duckweed from pond to tank

**Slow Cheetah** · 02-12-2009, 06:22 AM

howdy

if i was to take some duckweed from my pond to put in my tank should anything be done before putting in or should it be fine

**gm72** · 02-12-2009, 10:34 AM

Know that you run the risk of introducing disease into the tank and that duckweed will rapidly cover the entire top of the tank. Once established it can be very, very hard to remove completely. Trust me, I know!

**toddnbecka** · 02-12-2009, 03:09 PM

It can be a pain if you have other live plants in the tank, because the duckweed will block the light from the surface. Otherwise, it is a rather effective nitrate remover. If you use a hob filter duckweed won't last long in the tank. The "waterfall" from the outflow will drown it.

**Jacko** · 02-12-2009, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by toddnbecka

If you use a hob filter duckweed won't last long in the tank. The "waterfall" from the outflow will drown it.

Much to my chagrine, I don't find this true for my tank. Since I have other floating plants (salvinia, water sprite) in the tank with the duckweed, they form a kind of ring around the HOB outflow and just pile up in the rest of the tank, the only clear part of the tank is where the HOB is though.

If I were you I wouldn't even mess with duckweed, there are alot of other floating plants that you can find either online or in stores that are larger and easier to thin out or slower growing. Duckweed can be pretty cool for the first week or so but once it gets about 1 cm thick and you can't see in the tank you just want to light it all on fire and watch it burn.

**toddnbecka** · 02-12-2009, 06:01 PM

I have it growing in an otherwise unplanted 30. When it covers the surface (about every 3 weeks) I just net out most of it and let it grow back. In the spring I'll be tossing it into the backyard pond to feed the rosy reds. They eat it faster than it can grow in the pond...

**troy** · 02-13-2009, 05:02 AM

I've got some in my 10g. A little bit adds a nice touch to the tank IMO. All you would have to do to control duckweed is to sweep through the top of the water with a net when it is blocking the light out.

**Jacko** · 02-13-2009, 05:07 AM

Originally Posted by troy

All you would have to do to control duckweed is to sweep through the top of the water with a net when it is blocking the light out.

Yeah, that's what I do as well. Though I always throw it in a clear container first and swirl it around before throwing it out, I've saved myself about 15 endler fry, a couple WCMM, about 5-6 Ps. gertrudae fry and a dwarf pencilfish that way.

**gm72** · 02-14-2009, 11:25 AM

I found it very hard to remove from my tank but I have large masses of water sprite that reach the top of the tank.

Dwarf water lettuce, IMO, is a far more attractive floating plant, with roots that hang down 4-6 inches. I happen to have a ridiculous amount of it if anyone is interested.

**Mvjnz** · 02-14-2009, 12:09 PM

I move azolla in from my pond regularly, because the roots have algae growing on them, which the snails love, and they also eat the azolla.

Never experienced any problems with it, except the occasional insect/aquatic creature which I simply net out and release back in the pond. I also get danio and goldfish fry occasionally, but these are a nice treat for the fish, so I don't try to avoid them. I consider it population control for the pond.