last thing introduced to it, were some sakura shrimp from winn tropical aquarium. Needless to say I'd be willing to buy some more Sakura, and the Wolfia can stay. I hate hate hate duckweed though.


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