Duckweed Aquarium Plant: The Ultimate Duckweed Care Guide

Duckweed is an invasive floating aquatic plant that can be found in ponds, lakes, and aquariums.

It’s typically green or brownish-green in color and often covers the surface of water like a dense carpet.

It grows very quickly, reproduces by spores (like other plants), and has no natural predators to control its population growth.

Duckweed will grow on anything it can attach too including rocks, logs, docks, and pretty much anything else!

While some people love having duckweed around because they think it looks pretty cool or thickens up their pond/aquarium for better fish visibility.

Others are not so keen on this algae-type plant because of its ability to take over the entire body of water in just a few days.

This guide will teach you everything you need to know about the Duckweed Aquarium plant.

Duckweed Overview

Duckweed (Lemnaceae) is a hardy plant and there are 40 different species. Nine of these species originate in North America Its other common names are “duck plant”, watermeal, and Water Lens.

Duckweeds are divided into five genera, which include Spirodela, Landoltia, Lemna, Wolffiella, and Wolffia.

The word ‘duck’ in Duckweed refers to its ability to grow on ducks (and their feathers) if they land in it – which was thought of as quite humorous when this plant first came across the pond years ago!

It is a small floating aquatic plant that has leaves only an inch or so long, making it one of the smallest flowering plants.

The size of the plant makes it very hard to distinguish which kind of species you have.

Duckweed Appearance

Duckweed is a vibrant light green color with oval shaped leaves that sit above the surface of the water.

You may also see dark green or even purple underneath the leaves, whilst the roots are a dull white or yellow.

It is a very small plant that can be found floating around on the surface of ponds, aquariums and water tanks.

There are 40 different types of duckweed many with slightly different characteristics including coloration.

Benefits of Duckweed in Your Aquarium

Like many other plants, there are a number of benefits to keeping duckweed in your aquarium. Let’s take a look.

1. Acts As a Water Filter

Like many other aquatic plants, Duckweed is a natural water filter.

Plants such as duckweed help to absorb excess nutrients and other chemicals that would otherwise be harmful to the fish in your aquarium.

As well as helping with nutrient absorption, Duckweed also helps to oxygenate the water by absorbing carbon dioxide through photosynthesis during the day whilst providing shade for your fish at night.

2. Prevents Growth of Algae

Placing Duckweed in your tank will do an excellent job of preventing algae. This is thanks to the shade that it provides, as well as its natural nutrient absorption.

This means that you will save yourself a lot of time and energy spent cleaning your tank on a regular basis! You may not even need to clean your aquarium at all if duckweed takes over!

However, if you’re combining it with other aquatic plants, stick to species that require little light or have been permitted to grow their leaves into the water.

3. Helps Reduce Evaporation

During the summer or if you live in a warm part of the world, you may notice that the water in your aquarium evaporates a lot quicker.

Not only can this be annoying as you have to keep topping up your tank with fresh water every couple of days, but if left unchecked it may cause problems for your other fish and aquarium inhabitants!

Duckweed reduces surface evaporation by limiting areas of open water, and light shading by creating blanket-like qualities over the surface of the water.

This works because it blocks heat from getting into the water which makes the water colder.

4. A Source Of Food For Your Fish

Duckweed has a high protein content which makes it an excellent snack for certain species of fish.

This includes goldfish, tilapia, cichlids, and most other small fish.

However, for some fish species including big cichlids, huge goldfish, common plecos, and Ameca splendens (butterfly googeid), duckweed is not advised.

6. Aesthetically Pleasing

Adding Duckweed to your aquarium can simply look fantastic and be very aesthetically pleasing.

The vibrant green, carpet-like appearance of this plant not only adds a natural feel to your tank, it can also cover up any unattractive features such as pumps or other equipment that are not pleasing to the eye.

7. Provides Cover

Providing cover for your fish is extremely important to help reduce levels of stress.

Duckweed does a great job of providing cover, as it sits along the surface of the water. Obviously there are no predators above the water in your aquarium, but the fish do not know that.

Problems With Having Duckweed In Your Pond/Aquarium

Although Duckweed provides several benefits for your aquarium, it does also come with a few negatives. Let’s take a look.

1. Rapid Growth Rate

Duckweed grows and reproduces extremely fast!

In ideal circumstances, this plant may grow by a factor of two to three every two to three days.

It’s important to keep an eye on the growth rate. If you don’t, your pond/aquarium could become covered in Duckweed very quickly.

2. Light Penetration

If you have certain species of fish or plants that require light, then this may be an issue because duckweed can block most of the light from entering the tank.

3. Oxygen Deprivation

It’s important to remove it very quickly, before the film has a chance to form on the surface for an extended period. It can cause oxygen deprivation in your water column, resulting in suffocation of your fish or shrimp.

