# Duckweed vs Nitrates



## Wö£fëñxXx (Dec 2, 2003)

Actually, any fast growing plant will.


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Yep duckweed, salvania, hornwort. All good nutrient sponges.

Jason


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

But adding duckweed to get rid of nitrates is IMHO like using a thermonuclear bomb to remove paint from the walls of your house. Once you introduce duckweed to a tank it's almost impossible to remove.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Always so extreme :? Spend half an hour with a net, and they are all gone.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

How much you want to come remove all the duckweed from my tanks? You only have to miss a piece or two.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Its easy to control... grab a handful a week and it stays in check, I like the lighting hues the tank the tank gets when the lights shine through it .


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

On my high light 55 gallon tank it takes no more than 7-8 days to totally cover the surface of the water. I thought I had it all gone but the other day I noticed it was back. I also have P. fluitans in there, and need to send some of that out to the people who requested it. But that's another story. I prefer the P. fluitans as it's easier to remove.


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## aquabillpers (Nov 28, 2003)

Water sprite is an excellent nutrient sponge It also has some commercial value.


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## chinaboy1021 (May 30, 2003)

How about riccia as a nitrate sponge?


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## 2la (Aug 18, 2002)

Are you sure you want a floating plant that's going to shield the light from your plants below? I would think something like hornwort, which blocks light minimally, would be a much better bet in this situation.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

I like the "natural look" that floating plants add to a tank. Also, many fish appreciate a partial cover. Of course covering the entire tank will leave plants below starving for light.


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## Joetee (Mar 28, 2006)

I'm looking to sheild some of my light because I just ordered a like that puts out 130 Watts for my 29 so I think Duckweed would do the trick and give it a nice natural look.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Jan 27, 2006)

I agree with the duckweed being a pest. Not only does it grow exponentially, but it gets all over everything. I used it to lower nitrates in my cichlid 125 gallon and the stuff was such a pain. Luckily for me, the silver dollars thought it was a nice salad, so it was gone in a matter of days. And I have a never ending source of it, as my coworker can't rid himself of it in his 240 gallon tank, so he give me a pound or two of it once a month. :hihi:


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## Ktulu_JL (Apr 3, 2006)

I think everyone should at least buy some duckweed and try it out.

I agree with Rexx that duckweed is a crazy plant that takes things over. However, I think that duckweed is fun, because it takes things over like the fastest of stem'er, but at the surface. Hornwort is a bad idea, becuase the plant seems to have no resistance to BGA, so hornwort floating on the surface will grow tons of BGA because it is always going between being submerged and imersed.

Duckweed is easily controllable because you can net it out, like others have said. I don't think that you can extinguish duckweed because it is all around a tank. I find it to be a most very fun pest. I have always kept some around, and bred a colony for others to try out, free of charge. ( If anyone want some let me know!).


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

bringing back old thread..... I wonder how duckweed multiply? Do they just divide them self like cells in our body? because I know each duckweed has only 1-5 leaf only


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## Razorworm (Jul 24, 2011)

IMO Frog Bit is a nice floater


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## Studman0143 (Mar 20, 2011)

Yes, duckweed does a really good job handling nitrates. I quote this from another experienced tank enthusiast "Duckweed is great for water purifying capabilities. Duckweed plants suck up and spit out several times their volume in water every day, filtering out all the impurities as they go. It's great for keeping ammonia out of the water."

I grow and sell duckweed here in Utah and have done really well with it. It really isn't all that hard to get out, yes it will stick to the walls as the water level drops, but it's real easier to push it back down in the water. Taking out a handful a week will keep it in check, do more than one if you'd like. I have it in both my 10G tanks and a friend is helping me grow it in a 55G. 

It can grow fast, but it does look pretty cool with its shorter root system.

Are you using it in a tank right now? If you have a HOB filter, you will experience problems with it being pushed underwater and getting caught in moss, rocks, wood, etc. I've been able to find a solution to this, so if you need help, just PM me.


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## Studman0143 (Mar 20, 2011)

sayurasem said:


> bringing back old thread..... I wonder how duckweed multiply? Do they just divide them self like cells in our body? because I know each duckweed has only 1-5 leaf only


They actually start to grow another leave in between them and after about a day or two it splits off and keeps growing. I don't know if their cells divide, but I've watch my bigger leaves start their reproductive cycle. Occasionally they won't split off and so you'll see 2-6 leaves all connected. Sometimes more.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

If you have a planted tank, and that doesn't mean a tank with two plants in it, your problem will not be getting rid of nitrates, it will be keeping enough nitrates in the water to feed the plants. Since this is "The Planted Tank" forum, one can assume that typical readers here have planted tanks.

That moves the discussion to whether or not duckweed is a good plant to have in your tanks. And, the reasons why it might be good are: You like the looks of it. You like the way it reduces the light intensity in the tank. Your fish like eating it.


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