Duckweed experiments

[Tanked]

I brought about a tablespoon full of Duckweed home last fall to begin some experiments. 

The first:  How does it grow on the windowsill, in my pond, and outdoor tub?  I put it in a tall clear vase and waited. It produced much longer roots than expected, and after algae began growing, I had a small biotope.  With the arrival of spring, it was time for the pond and tub.  The only surprise is that it did not grow as well in the pond as expected.  Perhaps the moving water is a limiting factor.

All of this leads up to the real experiment.  Who is faster: Duckweed or Silver Dollars.  I have been trying to infect the 65 with Duckweed.  The tank has a fish fence to separate the plants from the plant eaters.  Behind the fish fence, I have been adding DW left over from the windowsill experiment.  It has not taken.  About two weeks ago I placed DW harvested from the outdoor tub behind the fence.  This time it appears to be spreading.  There isn't that much of it, but I have noticed the SDs and the angels feeding at the fence.  As the DW spreads, it will be forced through the fence into open water. I don't expect the DW to spread beyond the fence, but the race is on!  At the very least I might have an autofeeder.

[JettsPapa]

I'm waiting for the report on your experiment trying to get rid of it.

[Tanked]

On 9/9/2022 at 12:30 PM, JettsPapa said:

I'm waiting for the report on your experiment trying to get rid of it.

I don't think I will get to that point in the aquarium.  

I've noticed some of the fish lining up along the fence like cattle at a trough. I thought this was because that is the point where I usually feed them.  When this activity began happening at other times, and noticing the Gourami, trying to push past the fence while the others fed is how I realized that the Duckweed was still alive and spreading.  

[TheSwissAquarist]

@JettsPapa, I'm working on something (I guess you could call it reverse reverse respiration) which basically chokes the duckweed by not allowing it to photosynthesise, I still need to test if it's safe for fish and inverts but I hope it could be a viable solution.

[GardenStateGoldfish]

Duckweed does not like surface agitation so that will severely limit its growth, also when there is a lot of competition for nutrients it also will grow slow, I keep goldfish so I have never had a tank get infected with duckweed haha, similar to your silver dollars it just won’t happen, if you kept a tub pond in full sun without a filter and no other plants you would see it grow insanely fast, but if that tub was full of silver dollars or goldfish it may never take over but it certainly won’t disappear until it gets colder and it slows down, then it disappears cause it can’t grow faster than it’s being eaten. 

[Tanked]

On 10/4/2022 at 6:45 AM, GardenStateGoldfish said:

Duckweed does not like surface agitation so that will severely limit its growth, also when there is a lot of competition for nutrients it also will grow slow, I keep goldfish so I have never had a tank get infected with duckweed haha, similar to your silver dollars it just won’t happen, if you kept a tub pond in full sun without a filter and no other plants you would see it grow insanely fast, but if that tub was full of silver dollars or goldfish it may never take over but it certainly won’t disappear until it gets colder and it slows down, then it disappears cause it can’t grow faster than it’s being eaten. 

The fish fence serves as a vending machine in the aquarium.  The Duckweed does occasionally escape but is still almost nonexistent in open water.  Out doors, with the approaching fall season, it will be interesting to see what comes back in the spring.

[jwcarlson]

You shouldn't play with matches, @Tanked.

[Tanked]

The invasion has begun! Last night I found Duckweed in the only tank without plant eaters. 

I'm curious if surface movement can keep it in check, and how little light it requires.  I cut the light back to control the algae, and now the Elodea is dying off.

[jwcarlson]

On 11/28/2022 at 10:11 AM, Tanked said:

The invasion has begun! Last night I found Duckweed in the only tank without plant eaters. 

I'm curious if surface movement can keep it in check, and how little light it requires.  I cut the light back to control the algae, and now the Elodea is dying off.

