# Duckweed plant. Is it worth to have?



## igor.kanshyn

Hi, 

I've just bought quite a good amount of duckweed plant on eBay. I was thinking about placing it in a shrimp tank. It would cover surface and reduce light which is good for shrimps.

But now I see how tiny its leafs are in reality and it I'm a little worrying about that my plan. The plant might looks like a pollution ...

Do you guys keep it?
Does filter current mess it up?
Does is increase film on a tank surface.


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## ksimdjembe

for many aquarists, duckweed is an annoyance (gets everywhere blocks light, clogs filters). 
for others they like it (food for some fish, and nitrate remover)

you might like amazon frogbit better.


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## ameekplec.

+1 on frogbit, or any larger floating plant - I like a salvinia sp. that I got from Ciddian:









The larger clumping plants are easier to remove fully if I want to remove it from my system - duckweed is much much much more difficult as if you so much as leave one leaf, it can come back again. It requires much vigilance to get rid of, and is a major headache (IMO) to get out.


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## ryno1974

I intentionally added it to my planted tank.It died. Or at least disappeared. Everyone told me I would be cursing it in a month as it spread over my whole tank, but within a week it was all gone and has ben gone for over a month.

Good luck with yours. I think it is a nice plat as long as you can keep it in check.


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## Octavian

ameekplec. said:


> +1 on frogbit, or any larger floating plant - I like a salvinia sp. that I got from Ciddian:
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> The larger clumping plants are easier to remove fully if I want to remove it from my system - duckweed is much much much more difficult as if you so much as leave one leaf, it can come back again. It requires much vigilance to get rid of, and is a major headache (IMO) to get out.


I like the salvinia. Anyone in the west end of Toronto got some for sale?


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## Ciddian

Duckweed is sucha nightmare D: lol

I remember finding some at Vandermeres (sp) and also Fairy moss which didn't do well in my tank but it was adorable.


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## igor.kanshyn

ksimdjembe said:


> for many aquarists, duckweed is an annoyance (gets everywhere blocks light, clogs filters).


Why does it clog a filter? Is it floating not only on a surface?


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## igor.kanshyn

*Amazon frogbit and salvinia sp. look great*

Thank you for showing me other options  Amazon frogbit and salvinia sp. look great.

I think I will try duckweed in a small tank. If it will work as a 'light control solution', then I will look for another nicely looking floating plant.

I expect two problems now:

Everything put in a tank will be covered with duckweed. 
I have filter output on a surface, it can shake duckweed all the time and kill it.

BTW, I bought this duckweed, because it was funny to me to buy a live aquarium plant for 99 cents (shipping included) 
It's here: Plante aquatique flottante, Lentilles d'eau


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## TBemba

I have had duckweed for over 3 years. I actually bought it at an Auction. I just got my first Tropheus and I thought it would be a cold floating plant. WRONG

The Tropheus and Simochromis loved it and would pretty well clean it all up but I recently got rid of them and I can't keep it under control  

It will plug up any HOB filter because the water fall effect pushes it under the water and the intake sucks it up.

My Giant Apple Snail loves it and will clean up most of it.

It helps prevent fish from jumping

I think I might have to rent a gold fish for a month


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## dl88dl

I keep duckweeds in my 48" X 12" footprint shrimp tank but I only use 2 hydro sponge filters and they grow like crazy but that is very good for me since I feed them to my goldfish every other day.


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## Joeee

You could always just use a sponge to cover the intake if you're so worried about it clogging your filter.


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## AquaNeko

An idea just came up. Having owned duckweed (this plant name is a BAD typo  if you typo) before yes the sponge in the intake filter works but this idea jsut came up.

If you have spare thin plexiglass hanging around silicone one end to the glass thent he other end to the glass while holding it with clamps or silicone || on side of the tank and another || on the back of the tank then use a thin strip (long/short pending your filter size) of plexiglass ~1/2" - 1" long and give it a slight curve to it. Slide that between the cured || slots and it would keep the duckweed out of the waterfall of a HOB filter. You would not really need to worry then about the pre-filter sponge unless you want it there for fry/extra biomass.


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## Fish_Man

duckweed is crazy!!! its just like the world "weed" grows fast and it is annoy but I have goldfish now to eat it  

I say frogbit also for a good addition to the shirmp tank.


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## arinsi

i have some in my 10 gallon
believe it or not
i have like 3 petals that are still there
they never grew


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## Fish_Man

arinsi said:


> i have some in my 10 gallon
> believe it or not
> i have like 3 petals that are still there
> they never grew


your fish ate it when you weren't looking


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## fishclubgirl

I have both types of duckweed and love it. Hint, hint, giant duckweed doesn't clog filters. Yes, it grows like a weed but it stops my wild bettas from jumping. I have several methods of getting rid of my excess; have a friend with a goldfish, shipping it to friends across canada and donating it to my local aquarium club's auction. My disposal methods seem to work pretty well!!


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## bae

Fishclubgirl, do you mean Spirodela polyrhiza when you say giant duckweed? I've seen it called so many different names that I figured I could make up my own. I took a couple of bags to the DRAS auction labeled Spirodela polyrhiza - Upscale Duckweed, which was worth a few laughs.

It does have more class than regular duckweed (Lemna minor). It's prettier and somewhat less pestiferous. Also, being larger, it's easy to tell just how much of it you've gotten out of the tank. I grow it with Amazon frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) and the two of them fight each other to a standstill, although I think the duckweed is a bit ahead.


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## TBemba

bae, thanks I learned a new word! *pestiferous*

it is a very good description of duckweed


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## AquaNeko

How fast do goldies eat duckweed? What is the ratio of duckweed to goldie to ensure constant regenerative supply of duckweed?


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## Fish_Man

AquaNeko said:


> How fast do goldies eat duckweed? What is the ratio of duckweed to goldie to ensure constant regenerative supply of duckweed?


it depends on your goldfish and how many you have. I have it floating in the tank but they don't eat it all.


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## Riceburner

I've got some of the tiny ones in my community/fry tank...usually doesn't last too long.  ...but the current batch seems to be doing a bit better....for now.


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## AquaNeko

Fish_Man said:


> it depends on your goldfish and how many you have. I have it floating in the tank but they don't eat it all.


Lets just say 1 goldie for now to make it simple and easier on the math.


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## igor.kanshyn

*Duckweed is really messy*

Duckweed is really messy. I realized that it was not only floating on top. Dead leaves go down and make a mess at the bottom or hook into other plants. Also it shifts into tank corners and place itself into several levels one under another there. It doesn't have that nice cover view as I expected.

I will get rid of it


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## Fish_Man

I end up getting rid of my duckweed since I'm using a HOB filter now and it makes a mess all over the place. Only good when you use undergravel or sponge


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## TBemba

Fish_Man said:


> I end up getting rid of my duckweed since I'm using a HOB filter now and it makes a mess all over the place. Only good when you use undergravel or sponge


How do you get rid if duckweed?


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## Fish_Man

TBemba said:


> How do you get rid if duckweed?


net it all out.. takes a while


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## TBemba

Fish_Man said:


> net it all out.. takes a while


How much do you charge?


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## Fish_Man

priceless to have a clear tank


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