Duckweed mania

[Characf]

As some of you may know , I've struggled with levels of Nitrates in my source water (30ppm) so I quickly got some floating plants to accompany my submerged ones as these take up more Nitrate levels.

Problem is this duck weed has grown like wildfire and now the one's beneath seem to be struggling, I siv a good load out but within a few days it's back? Do you guys remove it? Or would you consider it helpful?

 

[Freshyfishy]

I would buy it!

 

[Wills]

I have it in one of my tanks intentionally and it seems to have infected my other tank. I had a lot of red root floater in the second tank but I'm at the point where I dont want the duck weed so I'm in the process of removing all the floating plants to get rid of the duck weed.

In the tank I have it in intentionally once every few weeks I just scoop about 80% of it out into a bin I use either a fish net or just grab handfuls of it.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I hate duckweed with a deep and abiding passion. I eliminated it from all my tanks for a good eight months, and it reappeared somehow. It's impossible to eradicate once it arrives, it's messy, and I can't even easily skim it off since the tank is full of shrimp, so I have to scoop up nets full of it and sift through it in a bucket to remove it and save the shrimp. It's the bane of my fishkeeping life.

It's good at sucking up ammonia, don't get me wrong, and some people love it. But I rue the day the first leaf was allowed in one of my tanks. Rue the day!

 

[10 Tanks]

As some of you may know , I've struggled with levels of Nitrates in my source water (30ppm) so I quickly got some floating plants to accompany my submerged ones as these take up more Nitrate levels.

Problem is this duck weed has grown like wildfire and now the one's beneath seem to be struggling, I siv a good load out but within a few days it's back? Do you guys remove it? Or would you consider it helpful?

Hello Characf. Nitrates at the level you're having aren't bad. Most hardy fish species will hardly notice it. Floating plants are a good idea, but large, weekly water changes will maintain a steady water chemistry and this is more important than a particular chemistry.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[Freshyfishy]

IF ANYONE DOESN'T WANT THEIR DUCKWEED, PLEASE PM ME!!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

IF ANYONE DOESN'T WANT THEIR DUCKWEED, PLEASE PM ME!!

While duckweed is annoyingly difficult to kill (I've found it growing and thriving in a bucket of bleach solution I was soaking some fish stuff in, true story) it would be a bit silly to send my duckweed across the pond (ha!). Surely people are giving it away over there too?

 

[Freshyfishy]

Actually, Not many do here. If it can live in a bleach solution, it surely could survive shipping...

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Actually, Not many do here. If it can live in a bleach solution, it surely could survive shipping...

Any wild ponds there with duckweed? Can QT it and culture it until you're sure there are no creepy crawlies left, then use the newer leaves in your tank! Otherwise, I'm sure there's a US member that would be willing to help! Sorry, but international shipping ain't cheap! I'm sure there must be some US duckweed havers here who can help! Also have you checked ebay?

 

[Freshyfishy]

Oh, forgot about the international shipping costs!

I did check ebay, for a small handful (more than enough), they are charging upwards $25 or more.. There is NO WAY IN HELL im paying that price!

 

[Back in the fold]

Duckweed . The Tribble of aquarium plants.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Oh, forgot about the international shipping costs!

I did check ebay, for a small handful (more than enough), they are charging upwards $25 or more.. There is NO WAY IN HELL im paying that price!

That's ludicrous, it's a prolific weed!

Honestly, pinch some from a local pond/river/lake and culture it in buckets or containers in your back yard until you're sure it's pest free.

You might have better luck if you network with other local hobbyists. Look for tropical fishkeeping FB groups or BAND groups in your area. I've gotten from great plants by trading with local hobbyists, and have often given away plant trimmings from my own tanks, since they were only going to be binned otherwise.

What were prices like for other floating plants? Because honestly, Amazon frogbit, water lettuce, red root floaters, salvinia- any other floater is better than duckweed, without the annoying downsides! Do they sell Tropica in-vitro pots and plants over there? Or is that just a Europe thing?

 

[Uberhoust]

I gathered some from my local pond a couple of winters ago. Did a bleach dip with it, and it grew like mad. Took me months to eradicate. I would not pay money for it, but I have considered trying it again because I have issues with the other floaters.

 

[Freshyfishy]

@AdoraBelle Dearheart

The prices (atleast in FL here) are priced atleast $10 higher overall for floating plants vs rooted plants.

not quite sure what a Tropica in-vitro pot or plant is.. do you mean like growing kits, or lab grown plants..? They dumb everything down for americans

 

[Back in the fold]

@Freshyfishy I got my duckweed from aquariumplants.com out of Tampa Florida. $5 bucks for enough to plague me the rest of my days.