The tiny floating plant known as duckweed frequently—and occasionally unintentionally—finds its way into aquariums. Its tiny green leaves cover the surface of the water in a dense mat, giving your tank a serene, natural appearance. Duckweed has some unexpected advantages for your aquarium and its occupants, though, despite its unassuming appearance.
This little plant serves a purpose beyond aesthetics; by removing excess nutrients that could encourage the growth of algae, it maintains the quality of the water. In addition to being a food source for fish, particularly herbivores, duckweed can conceal shy and fry species.
Duckweed, though, has a bit of a double edge. If allowed to spread out, it can quickly cover the surface, preventing other plants from receiving light and lowering the water’s oxygen content.
Aspect | Description |
Appearance | Small floating green plants that cover the water surface. |
Benefits | Helps control algae growth and provides food for fish. |
Drawbacks | Can block light and reduce oxygen levels if not managed. |
Care | Requires regular removal to prevent overgrowth. |
In an aquarium, duckweed is a small floating plant that can help your tank by shading it, preventing the growth of algae, and giving fish a natural food source. However, if it is not properly managed, it can also quickly take over.
- Structure and reproduction
- The most common species
- Use in aquarium – benefit
- Harm for a home pond
- How to control the reproduction of duckweed
- Photos of duckweed
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Structure and reproduction
It is hard to believe that these little plants, which cover the smooth green surface of a pond covered in duckweed, are related to edible taro, monstera, calla lilies, and giant titan amorphophallus. However, the importance of subtle leaves in the natural world is on par with that of vines, vibrant flowers, and massive trees.
The morphological structure of plants is of interest. It is incredibly simple: the stem becomes a plate (sheet), the leaves are absent, and one or more roots emerge from the nodule on the opposite side right away. Several side plate shoots emerge from the sheet’s nooks and crannies. They create a new plant when they are "sprinkled."
"Children" are frequently closely entwined, creating balls, "garlands," or a solid "carpet." It is the way that duckweed reproduces. There are spaces with air inside the textiles on the sheet body’s exterior. The plant is able to swim on the surface because of them.
Rarely does duckweed bloom. Like any aroid, flowers are unremarkable and small. Within the sheet’s pockets, two male and one female flower’s inflorescences form. The flowers are incredibly simple in appearance, with just the pestle and stamens serving as reproductive organs. There is only one appendage, similar to White Woolpiece or Calla, that resembles a leaf.
Because duckweed flowering is such an uncommon occurrence, botanists take special care to document and describe it. Given that all duckweed plants in a given body of water are typically "clones" of their mother plant, duckweed is a valuable scientific subject for botanists and geneticists to study. An ovary containing two to seven ovules forms in the pockets following fertilization. The fruits, which also float on the water’s surface, contain the seeds.
The dormant buds of the duckweed sink to the bottom of the reservoir to await the frosts when the green portion of the plant dies off during the cold season along with the air holes.
Duckweed can live for up to 22 hours in the air and without water.
This vitality is the reason duckweed has taken over such large areas. People on their shoes, cattle, and waterfowl all carried it.
The most common species
Several species of duckweed are most frequently found in the middle latitudes:
- Small (lat. Lémna minor) – the plant consists of a frond or shield of a vegetative body with one unbranched rootlet extending from a node on the lower part of the shield. The color of the upper part of the leaf is bright green, the surface is shiny. In the cold season, reddish spots may appear on the leaves.
- Polyrhizome (lat. Lémna polyrhiza) – the leaves are light green on the outside, the reverse side has a reddish color. A bunch (3-5) of roots extends from the base of the shield. The diameter of the frond is 6×5 mm.
- Humpbacked (lat. Lémna gíbba) – the plant got its name due to the numerous air cavities on the underside of the frond, forming a bulge – a hump. The diameter of the shield is 8×6 mm. Color – green. The surface of the shield is slightly shiny. On the upper side there are noticeable red spots, located closer to the base. The lower part is reddish, the color is more intense at the edge of the plate. During the flowering period, the shields acquire an olive-purple color. From the lower node a long root (up to 16 cm) emerges. This species blooms and bears fruit more often than others. Overwinters in the form of seeds. The plant is much less common than the small duckweed.
- Trinate (lat. Lemna trisulca) – this species is represented by the largest plant of the family. The stems look like translucent plates, in large quantities (3-50) collected in fairly long branching or spirally twisted chains. Before the onset of cold weather, starch grains accumulate in the fronds, displacing air pockets. The plant becomes heavier and sinks to the bottom, where it successfully survives the winter. There are usually no roots. The plant is submerged in the water column most of the time. It emerges only during flowering.
Some varieties of duckweed are less widely distributed or less ornamental. Duckweed is utilized for purposes other than feeding livestock and poultry in certain nations. Due to the green mass’s high protein and carbohydrate content, humpback duckweed is sold in Mexican markets as a dressing for salads, sauces, and first courses.
Duckweed is utilized in folk medicine as an internal systemic medicine with antipyretic, choleretic, analgesic, anti-glutal, diuretic, and antimicrobial properties. Duckweed is used as an external treatment for eczema, leukoderma, furunculosis, and other dermatological conditions.
Duckweed is very versatile in its applications, especially when it comes to small, humpbacked plants. A biologically active substance was recently discovered in the great majority of cancer cells. Beneficial characteristics stem from the plant’s composition.