4. Difficult To Remove From Your Tank

Due to it’s fast growth and reproduction rate, Duckweed can be extremely difficult to remove from your tank.

The plant has a glue-like effect that can stick to pretty much any surface (including your hands).

Duckweed Requirements

Water Conditions

Duckweed is an exceptionally hardy hardy plant, but here are some guidelines to enable it to thrive to it’s full potential.

• Temperature: 50-90˚F
• pH levels: 5.0-9.0 (grows best at a pH range of 6.5 – 7.5)
• Hardness: 2 – 15 GH, 1 – 12 KH

Tank size

Although Duckweed can be grown in any size tank, it is recommended to place in tanks of 2 gallons and above due to it’s rapid growth rate.

Lighting Requirements

When it come to lighting, Duckweed is a fairly low maintenance plant. It can grow in both natural and artificial lighting conditions, but does not require any special treatments.

Just simple LED lighting hung around 12 to 20 inches above the surface of the water is all that is required.

Make sure that your duckweed is getting enough light to survive by checking if it has green leaves (which indicate photosynthesis occurring) or translucent/red colored leaves (indicating the absence of light).

Substrate

Substrate is not required for Duckweed as it is a floating plant.

Caring For Duckweed

In terms of growth, Duckweed is extremely easy to care for and doesn’t need any special requirements.

This plant will pretty much take care of itself and just grow by simply placing it on the surface of the water.

One of the main concerns with Duckweed is that it can clog your filter as it becomes entangled around it.

Place your filter at least 4 inches below the surface of the water. Another option to protect your filter is to place your Duckweed within an enclosed ring.

Controlling The Growth Of Duckweed

The major problem with Duckweed is that it can easily take over your aquarium due to it’s rapid growth rate.

Some aquarists may want it to grow fast, but it can become an issue if it isn’t controlled.

Here’s how you can control or get rid of duckweed. Just remember to be patient because this isn’t going to be a quick job.

1. Before you begin the removal process, remember to turn off your filters and aeration.
2. Begin by scooping the Duckweed from the surface of the water.
3. Make sure to check every single area of your tank including the filter, rim of the glass, other plants, and even underwater.
4. All of the above process should be repeated again the next day.

Planting and Propagation of Duckweed

Planting Duckweed is extremely easy. Just simply take the plant and place it root-side down onto the surface of the water.

Other than that, there are no special tips or tricks that you need to know.

When it comes to propagation, Duckweed grows extremely quickly.

The plant will grow roots in just a few short days, and the leaves that are visible above the water line should be cut off shortly after to encourage faster growth below the surface of your tank/pond.

There is no need for you to put fertilizer or any other nutrients into your pond when it comes to Duckweed since they obtain everything they need from their environment naturally.

Where To Buy Duckweed

You can easily get your hands on Duckweed from most local pet or aquatic stores. You can also get it very cheaply online at places like Amazon.

As this plant has such a rapid growth rate, you only need to purchase Duckweed in small amounts.

Duckweed Compatibility

Duckweed is compatible with most small fish and many invertebrates. However, you should never introduce any aggressive species of fish into your aquarium/pond with Duckweed in order to avoid them eating it all up.

Saying that, it may be a good idea to place fish in the tank who will eat it as it will help to keep Duckweed under control.

Some good compatible fish include:

• Guppy
• Molly
• Loaches
• Platies
• Tetras
• Zebra Danios
• Red Cherry Shrimp
• Blue Velvet Shrimp
• Crystal Red Shrimp

Fun facts about Duckweed

• The conservation of water is aided by the presence of this plant, which helps to considerably reduce evaporation.
• Duckweed is known as the tiniest flowering plant in the world.
• Duckweed is utilized in genetic and medical research.
• In Switzerland, duckweed is on the endangered species list.
• Duckweed may be a valuable food source since it has more protein than soybeans and perhaps even wheat.
• It is a bioremediation mechanism that cleans polluted water by removing heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, copper, and zinc. They are classed as water purifiers because they purify water.
• In some regions of South Asia, duckweed is already consumed. It has been described as having a sweet cabbage flavor.

Duckweed Aquarium Plant Conclusion

Conclusion paragraph: Duckweed is one of the most popular plants for aquariums because it requires little to no maintenance and can grow quickly. It’s easy to care for, but still needs some attention if you want your plant to thrive. However, if too much duckweed begins growing in a pond or tank at once, there could be problems with oxygen levels due to their excessive amount of surface area that absorbs any available dissolved oxygen. This means they are typically better suited as an aquatic background plant than foreground (where fish would be swimming). If you’re looking for more information on how ducks may affect your backyard pond or aquarium environment click here! ____Or contact us today about our aquaponics services where we’ll take care of all aspects of your