Duckweed.

[Kaini]

So I bought a bit of Duckweed the other day online (I know some of you are thinking YOU'VE MADE A GRAVE MISTAKE lol)

I plan to put it in my Axolotl tank to give Zion a little more shade. I like the look of floating plants and really wanted to try it. The tank is filtered only with sponge filters, so I'm not worried about it clogging anything up.

Anyone have experience with Duckweed (lemna minor) in their lotl tank? I haven't really kept live plants before, is there anything new I need to be doing to keep it alive? (I hear it's REALLY hard to kill duckweed though tbh...)

Anything else I should know? Length of quarantine?

 

[JessKB]

Duckweed is a great plant. It sucks up excess nutrients fast. A lot of people don't like it because it's hard to get rid of and will transfer to your other tanks. With some good light duckweed will thrive on the waste and nitrates created in an axolotl tank. Personally, I'm a big fan.

 

[Alkylhalide]

Love duckweed. My axolotls ate ALL my duckweed in about a week.. So i never had problems with it clogging or over growing.. I think my lotls have gotten over their "eat all plants" phase.. Thank god! I have a lot of plants in my tank now, still havent found someone with more duckweed though

 

[EmbryH]

I've been interested in trying duckweed lately... glad to see this thread cropping up.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[Ibkikn]

Agree with the above duckweed is a great eassy plant, am also a big fan of frogbit as it is bigger and easier to manage.

Tried Azola or what ever its called, another floating plant, but was not a fan.

Going to try water lettuce soon too.

But the best by far in my opinion is frogbit.

But in all cases if conditions are right, they go nuts and take over the top of your tank, and you will need to throw some away.

=)

 

[Kaini]

Great! I'll be sure to post pictures when I get it in.

How long should I quarantine the plant for, do you guys think?

 

[Boomsloth]

Great! I'll be sure to post pictures when I get it in.

How long should I quarantine the plant for, do you guys think?

duck weed is a little harder to rinse without losing a few. I kept mine in my shrimp tank for a little under a week, but maybe rinse them with some untreated tap water first.

 

[Kaini]

Agree with the above duckweed is a great easy plant, am also a big fan of frogbit as it is bigger and easier to manage.

Tried Azola or what ever its called, another floating plant, but was not a fan.

Going to try water lettuce soon too.

But the best by far in my opinion is frogbit.

But in all cases if conditions are right, they go nuts and take over the top of your tank, and you will need to throw some away.

=)

Do you think frogbit would be easier in a filtered tank since it's bigger? (less chance of clogging things?) I kinda wanna get some plants for my goldie tank too, but they have a HOB filter. Well and goldfish tend to destroy plants XD...

 

[Boomsloth]

Do you think frogbit would be easier in a filtered tank since it's bigger? (less chance of clogging things?) I kinda wanna get some plants for my goldie tank too, but they have a HOB filter. Well and goldfish tend to destroy plants XD...

goldfish demolish duckweed. I wish I could find a place locally that sells frogbit, it looks so cool! :happy:

 

[Kaini]

goldfish demolish duckweed. I wish I could find a place locally that sells frogbit, it looks so cool! :happy:

I figured they would XD

 

[Alkylhalide]

I just got a good amount of water sprite last night i am very excited to try a different floating plant.

 

[mikeg]

I got some duck weed in a daphnia culture i purchased. It was like maybe 20 pieces of duck week, barley noticeable in the big tank. The population took about a couple months until it started to take off, now i got so much duck weed it covers the entire surface at times. But like mentioned its really great for absorbing nitrate and ammonia.


If anyone in Canada wants some duck weed ill be happy to donate a good amount to you LOL.

 

[Alkylhalide]

Mikeg i may have to take you up on that offer when I order some pellets! Lol! Like I said i have quite a few plants in the tank now, and no lotl seems interested in eating them.. So i may be safe this time. My goal is to remove all fake plants frommy tank.

 

[mikeg]

Alkylhalide Aha you are the second person since i posted that reply to contact me about it. ill defiantly throw a bag with duck weed in it.

If your going all live plants buy some Amazon swords!! My Axies love it, since iv gotten it last week its like they never leave the plant!

 

[Alkylhalide]

I have an oriental sword in my tank, but i have heard a lot of good things about amazon swords too! I still have 3plants to find a way to root them in my tank, it has been a long hard road to get the plants I do have in a bare bottom tank, but it is slowly getting there! We have a 30gallo. Cichlid tank so it is the tank i put all my plants in while I figure out what to do with them. Ive been posting ads on kijiji and people are giving me clippings! I guess when you get plants growing good you are always clipping plants.

Thanks

 

[layna]

Haha funny this has come up because i have just bought some and put it in my tank and i love it

 

[Ibkikn]

=)
Goldfish demolish everything, besides Val and Java fern I have found.

When the frogbit, duckweed starts choking one tank I usually feed it to the goldies and its gone in a few days.

If you are concerned about duckweed choking up any kind of surface skimming filter, would suggest Frogbit as it is larger.
Duckweed can get everywhere and creat cleaning issues, but it is one of the easiest plants to keep.

 

[Alkylhalide]

=)
Goldfish demolish everything, besides Val and Java fern I have found.

When the frogbit, duckweed starts choking one tank I usually feed it to the goldies and its gone in a few days.

If you are concerned about duckweed choking up any kind of surface skimming filter, would suggest Frogbit as it is larger.
Duckweed can get everywhere and creat cleaning issues, but it is one of the easiest plants to keep.

Unless you have special axolotls that ate every single last piece of duckweed in your tank, then it is a very, very hard plant to grow

 

[Kaini]

Ahhh I'd love some frogbit, but I can't seem to find any :c

 

[Kaini]

Duckweed! It's quite pretty from the top.

Zion wasn't sure what to make of it. IS IT FOOD? IS IT NOT? we just don't know.