Yenko
Fish Addict
Plants play three main roles in the aquarium: water purification, providing hiding spots for fishes and they make the tank look better.
Water purification is essential to aquariums, and although labour-intensive, water changes and biological filtration will keep your fish healthy. If you have sufficient plant growth (This usually requires micronutrient dosing, CO2 and super-bright lights), the plants will absorb all the waste your fish produce, keeping your water quality extremely high. That level of growth is expensive and difficult to achieve, however.
Duckweed is an exellent plant for keeping your water quality high, for a few reasons:
It does not require CO2 addition to grow very fast.
Because it is not underwater it gathers light more efficiently, which means you do not need very bright lighting hardware to grow it.
It's macronutrient requirements are more similar to the balance of macronutrients fish food contains and most importantly, it's macronutrient requirements are very similar to those of alage, meaning it directly competes with alage for all three macronutrients, rather than just one or two in the case of regular plants. (Regular plants use much less phosphates relative to nitrogen and potassium than duckweed and alage)
It is not picky about micronutrients. Fishfood contains every micronutrient plants need to grow, and I have never had any problems due to micronutrient deficiency in my tank.
It's cheap. I got my duckweed for $2, a bit of hygrophilia or a cryptocoryne would have cost at least $10.
Fish (especially baby guppies) like to hide in its roots, and other fish like the shade it provides.
If you are not growing rooted plants you can either have no substrate or vaccum your substrate, which makes the tank cleaner.
I've been running a 32 gallon tank with 2X20w tubes for about three months with duckweed cover on the top, and there has been next to no alage growth, the water is extremely clean, to the point where I don't belive regular water changes are needed.
(Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate <10 mg/l)
Of course, a 50% water change every 3 months or so is good because without it any minerals in the tapwater I use to top up the tank accumulate and increase the water hardness.
I grow a few cryptocorynes and Java Fern in the bottom of the tank, and although their growth is slow, the foliage they put out is an impressive green and is very well formed and healthy-looking.
Duckweed is also excellent for cichlid keepers whose fish would tear up normal plants.
I remove excess duckweed with a fishnet. Much easier than clipping plants.
Water purification is essential to aquariums, and although labour-intensive, water changes and biological filtration will keep your fish healthy. If you have sufficient plant growth (This usually requires micronutrient dosing, CO2 and super-bright lights), the plants will absorb all the waste your fish produce, keeping your water quality extremely high. That level of growth is expensive and difficult to achieve, however.
Duckweed is an exellent plant for keeping your water quality high, for a few reasons:
It does not require CO2 addition to grow very fast.
Because it is not underwater it gathers light more efficiently, which means you do not need very bright lighting hardware to grow it.
It's macronutrient requirements are more similar to the balance of macronutrients fish food contains and most importantly, it's macronutrient requirements are very similar to those of alage, meaning it directly competes with alage for all three macronutrients, rather than just one or two in the case of regular plants. (Regular plants use much less phosphates relative to nitrogen and potassium than duckweed and alage)
It is not picky about micronutrients. Fishfood contains every micronutrient plants need to grow, and I have never had any problems due to micronutrient deficiency in my tank.
It's cheap. I got my duckweed for $2, a bit of hygrophilia or a cryptocoryne would have cost at least $10.
Fish (especially baby guppies) like to hide in its roots, and other fish like the shade it provides.
If you are not growing rooted plants you can either have no substrate or vaccum your substrate, which makes the tank cleaner.
I've been running a 32 gallon tank with 2X20w tubes for about three months with duckweed cover on the top, and there has been next to no alage growth, the water is extremely clean, to the point where I don't belive regular water changes are needed.
(Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate <10 mg/l)
Of course, a 50% water change every 3 months or so is good because without it any minerals in the tapwater I use to top up the tank accumulate and increase the water hardness.
I grow a few cryptocorynes and Java Fern in the bottom of the tank, and although their growth is slow, the foliage they put out is an impressive green and is very well formed and healthy-looking.
Duckweed is also excellent for cichlid keepers whose fish would tear up normal plants.
I remove excess duckweed with a fishnet. Much easier than clipping plants.
