Hardware for 55gal..

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#23
duck weed does have it's uses. it SOAKS up extra nutrients in the water column and also buffers the lighting a bit which some plants and some fish really like. both of which works good to help control algae as well. but once u get it, it's nearly impossible to get rid of. i did find LED lighting kills it rather nicely. had duckweed in my 30 and had a cheap t8 on it. duck weed grew great. put my led lighting on it and it was dead within 2 weeks.
 

Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#24
Unless you want to always keep duckweed, I still recommending avoiding it. There are far better plants that can be left floating to diffuse light if that is what is wanted.

I personally don't do floating plants except when first establishing a tank, or when culturing blackworms or in a no-substrate fry grow-out tank. The plants I use for floating are those that can also be planted, so that when their purpose is no longer needed as a floating plant, I can repurpose them as a planted plant. Floating plants, for what I like to do, defeat the purpose of putting on decent light to grow plants that are planted in the substrate.

I've personally had duckweed absolutely kill every plant in a planted tank when not kept under control. An 8day neglect (not taking out 80% of it daily) left nothing BUT duckweed in the tank, and it was so thick that even the topmost duckweed was killing off the duckweed under it.
 

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FreshyFresh

Superstar Fish
Jan 11, 2013
1,337
23
38
East Aurora, NY
#25
Surprisingly enough, the few loose strands of Anacharis I floated in my 29gal, with the stock LED hood (came with the Top-Fin 29 kit) has been surviving pretty well. Not growing in length, but it is in girth. That doesn't sound obscene at all.
 

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#26
oh i agree OC, it can be a pain, as i said once u get it, it's nearly impossible to get rid of. but some people use it and some people use java moss for the same purpose. i used duck weed in my 20 gallon and i will never put it in my 55. but i still hold true that it has it's uses. my friend fed it to his goldfish. grew it in his 10 and daily put it in his 55. it would be gone by the end of the night.
 

Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#27
Surprisingly enough, the few loose strands of Anacharis I floated in my 29gal, with the stock LED hood (came with the Top-Fin 29 kit) has been surviving pretty well.
It can rebound in most tanks floating as it gets a lot of CO2 from the air. Floating plants have a HUGE advantage in that way, over completely submerged plants, and can outcompete the other plants for nutrients. A carbon source is the limiting factor for plant growth in most aquariums.