Duckweed----A nd what is this moss?

[jollysue]

I just recieved some duckweed for my anabantoids. How best to use it? How much per usg? I'm a little concerned about it getting drawn into the intake tube. Any suggestions?

Also I got some moss. I don't know what it is and it spreads rapidly. I would like to find out if it has any natural grazers. Here's the best I could do with pics so far:

Here it is the fine hair like stuff on the Amazon stalk

Anybody got any ideas for me?

 

[smooth_bourbon]

The clump of moss by the bogwood looks like java moss to me. That could be since thats the only moss I have tho. If so then watch it if it starts floating around it can get sucked up in the intake, mine does all the time.

 

[jollysue]

Yeah they just told me at the lfs that they had gifted me some hair algae. That's what the fuzzy stuff is. Some gift! Now I need a siamese flying algae eating fox. They only sell flying foxes. Phtt!

The other bunch is moss and you may be right. Another post another place said that it looked a lot like Java moss, but the leaves(?) were smaller.

Any idea about duckweed?

 

[modernhamlet]

Duckweed is a love it or hate it sort of plant. I've had it before and while it can be a bit of a pain (as you need to remove bunches of it regularly to keep it under control), it's definitely got it's charms.

Here's a good look at the ups and downs that I found:

The benefits of Duckweed are the same as most plants in the aquarium, they help keep the water pure, add some oxygen, provide food and cover for fry and improve the appearence of a tank. Duckweed is known to be a home for tiny organisms that small fish and/or fry can eat, and it is often kept in tanks that have fish that are light shy. It is said to be a very good water purifyer, and a lot of experienced aquarist love this stuff, me included.

The drawbacks are that the Duckweed is so fast growing that it will completely cover the surface in a very short time, thus blocking out all the light for plants in the lower regions of the tank, and it's very hard to get rid of this stuff once you have it in a tank, it hides under the lip of the aquarium, it hides under the cover, seemingly dried up and dead, only to fall back into the aquarium to start a new generation. I have to admire any living thing with this tenacity for life, it should be the poster child for "Never Give Up".
source

 

[jollysue]

Thanks modernhamlet.

Sounds like I have some decisions to make. It is still sitting in the bag. It was advertised as a good betta weed. But I have it sitting waiting for wisdom--mine of course.

Got anymore suggestions for its use. I thought it might be good for anabantoids. But while that might be true I doubt that they would like to not have light--and I'm sure my other plants wouldn't be pleased. Perhaps a small duckweed planted only tank.

I'm already in enough trouble with the hair algae.

 

[funkybodal]

Just a suggestion - stick the duckweed in, it'll grow quickly and absorb nitrates and block out light thus meaning that the hair algae will have trouble spreading. It doesn't exactly take that long to remove lots of it, your fish will feel more secure and it'll give your bettas a floating surface under which they can construct bubblenests. It's a win win situation

 

[jollysue]

Oh, Thanks, funkybodal. I will use that in my Mini S. Sea Tank with the Anabantoids. Can I put that in a 12 Eclipse? Right now all the tanks are being treated for culumnaris. It has hit the neons in the Mini Tank the hardest and is now showing on the neons in the 100 usg. That 100 is the community planted tank w/ a Mother Amazon and some of all my plants (but the duckweed.) That is the tank with the hair algae. . I'm uncertain that shutting out the light for any length of time in that tank is good. I could just turn the lights off.

But the idea of not worrying about planting other plants in the anabantoid tank is usable. It is a mixed community. Will the cories and otos mind? Can I use it in small betta tanks and a betta sorority tank? I can then use artificial plants for decor.

Hmm? How about my coldwater. Would my goldies and snails like it? Hehe

So far the green hair algae seems to be mainly attaching to dead or decaying leaves on the Amazon, etc. I also have stopped feeding my algae eaters quite so heavily. Maybe the BN and otos will nibble enough to keep it in check.


EDIT: OK, I have added it to the Mini Tank. I didn't know how to separate it from the water and I trust the supplier, so I juast added most of the bag. Then I went around and put the rest in the pretty boy and the pygmy cory tank. Naturally I forgot that everyon was in separate quarantine. B)

The Mini Tank is a little grean right now, but the honeys, sparklers, pygmy cories seem to be pleased with it. And are diving in and out of it. The water is a little green. The cories are going to the top and getting gulps of air.