Thank you for not posting a picture.  I want to make sure my tanks don't catch it again. 😆

[Tanked]

On 11/29/2022 at 9:15 PM, jwcarlson said:

Thank you for not posting a picture.  I want to make sure my tanks don't catch it again. 😆

Not to worry.  My DW has only managed to teleport across the room and isn't living up to its reputation for reproduction.  The intentional DW experiments are failing.  

[Guppysnail]

On 11/28/2022 at 11:11 AM, Tanked said:

I'm curious if surface movement can keep it in check,

 

On 11/30/2022 at 9:20 AM, Tanked said:

isn't living up to its reputation for reproduction.

I have decent surface agitation in all 12 tanks. I also introduced DW into all of them on purpose because my tap is high nitrate. 
🫤 Unimpressive. I only occasionally look and get to say oh cool it looks like it is doing well. I put protective rings around flow areas and above uplifts to try and limit splashing  on it. That seems to help a little but the omg I’m overrun with DW doesn’t happen for me. Salvinia minima does better in my opinion. 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Tanked]

On 11/30/2022 at 9:38 AM, Guppysnail said:

 

I have decent surface agitation in all 12 tanks. I also introduced DW into all of them on purpose because my tap is high nitrate. 
🫤 Unimpressive. I only occasionally look and get to say oh cool it looks like it is doing well. I put protective rings around flow areas and above uplifts to try and limit splashing  on it. That seems to help a little but the omg I’m overrun with DW doesn’t happen for me. Salvinia minima does better in my opinion. 

Just another example of how some of us can't grow some of the super easy plants. I have occasionally added Easy Green to the 65 gallon community to boost the DW behind the fish fence.  It is farthest from the HOB, and has almost no movement, and almost no DW.

[Janoš Bećar Pecaroš]

Anyone having problems growing plants should read Diana Walstad’s book Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. She break it down in great detail and shows plants behavior thru experimentation. She talks about different substrates, hard vs. soft water, acidic vs. alkaline water, co2, fertilizer and so on. Really comprehensive book about planted aquariums.

[Jennifer V]

I cannot keep DW alive and well in either of my tanks. I've tried three times now. At first I had a lot of success in my 5g and then it all disappeared. I'm baffled! I've also tried water lettuce, hornwort, elodea and salvinia. Am I missing something? @Guppysnail how to you take care of your salvinia? I'm thinking of trying again. 

[Guppysnail]

On 11/30/2022 at 7:21 PM, Jennifer V said:

I cannot keep DW alive and well in either of my tanks. I've tried three times now. At first I had a lot of success in my 5g and then it all disappeared. I'm baffled! I've also tried water lettuce, hornwort, elodea and salvinia. Am I missing something? @Guppysnail how to you take care of your salvinia? I'm thinking of trying again. 

I throw it in the tank. I don’t even use fertilizer. I do put floating airline loops around sponge air bubbles and block flow from hobs using the floating airline. They are the only floaters that don’t mind my hard water tight lids and lack of care. I gave several bags to my lfs and several to a friend it grew to fast. I have a few pieces left and when they go crazy I bag it and rid myself of it. It grew so thick it was growing on top of itself over an inch deep completely blocking gas exchange everywhere I did not have floating rings. Beautiful stuff but weekly scooping bags out is a pita. 

[Jennifer V]

On 11/30/2022 at 6:24 PM, Guppysnail said:

I throw it in the tank. I don’t even use fertilizer. I do put floating airline loops around sponge air bubbles and block flow from hobs using the floating airline. They are the only floaters that don’t mind my hard water tight lids and lack of care. I gave several bags to my lfs and several to a friend it grew to fast. I have a few pieces left and when they go crazy I bag it and rid myself of it. It grew so thick it was growing on top of itself over an inch deep completely blocking gas exchange everywhere I did not have floating rings. Beautiful stuff but weekly scooping bags out is a pita. 

Wow! Ok I'll try again. Someone local has some unique kind I forgot the name of that she's willing to give me. But I might just have a black thumb when it comes to floating plants. Ha! 

