Any advances in the war on duckweed?

[Rusty_Shackleford]

I double dare you.

 

[malfunction]

Firstly, duckweed is amazing so you’re all insane if you don’t like it in your tanks. Secondly, it’s really easy to get rid of. It hates surface movement, so increase surface flow so that its leaves get wet and it’ll die off. Of course I’ll be judging you for destroying such a majestic plant.

 

[MattW]

Just eat it.

I can’t remember where I saw it but I watched a short video by a shrimp breeder who freeze dried duckweed and formed them into pellets. The process he used made sure the duckweed didn’t loose any nutrients resulting in a high quality feed. Shrimp and fish went mad for it and he had an endless supply of free food

 

[Magnum Man]

I only do giant duckweed, but inherited water meal, for a while... I find that if the top 1 inch of tank, isn't wiped clean, something starts there. and before you know it, you're in the duckweed business again

 

[gimme30]

This is the only advancement I've seen. You can use it to comb your hair if you have any left after fighting the duckweed war.

 

[GaryE]

A louse comb for duckweed?

If constant surface moisture from moving water kills it, does a spray bottle do it harm? I think I may do some research...

 

[Gertrudae]

I guess spraying it to death would be a fulltime job. A skimmer filter should also do the trick.

 

[GaryE]

I guess spraying it to death would be a fulltime job. A skimmer filter should also do the trick.

I'm Canadian. We act friendly and polite, but if we're crossed, we can be very petty and vengeful, forever. I could spray bottle duckweed into misery. It's ruined many a set up here, and I remember every one....

 

[gimme30]

The skimmer filter's not a bad idea for more of a hands-off approach. Anyone have a Tidal that can chime in about its effectiveness? Not that I'm about to buy a new filter just for this, I've already got too many lying around as it is.
Spraying it isn't going to work. There's one stuck in a patch of moss that's been thriving underwater for 3 weeks now.

 

[anewbie]

I can’t remember where I saw it but I watched a short video by a shrimp breeder who freeze dried duckweed and formed them into pellets. The process he used made sure the duckweed didn’t loose any nutrients resulting in a high quality feed. Shrimp and fish went mad for it and he had an endless supply of free food

How exactly do you freeze dried duckweed ? Also when it is drying does it make a quacking sound ?

 

[MattW]

Use a freeze dryer or blend and bake in oven like a normal duck

 

[EmmaS]

Firstly, duckweed is amazing so you’re all insane if you don’t like it in your tanks. Secondly, it’s really easy to get rid of. It hates surface movement, so increase surface flow so that its leaves get wet and it’ll die off. Of course I’ll be judging you for destroying such a majestic plant.

Correct answer. Its easy to kill off. Remove as much as possible and create surface agitation like you say. You can also use a surface skimmer to remove it.

 

[Boundava]

Goldfish love the stuff and make fast work of it. They are my go-to when there's an excess of it.

My large gourami love it too (opaline, moonlight, snakeskin). If I have any in my other tanks I will get it and toss it in the 125 and within 2 days it is all gone.

 

[Swampman]

Sadly I know the answer but thought I'd check

About a year ago I gave myself a temporary reprieve and cleared 2 tanks the old fashioned way (physical removal). By the end of summer I was quietly confident and then...
One day in late autumn I spotted a single leaf in the community tank. Of course I removed it but suddenly my tank is over-run again and today I have resumed battle. The tank has had zero contact with the outside world and I have managed to avoid any in the other 2 tanks.

I'm beginning to wonder if the stuff is actually a highly evolved form of bacteria and that, in fact, it exists everywhere.

I just let it accumulate and take some out. It helps with keeping water chemistry in line. I took out half on one day Next day it came back.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Yes, duckweed is beneficial for water purification, wildlife nutrition, biofuel, and as a potential superfood, thanks to its rapid nutrient absorption (nitrogen, phosphorus) and high protein content, but it can become harmful if it overgrows, depleting oxygen and disrupting ecosystems.

Potential Drawbacks:

• Oxygen Depletion: Excessive growth can block sunlight, killing beneficial algae and depleting oxygen when it decomposes, harming fish.
• Outcompetes Other Plants: Its rapid growth can overwhelm native aquatic plants.
• Toxin Accumulation: Can concentrate heavy metals if grown in contaminated water, making it unsafe for consumption unless properly tested.

I do not have many fish that eat plants it may actually be none at all.

I so have frogbit again and it is super invasive. From littearlly about 15 plants where I put 2 or 3 into several tanks I have now sold 100s of them and am still over run. A few pieces of duckweed have come in with the frogbit. But, every week when I remove the dead or yellow piees of frogbit, I am also removed a few pieces of duckweed in some tanks. In others I have none.

I now have a 33 long with the surface entirely covered in frogbit. It has no fish but does have a few assassin snails. I hate throwing out plants. but it looks like I few pound is going out into the woods as fertilizer.