How to get rid of duckweed or stop it getting pushed under water by filter flow

[Rocky998]

….would you like some duckweed?

I’m convinced duckweed would survive a nuclear war.

Thank you for the offer, but no, not at this time.
I dont want to get anything new aquarium related until I start upgrading the tank. And any floating plants will die out due to the filter output. Yes I can use the air tube but that didn't work very well when I had floaters the last time aadly....
Thank you again for offering

 

[Essjay]

it's been so hard to get hold of any floating plants

Floating plants are not common in shops, but most on-line shops sell them. I use shops which guarantee shrimp safe plants - AquaEssentials, ProShrimp, Horizon Aquatics to name a few.
Once you get rid of all the duckweed, have a browse. The duckweed does need to be all gone as it is far worse trying to remove it when it's mixed up with other floaters. Been there.

 

[TNG]

I grow duckweed in a separate tank to feed my gouramis and angelfish, they eat every bit of it.

 

[Playsander]

I stupidly welcomed duckweed in to my tank and did not consider the fact it was going to get knocked around by my filter flow (external filter, fluval 307).

I have the same filter but use a spray bar. The duckweed doesn't get sucked up with that in place.

 

[sharkweek178]

Something else to watch out for. If you have multiple tanks, be careful not to accidentally transfer some duckweed from one tank to another. Like if some sticks to a net or other piece of equipment and then you use it in another tank. Or even your arm if you put your hand into the tank.

 

[jdr3366]

I think everybody has some growth in their tank that requires constant tending. Just part of the journey IMO.

 

[biofish]

I grow duckweed in a separate tank to feed my gouramis and angelfish, they eat every bit of it.

They eat it??? Huh. Mine don’t. They’ve bitten the falling leaves but they just spit it out. My kids don’t like their salad apparently

But my kids have also never liked the veggies I chop up for them. I think it’s because I can’t quite get the pieces small enough…. Time to put the veggies in a blender

 

[FranciscoB]

A floating corral works well. This corral was for years in a 75g (tank 48x18x21") filtered with an FX6 + an AC110 (both with pre-filters). The corral was sufficient to impede floaters to get into filters or to be knocked about. Cheers!

 

[TNG]

They eat it??? Huh. Mine don’t. They’ve bitten the falling leaves but they just spit it out. My kids don’t like their salad apparently

But my kids have also never liked the veggies I chop up for them. I think it’s because I can’t quite get the pieces small enough…. Time to put the veggies in a blender

The gouramis I mentioned are the moonlight and 3 spot gouramis (Trichopodus microlepis and trichopterus). The sparkling and croaking gouramis are like the bettas, they don't eat aquatic plant.
It took them a few days to figure out that they could eat duckweed. The angelfish didn’t eat it at first, but they learnt from the gouramis. They bite bits and pieces off, but eventually eat all of it.

 

[yellowstitch123]

Update. The severums have eaten all of it.

 

[yellowstitch123]

I do have some more and I'm now tempted to put it back in if they like it so much!

 

[biofish]

Dang. Permission to borrow your fish so they can have a gourmet meal and teach my fish how to get good?