[Tanked]

On 11/30/2022 at 7:21 PM, Jennifer V said:

I cannot keep DW alive and well in either of my tanks. I've tried three times now. At first I had a lot of success in my 5g and then it all disappeared. I'm baffled! I've also tried water lettuce, hornwort, elodea and salvinia. Am I missing something? @Guppysnail how to you take care of your salvinia? I'm thinking of trying again. 

Prior to the Hornwort apocalypse, Hornwort had always grown very well for me with no special treatment.  Elodea continues to provide mixed results.  They both seem to prefer longer days.  My project tank has an approximate 16 hr. day and the Elodea is doing well.  The other tanks have shorter days and mixed results.  I was hoping that the DW would provide a self sustaining supplemental food source.  @Guppysnail's suggestion of Salvinia Minima may replace the Elodea in the planted community tank after my next lighting upgrade.

[jwcarlson]

On 11/30/2022 at 8:20 AM, Tanked said:

Not to worry.  My DW has only managed to teleport across the room and isn't living up to its reputation for reproduction.  The intentional DW experiments are failing.  

I'm not joking, I went to check my tank after this and found five big pieces of duckweed amongst the water lettuce.

This is not good, @Tanked.  We've got some bad ju-ju here. 🤣

[JettsPapa]

On 12/1/2022 at 12:09 PM, jwcarlson said:

I'm not joking, I went to check my tank after this and found five big pieces of duckweed amongst the water lettuce.

This is not good, @Tanked.  We've got some bad ju-ju here. 🤣

. . . and there are probably 15 small pieces you didn't find.

[jwcarlson]

On 12/1/2022 at 12:38 PM, JettsPapa said:

. . . and there are probably 15 small pieces you didn't find.

Does anyone know how to burn water with materials readily available at home?

[JettsPapa]

On 12/1/2022 at 12:46 PM, jwcarlson said:

Does anyone know how to burn water with materials readily available at home?

No, but here's an alternative method you might like (I'm pretty sure I saw a video where @Coryused the same method, but I can't find it).

 

[Jennifer V]

On 12/1/2022 at 9:02 AM, Tanked said:

Prior to the Hornwort apocalypse, Hornwort had always grown very well for me with no special treatment.  Elodea continues to provide mixed results.  They both seem to prefer longer days.  My project tank has an approximate 16 hr. day and the Elodea is doing well.  The other tanks have shorter days and mixed results.  I was hoping that the DW would provide a self sustaining supplemental food source.  @Guppysnail's suggestion of Salvinia Minima may replace the Elodea in the planted community tank after my next lighting upgrade.

I only have my lights on for six hours a day with a midday siesta because of algae issues. Do you think that's why I can't grow any floaters? 

[Minanora]

I got rid of all of my duckweed except the duckweed I'm keeping in the random totes of plant cuttings in. One on the windowsill in the kitchen, one next the the shrimp sanctuary right now.... I should move that one before it gets knocked over. >.> OH and there's duckweed in the Chili Ruins. It is pretty in that tank so it gets to stay. Plus it protects my anubius from getting too much light.

[Tanked]

On 12/1/2022 at 3:32 PM, Jennifer V said:

I only have my lights on for six hours a day with a midday siesta because of algae issues. Do you think that's why I can't grow any floaters? 

If you are growing other plants successfully, I think a longer day at a lesser intensity might help.  My lighting is all DIY so there are a lot of variables involved.  My planted community is set for 7 or 8 hours with no siesta. Nitrates run 35-50 ppm.  Cutting the intensity helped the algae problem but hurt the Elodea.  The project tank has much less available (intense)light for 16 hours, Nitrates usually run around 10 ppm.  The Elodea is thriving, as well as the PSO and Wisteria which don't grow in the planted community tank.   

[Tanked]

On 12/1/2022 at 1:09 PM, jwcarlson said:

I'm not joking, I went to check my tank after this and found five big pieces of duckweed amongst the water lettuce.

This is not good, @Tanked.  We've got some bad ju-ju here. 🤣

Maybe DW can teleport farther than across the room after all.  When the lights come on tonight I will check to see if I'm missing any.