Is it bad to have a full duckweed "roof"?

[Brandy]

1 hour ago, Hobbit said:

The LFS where I sell/trade my honey gouramis has duckweed in most of its tanks, and if I bring anything home I am always SOOOO careful to remove every leaf. It really is like glitter.

This is where mine came from. I was sooo careful, and I was successful for a while, but then I noticed this one interesting seedling growing in some moss on some driftwood...Like a fool I left it there to see what it would become. It is now in all 10 tanks. I have considered waging the war, but I am not ready yet.

[Fish Folk]

We scoop 50-75% duckweed out each  week in tanks. If you want to get it really down, just scoop each day. No you won’t get it all, but you can control enough by hand. 
 

We like _some_ but rather avoid the complete cover. It is most irritating on small tanks. 

[Dawn T]

I, too, have duckweed in all my tanks. LOVE the stuff. It does, indeed, end up everywhere when I have to do anything in my tanks, but I can live with that. I intend to set up an outdoor small pond eventually with a couple of goldfish, and I know they LOVE to eat duckweed, so I figure my tanks will be a great permanent source of food supplementation for them. 😁 Aside from that, I've discovered it can be a great natural fertilizer for houseplants - it provides massive amounts of nutrients as it decomposes. I haven't gotten my husband to try adding duckweed to his smoothies, yet, but it's apparently a healthy food for humans, too. Can't blame him, though. I'm not sure I'd eat it either. 😆

[Dawn T]

BTW, I got mine by accident. I ordered some red root floaters. A few leaves of duckweed came in as hitchhikers. I was thrilled, since I'd always wanted it anyway. For those who want floating plants but do NOT want duckweed, make sure you buy tissue cultured plants rather than stuff out of tanks or ponds. Tissue cultures are the only way to guarantee no hitchhikers (works for avoiding snails, too, for those who hate snails).

[Aubrey]

3 minutes ago, Dawn T said:

it can be a great natural fertilizer for houseplants - it provides massive amounts of nutrients as it decomposes

I've tried using excess floating plants to feed red wigglers to use for bait in soil that I wanted to enrich for house plants.

I wasn't successful, but it is something I want to explore more.

[MattyIce]

With any plant I feel like the growth slows down at the point where it runs out of space to grow.  Not sure if it’s true, just what I tend to see in my tanks.

I harvest mine on occasion to give it more room to grow.

[Hobbit]

@WhitecloudDynasty for sure. I guess what I’m thinking is that in a tank with good circulation and an air stone, you’ll probably be okay even with a pretty thick mat.

[Streetwise]

I like duckweed in moderation. I remove it with combs, hair picks and nets. It is easiest to remove in rimless tanks, with no emergent plants or wood. Rimmed tanks are a challenge to get what you can't see. I donate my excess to a turtle tank at work.

One way to remove it is to use an Eheim skimmer without foam, to just let the impeller macerate it, but don't do this if any creatures can get into the skimmer. Another way is to use a hang-on-back or two with the flow turned up, and let the duckweed collect underwater on a pre-filter sponge. I just did this.

In one of my buckets, I am testing if water lettuce can completely outcompete duckweed.

[Brandy]

2 minutes ago, Streetwise said:

In one of my buckets, I am testing if water lettuce can completely outcompete duckweed.

Not in the past 3 months in my experience--and lord help you if you move a lettuce and make a hole!

[Streetwise]

Did it cover the entire surface, or were you trying to keep a space open, filters not withstanding?

I thought of one other thing. In my window shrimp tanks where I removed all the technology, duckweed growth has slowed massively. I don't think it is just the removal of the lights; the lack of flow seems to make a difference too.

Edited February 27, 2021 by Streetwise