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Is getting duckweed worth it?


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Hi all,

 

So for a little bit, I've been researching on duckweed and if I should buy it. Some said that duckweed is super beneficial cause it consumes nitrates really quickly and provides a food source for larger fish and even turtles. But others said that because of how fast it grows, It shades all of the other plants in the tank and can kill the plants because they couldn't get any light. Another thing is that if you don't take the duckweed out and instead let it keep growing, it can reduce the amount of oxygen in the tank, killing the fish if left to long. You have to keep removing it almost every single week cause it can take over if its left alone for a long period of time.

 

So what are your thoughts? Should I get it? or should I pass and look for another floating plant that won't grow too fast and take over?

I don't mind taking out duckweed every week as I can feed it to my turtles or just throw it out.

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my guppies have been eating it when my filter pushes them under water they dart in eating part or all. A reason to avoid is if selling at an auction say many won't bid on your lot if they see any duckweed. i'm not as fastidious knowing i can get after it if needed. Maybe you could blend some duckweed up and add to Repashy if you make that. 

If you don't have it maybe try water lettuce or search for the large leaf duckweed which is a large morph of it. maybe avoid it if you can find other things that are easily weeded out when they overproduce themselves. 

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I’ve never had it but everyone I know whose had it (even some YouTubers I watch) have come to regret ever having put it in their tanks. That’s enough for me to ever want to chance it. It just seems (and I could be wrong, but it’s only my opinion which doesn’t count for much) that it’s not worth the hassle. There are other floating plants that are as beneficial but not nearly as aggravating to maintain 

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I have it in one tank that I didn't try to grow it.  It does take over quickly once it gets started.  Our turtle does love to eat it so it's helping with food but overall, I don't want it in any other tanks.  My guppies don't eat it enough to keep the rapid spread of growth down.

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I don't like it at all.  I'm sure it's great for removing nitrates, but it's also great at sticking to anything you put in the tank and spreading to other tanks, and once in your tank it's difficult to eradicate if (I mean when) you decide you don't want it after all.

I am curious about your statement about it reducing available oxygen.  I've never heard that about any plant, and while I don't claim to be a scientist, or even very smart, I don't understand how that is possible.

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For the moment, I am pro Duckweed.

Duckweed is one of those things you can love and hate at the same time.  I introduced wild caught DW  to one tank 8 months ago. The intent was to provide additional free food for the omnivores in the hopes that they would leave the other plants alone.  Either the DW won't grow there, or the fish are eating it faster than it can reproduce. 

Some people can't grow DW.  I think this is in part a matter of light intensity.  Windowsill grown Duckweed, and DW introduced to the outdoor ponds is thriving.  For me, DW is not causing a problem.  The possible exception to this is in my project tank where the DW seems to do best directly under the light.  It is easy to spread it accidentally.

I also question the idea of DW reducing available oxygen. A solid DW blanket could possibly cut off oxygen absorption on the surface, but if you are aerating the tank with a HOB or sponge filter etc. than you should be good.  

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As others have said, it just appeared in my tank one day, and then spread to others - despite my efforts. It really sticks to your hands/arms so it's just a matter of time unless you wash your hands like a surgeon before touching another tank.

However - it does not do so well in my lower light tanks, I never have to clean it out whereas in my higher light tanks I need to whip out my duckweed comb every couple weeks. It does shade the tank nicely, and helps remove nitrates which can help with algae - but I would rather just grow some pothos. Actually since I've added pothos to those tanks, the duckweed doesn't seem to grow as fast anymore. 

If you did want to introduce duckweed, I would try "giant" duckweed, it's more manageable. 

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In your experience, was LLDW the same as normal DW? Was it a slower grower or did it just not stick like normal DW?

After looking at the replies, I've seen that DW is a hassle and I shouldn't buy it. So then I started looking at frogbit. I saw that it consumes a lot of nitrates but they don't get out of control like DW. And it looks a lot prettier than DW, too. I won't mind getting LLDW instead of frogbit if I'm recommended to, as it looks more appealing than DW.

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On 5/22/2023 at 8:18 PM, tetra said:

In your experience, was LLDW the same as normal DW? Was it a slower grower or did it just not stick like normal DW?

After looking at the replies, I've seen that DW is a hassle and I shouldn't buy it. So then I started looking at frogbit. I saw that it consumes a lot of nitrates but they don't get out of control like DW. And it looks a lot prettier than DW, too. I won't mind getting LLDW instead of frogbit if I'm recommended to, as it looks more appealing than DW.

This is exactly what I was going to suggest, there are lots of floaters that have the benefits of duckweed without being so invasive. I've never heard anybody complain about a dwarf water lettuce infestation in their aquarium.

 

I had duckweed for a bit and then it all kind of died off for about a year. I found about six leaves hiding in a corner and suddenly it took over again. Now I've got to scoop it out at least weekly to give my other plants any chance at getting any light. My algae problem is solved though.

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No! Don’t do it! It is basically the cancer of aquatic plants, you’ll never get rid of it. It’ll be an all the tanks even if you didn’t put it in all the tanks. My friend even found duck weed in his coffee the other day. There is absolutely no getting rid of it, it’ll cover the whole top of the tank, super fast and then you’ll just be scooping it off and throwing it out all the time because no one else wants it. If I knew then what I knew now there would be no duck weed in my house.

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If you want floating plants I would recommend water lettuce if it is a highly lit tank, I also really like frogbit and tigerbit. Lots of plants that people usually plant make good floaters too like hornwort and water sprite. If you don’t have a top on your tank, I put cuttings of Pothos in my tank and hang them over the side and they root in there and they are huge nutrient suckers so they’re great for that. Water wisteria is also a really big nutrient sucker and that can be planted or floated.

 

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On 5/22/2023 at 1:26 PM, Pepere said:

It can greatly reduce surface area exposed to air which reduces gas exchange.

I would buy this. It aligns with my understanding/crusade that oxygenation happens all across the surface, especially with moving water, and not just/only via airstone bubbles. 

I’ve had duck weed in a number of tanks, I don’t despise it but there are better options that involve less work. Giant duck weed for one, hornwort and dwarf water lettuce too. For nitrate reduction, hornwort gets my vote.

Edited by TOtrees
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Like said by many above, you will probably get some one day- whether you want to or not. It does help with water quality just as much as any floating plant in my experience. It quicky chokes out the surface of your tank and looks kinda ugly imo. I recently switched from duckweed to salvinia minima in one of my tanks, and I'd say I love it tons more than duckweed.

Just go for any floating plant other than duckweed. You won't regret it.

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I love duckweed. 
It makes my fish feel safe.My snails think it’s s buffet and a few fish enjoy eating it. 
My plants do better for whatever reason when the light is shaded by duckweed and algae does not grow much under a duckweed canopy.  It does help water quality. 
I like the dancing little roots. It looks nice and makes me smile.

Taking some and growing it in clean water on my windowsill it tastes great in salads and is very nutritious. Thank you @Torrey 🤗

The only downsides are I have flow so it gets pushed into the tank and stuck on prefilters. I always use floating airline tubes so my air bubbles are not blocked.  I have to thin it out now and then. 
And of course I always have nerm glitter which means my cats usually do as well 🤣

 

image.jpg

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