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Duckweed..

3K views 27 replies 10 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 · (Edited)
Thinking about getting some for my 55g, I know most on here don't like it but I had it once before as a hitchhiker and it didn't bother me and had no problem getting rid of it.

Problem is when I had it before I didn't have mollies and now I have 6 of them. Will they eat it faster than it can grow? I know duckweed is a fast grower but I'm only running one T8 48' tube over my 55 so it probably won't grow as fast as normal. I don't want to waste my money if the mollies will chow down and eliminate the duckweed. I planned on getting it from aquarium plants.com, it's sold in 2lbs. Don't know how much surface that would cover in a 55
 
#6 ·
I actually got a bunch yesterday - I was looking for water sprite, which also came in, but it was just luck of the draw scoops of the other person's tank. I will gladly send you the duckweed, just pay the shipping ($6) It's pretty much a quarte sized ziplock full
 
#7 ·
I used to have duckweed, but considered it a nuisance because it would dry out on the side of the glass because of evaporation, for ruining my filter(and media), and because it sticks to you like glue when you try to get things out of your aquarium. Even when I had it, it never grew on the surface so it was practically dead.
 
#8 ·
I know it can be a pain but its the only floating plant that has grown for me in past. I've failed with water sprite , pennywort , and currently failing with wisteria. This is a last resort for me as I wants/need a floating plant to provide shade for my many anubias.
 
#19 · (Edited)
There is a reason these plants don't thrive. While not all will, some will, if sufficient light and nutrients are available. If you want, we should look into your setup; something is most probably lacking.

Byron.
 
#11 ·
Two POUNDS of duckweed is a lot - you're talking about enough to cover a pond - and it grows quickly. Mollies can and will nibble on it, but once you get more than a pinch and it starts to grow, well, like a weed - they'll never be able to catch up. I'd say about 1/4 to 1/2 of a quart-sized baggie would be MORE than enough for your needs in getting it going in a 55. . . if you have a HOB filter, you may want to look into creating a coral for it, as it will get sucked into and stuck behind the filter.
 
#13 ·
2 POUNDS?!?!

Crap. I started with about a small hand full, couple of ounces, maybe. My water surface is 12" x 30" (37 gallon high) and it was completely covered, and then some, in a few weeks after starting with enough to sort of cover half the tank. 2 lbs might give you an inch thick mat.

I pulled over 75% of it off three weeks ago, brought it back to less than half covered and now it is near 3/4's covered again. As long as you keep taking it out it will keep growing. Actually, that's not true, it keeps growing even if you DON'T take any out.

Maybe that is a shipping weight and includes some water weight.

Jeff.
 
#16 ·
.... and none available around here other than duckweed.

Duckweed isn't bad, just prolific. I'm waiting for the store to bring in some dwarf water lettuce next month... they bring in some floaters for the pond people.

I've considered floating the pennywort, it would be cool. I was going to cut up one of the shorter stems into single leaf bits and float those and see how they grow.

Jeff.
 
#20 ·
I've been at this for a year and a half and I've tried almost everything .
It's a 55 gallon with a 48 inch 6500 t8 bulb, dgh is 11, ph is 8.2-8-4. I've had 2 bulbs once before and couldn't find balance either . About the only thing I haven't tried is dosing flourish twice a week with one bulb instead of once. I run lights 8 hrs a day . My pennywort . Water sprite and wisteria turn to mush
 
#23 ·
If there is new growth, they would most likely come back. Sometimes the plants are grown out of the water to get them started faster at the nursery... of course not all plants can be done this way but the "air grown" leaves will not continue under water so they die off and the new growth that has started under water will flourish.

I have seen some at some of the big box pet stores, never bought any though, that are kept in the bag or container not submerged... those would likely go that way.

Jeff.
 
#24 ·
What plants did you get? Stem plants tend to adjust and transition better if left floating (as long as your current isnt knocking them around and dragging it under).
I generally float weak stems until I have a significant length of healthy shoots to plant. Using this method, some glosso I floated managed to transition from emmersed growth to a low light low tech blackwater tank(bowl). By then I had forgotten about it and somehow it had rooted itself (maybe something knocked it down?) under a piece of cholla wood with next to no light. lol

The only plant that I've failed with this method so far is elatine triandra, I think it's partially due to it being a nitrite hog root feeder and also tendency to melt when touched.
 
#25 ·
In addition to what has been posted by others, there is also the "rest" period that all plants go through, though stem plants show this a bit differently due to their method of growing. But right now, the Pennywort in my tanks is not doing well at all, and Ihave had this occur over the past years from time to time.

What is the GH of your water?
 
#26 ·
Apologies if this was mentioned and I missed it, but what type of filtration do you have? If the surface of your water is very turbulent, some floaters - like frogbit and WaterSprite - won't thrive. I was able to somewhat get around this by creating a 'corral' for the floating plants, an area where the surface of the water was calm. Duckweed doesn't mind anything much, though - and it will most certainly thrive in the lighting you have, provided you can keep it out of the filter (really shouldn't be much of a problem unless you have a HOB, in my experience)

Just to add. . . I have a tank with a single T8, and I'm really unable to grow most stem plants in there - especially not with the floaters adding more shade. I also have soft water, which can come into play, depending on the species. I have had very good luck with the lower light plants, crypts, anubias, java fern - they have continued to grow and thrive, despite the floaters further reducing the lighting to the bottom of the tank.
 
#28 ·
That equates to 15 dGH which is certainly enough for the hard minerals so that is not an issue. Another comment, most of our aquarium plants are soft water species, and these will do OK in harder water but they may take some adjustment time.

On the light, I agree that a single T8 tube is going to be very low for substrate-rooted plants. It should work for the floaters though.
 
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