Use in aquarium – benefit
Similar to other green plants, duckweed converts carbon dioxide from the surrounding water into oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. The number, even with the shields’ small size, is quite significant.
Additionally, the floating plant efficiently uses organic pollutants found in water, such as fish and crustacean waste and plant waste. Duckweed stores various elements in its fronds, including nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, iodine, and other elements it absorbs from water.
The color of the duckweed plate changes when dangerous substances like fertilizers, nitrites and nitrates, certain medications, etc. are present. As a result, the plant may be used as a gauge for the aquatic environment’s purity.
Duckweed is rich in nutrients. In sizable fish farms, it is raised as a comprehensive and nourishing diet. Duckweed, for instance, contains:
Nutrient name | Amount (in % of dry matter) |
Proteins | 25.7 |
Fats | 4.65 |
Carbohydrates | 27.24 |
Fiber | 24.57 |
Ash | 17.79 |
There were 21 amino acids in duckweed. The amino acid content of different plant species—or even the same species grown in disparate environments—varies.
Both micro- and macroelements are present in the green mass:
- cobalt;
- copper;
- silver;
- iodine;
- magnesium;
- phosphorus;
- calcium.
Additionally, it has been demonstrated that duckweed can remove barium and radium from water. In addition to being a great source of nutrients, duckweed maintains the ecosystem’s equilibrium and controls the insolation of aquatic life. The green, juicy shields of the plant are happily consumed by a large number of fish in home aquariums. They adore consuming sprouts:
- labyrinth fish – gourami, laliuses, macropods, parosfromenus, cockerels;
- viviparous – pecilia, guppies, mollies, swordtails, gambusia, limia;
- cichlids – a big plus is that duckweed does not need soil, and those who like to dig everything up will not damage the plants;
- shrimp;
- goldfish.
Duckweed is a necessary building material for the "nest" of labyrinth fish. Duckweed provides the necessary shade for lovers of twilight waters, and shrimp and newborn babies hide in the thickets of roots. Duckweed works by shielding the water from intense radiation, which would otherwise cover glass and decorative objects with a film of algae.
A great plant for beginning aquarists is duckweed. It doesn’t need any extra feeding, aeration, pruning, or care. Although it can survive in areas with shade, the plant reproduces best in bright light.
Duckweed grows easily in any aquarium with a wide range of comfortable water temperatures, from 12 to 30 °, and any hardness.
A pH of less than 4 is the only thing that can kill the plant, aside from inadequate lighting.
Harm for a home pond
The pond’s ecology may suffer if duckweed takes over the aquarium. Due to a lack of light, plants buried in the ground may perish beneath a thick layer of cover.
It’s also been shown that there’s less dissolved oxygen in the water when the pond is overly overgrown with plants. But the advantages of duckweed outweigh this harm. Its numbers are also simple to manage.
Also read:
- review of popular aquarium plants;
- herbalist – an aquarium for plants.
How to control the reproduction of duckweed
An extended fishing line can be used to regulate the number of islands, according to knowledgeable aquarium enthusiasts. The suction cups hold it in place, and the threads need to be parallel to the water’s surface. The plant will only reproduce inside the designated area; it won’t swim outside of the "buoys."
Mechanical removal of fronds is an easy way to get rid of them.
The water will clear if you use a net to remove the plant as much as possible and turn off the vertical lighting for seven or eight days, leaving only the side lighting on.
Additionally, you can add goldfish to the aquarium. All of the shoots that were too small or invisible to be removed will be destroyed.
They are kept in a different container so that little fish or shrimp don’t get inadvertently thrown away with the plants. You can gradually catch all the "lost ones" by periodically stirring the water. You can dry the green mass by mixing the powder with the fish meal.
Growing duckweed in containers with water set for settling is recommended by some experts. This improves the water’s qualities and makes it simpler to regulate the quantity of food additives added to the aquarium.
The trend of creating artificial landscapes with home ponds is growing in popularity. Duckweed can be utilized to achieve a genuine appearance. It is paired with house flowers that mimic reed, cattail, and water iris thickets, as well as aquatic ground plants with leaves that jut above the water’s surface.
To create a microclimate, such interior decoration doesn’t need a big volume or specialized equipment. This verdant island will develop into an amazing spot to unwind without requiring a lot of work or financial investment. A small amount of work to manage the population shouldn’t deter an aquarium owner from using a plant as beneficial as duckweed.
Also read:
- diseases of aquarium plants and their treatment;
- what lamps are suitable for an aquarium with plants.
Photos of duckweed
In an aquarium, duckweed is a tiny, floating plant that can be a blessing or a problem. It functions as an excellent natural filter, keeping the water clean and preventing the growth of algae thanks to its quick growth and capacity to absorb excess nutrients. If neglected, though, it has the potential to quickly take over the water’s surface, obstructing light and harming the fish and other plants in the tank.
Duckweed management calls for balance. While it must be regularly removed to keep it from overpowering your aquarium, doing so might eliminate some of its advantages. For those who recognize its benefits, keeping a small amount of duckweed in the aquarium can improve the ecosystem’s general health.
The decision to keep duckweed in your aquarium ultimately comes down to your own requirements and tastes. It can be a useful addition if you appreciate its organic appearance and can control its growth. However, if you want a setup that requires little upkeep,