%^!@# duckweed

[jgolden]

I'm tired of hauling almost 5 lbs of the stuff out of the tank every couple weeks. I'm looking at borrowing a goldfish from my father. I know if I add even 1 goldfish to my tank, it'll pretty much decimate the duckweed problem. Question though - would it consume all the duckweed before going after the other plants (swords, val, tiger lotus, etc), or would I lose those just as quickly?

[PaleoFishGirl]

You're going to put a goldfish in a tropical tank? I thought that was a big no-no.

[james]

Hi
Get your self a couple apple snails. They will eat up the weed in no time

James

[dandaman]

hey, bring it to the auction and ill take it off your hands

[gvv]

I put goldfishes to tropical tank and had no problem. Now, they are fry and only 3-4cm long. They cleaned algae, but didn't touch any of my plants. Even Adullt I have in separate tank, does not touch any of my plants: val, hygro, water crest, tiger lotus.
As for snails, they usually eating what is easier to reach and I lost several swords as they continue cutting the leaves (and not eating them just cut near the root). So, I'm not sure they will deal with duck weed.
As for duckweed, you may try to use something like surface skimmer. I think this should help.
Regards

[Laura]

I have to respectfully disagree on the apple snail suggestion - from my limited experience with apple and mystery snails is that there are two species sold somewhat interchangeably.  Canas and brigs.  Brigs eat decaying plant matter and Canas eat all plant matter.

Before I did more research on them, I put a cana in a planted tank and it devoured good chunks of a number of plants - it was like a buffet for snails.  I wouldn't recommend putting one in as if it was a brig, it wouldn't eat the duckweed, and if it was a cana, even if it started on duckweed, it wouldn't stop there.

I have fantails in a planted tank and they only eat the very soft leaved stem plants (rotala rotundifolia, ludwigia, and yes - duckweed).  They have a bit of a nibble on grassy vals and sags.  They haven't touched the amazons, crypts and similar rooted plants.  

No guarantee a goldie would get all the duckweed - netting it off the top might be just as effective.

[darkdep]

I hear you on the duckweed.  Damn stuff is more prolific than pond snails.  I just net it out at cleaning time...

[squeeker]

... and I can't get my @#$% duckweed to grow.  Silly hungry goldies!

[darkdep]

Squeeker:  I will GLADLY bring you all the duckweed you could ever use, on a regular basis.  It has joined Java Fern and Java Moss on my list of hated plants.

Wonder if SP takes duckweed on trade in?  

[squeeker]

Darkdep:  You have yourself a deal.

SP has more than enough duckweed, that's for sure...

[Mettle]

Squeeker:  I will GLADLY bring you all the duckweed you could ever use, on a regular basis.  It has joined Java Fern and Java Moss on my list of hated plants.

Wonder if SP takes duckweed on trade in?  

Why do you hate java fern and java moss? I love 'em both.  

[rockgarden]

Re mixing goldfish and tropical - it's as easy as mixing hippos and African cichlids if you don't mind the flak.

Biggest problem is the temperature issue - tough on goldfish at high 70'sF that the tropicals prefer and tough on tropicals at the lower temperatures that the goldfish prefer. Goldfish tend to be gravel movers as well and will uproot plants with weaker, less established root systems.

Re duckweed - needs nutrient rich water, lots and lots of light, tank inhabitants that don't eat it and not enough higher order plants in the tank to compete with it for the nutrients.  Well lit, overstocked african cichlid tanks are a perfect place to grow duckweed .  Skimming it off the top and into the garbage is an efficient method 3 weeks a month.  The other week bring it to the OVAS auction and get a buck or two a bag for your efforts.

Above bits of wisdom provided on the understanding that I am just back from three weeks of tropical living and can stand a bit more of the heat just now.  This minus stuff is tough to adjust to.

Ron

[darkdep]

Hey!  Ron's home!    Welcome back!

Mettle:  Why I hate Java Fern / Moss:

1) I bought lots of Java fern.  I was told you can't kill it.  I killed it.
2) The Fern that lived turned black and ratty.
3) Java Moss gets into EVERYTHING.  I have to constantly pull it out of the filter intake.  Plus it just ends up turning into a big ball of algae covered blech.  

I think I'm sticking to rooted plants.  I think floating plants drive me nuts for some reason.

[jgolden]

hey, bring it to the auction and ill take it off your hands

You can gladly have as much of it as you want. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it out this time around.....

Re duckweed - <clip>. Skimming it off the top and into the garbage is an efficient method 3 weeks a month.

lol, that's what I do now. Will be using it for fertilizer in the vegetable garden this summer, unless I can irraticate it.

As for duckweed, you may try to use something like surface skimmer

I was thinking of trying to rig something like this up, to see if I can skim it out. What's an average cost for one? (And once the duckweed's gone, I can likely save the surface skimmer for when I eventually go salt-water, yes?

I think I'm sticking to rooted plants. I think floating plants drive me nuts for some reason.

I kinda hear ya. I definitely need more, well-established rooted plants (well-established because I have seen the 11" pleco uproot smaller plants regularly in this tank). But I think I'll keep much of the floating plants as well... I noticed that there are TONS of baby swords and platties hiding in there. Also, unless I am mistaken, I think I even saw a few baby ghost shrimp swimming (if you want to call it that) near the surface, hiding in the floating plants. (The babies look like mosquito larvae, only 3X as long.... At least, that's how it was described to me as to how baby ghost shrimp will look like)...

[darkdep]

A Surface Skimmer doesn't work for duckweed...it just gets clogged and doesn't work.  I know

Jeff:  This is the kind of skimmer that attaches to a canister input to pull water from the surface as opposed to the bottom of the tank...prevents protein film on the top of the water.  Has nothing to do with a Protein Skimmer

[gvv]

As for duckweed, you may try to use something like surface skimmer

I was thinking of trying to rig something like this up, to see if I can skim it out. What's an average cost for one? (And once the duckweed's gone, I can likely save the surface skimmer for when I eventually go salt-water, yes?

No. SW skimmer is different piece of equipment, even it has the same name. Surface skimmer is use with canister filter intake:
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/catalog/product.xml?product_id=25207;category_id=2631
The only problem I can see is you will have to clean it frequently to remove trapped duckweed.

[darkdep]

The only problem I can see is you will have to clean it frequently to remove trapped duckweed.

I have one of these.  Frequently = daily.

[gvv]

The only problem I can see is you will have to clean it frequently to remove trapped duckweed.

I have one of these.  Frequently = daily.

This should be fine, if it helps!

[jgolden]

No. SW skimmer is different piece of equipment, even it has the same name. Surface skimmer is use with canister filter intake:
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/catalog/product.xml?product_id=25207;category_id=2631
The only problem I can see is you will have to clean it frequently to remove trapped duckweed.

Is that Fluval surface skimmer compatibe with any canister filter? (I'm running a Rena XP-3). If it does work (and will require daily cleanings), it'll still be better than getting the fish net in the tank every 3 weeks.... I'd plan to do a final surface netting first, try to get rid of 90% or better if possible, if I explore that option...

Thanks all.

J

[darkdep]

Yes it's compatible with anything.  Worse comes to worse, and the hoses are incompatible, you just need a little adapter of some kind...very easy to deal with.