Forum > Duckweed!

d_golem

Oct 3 2005, 05:35 PM

I tried to feed my goldfish some of the duckweed I grew myself (they doubled in quantity in only 2 weeks

). I washed the duckweed thoroughly, put them in the tank, and my goldies immediately went for them

sometimes the duckweed is too big to fit in their mouths but they wolfed it down eventually.

Anyone have any experiences with feeding duckweed? I know japanese ranchu breeders occasionally feed their ranchus duckweed.

And what does it mean when the duckweed sprouted loooong roots? Does it mean that there's not enough nutrient in the water? cos my duckweeds all got looong roots compared to the leaf size.

cheers

PS: they made a lot of mess though

bits of root and leaf floating everywhere

Ranchugirl

Oct 3 2005, 05:41 PM

So, you found them another variety of the salad buffet, hm?

Duckweed is indeed very good for goldfish, and easy to digest. I used to have a whole tub full of duckweed, before the last cooler winter wiped it all out. So hard to come by in Florida, since its considered an invasive weed here, and illegal to sell.
The little roots are showing that your plant is happy - and so much more. The roots are actually a little mini filtration system, they suck up waste and nitrates from the water. And yes, they can get quite long compared to the small leaves. Enjoy it while it lasts - my goldies always went for the roots first, and all that was left was a half dying plant they gobbled down a while later...

d_golem

Oct 3 2005, 06:09 PM

QUOTE(Ranchugirl @ Oct 4 2005, 09:41 AM)

So, you found them another variety of the salad buffet, hm?

Duckweed is indeed very good for goldfish, and easy to digest. I used to have a whole tub full of duckweed, before the last cooler winter wiped it all out. So hard to come by in Florida, since its considered an invasive weed here, and illegal to sell.
The little roots are showing that your plant is happy - and so much more. The roots are actually a little mini filtration system, they suck up waste and nitrates from the water. And yes, they can get quite long compared to the small leaves. Enjoy it while it lasts - my goldies always went for the roots first, and all that was left was a half dying plant they gobbled down a while later...

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Thx Andrea

i thought long roots mean poor nutrients

my goldies actually went for the leaves first, leaving the roots hanging out from their mouths like whiskers

Gold Ryu

Oct 3 2005, 06:25 PM

Where can you get duckweed for sale? I only see the ones in ponds and lakes. Can i use those?

d_golem

Oct 3 2005, 06:32 PM

yup u can use them, but wash them thoroughly under a jet of water first before u give them to the fishies or grow them urself

Gold Ryu

Oct 3 2005, 06:33 PM

How do you grow them?

d_golem

Oct 3 2005, 07:11 PM

some water and sunlight

u can also put some fish food in the water for fertilizer

very easy to grow

Chishower

Oct 3 2005, 08:26 PM

Grrr...illegal down here, eh? I will have to smuggle some in, from what I have read it is great for fish!

Is that that little floaty plant? I could have sworn I saw a tiny bit in some backstreet petstore...hmmm..

gollie23

Oct 3 2005, 09:36 PM

Can I get these in petstores?

d_golem

Oct 3 2005, 10:02 PM

I got mine from a petstore.
This is a wikipedia link about duckweed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duckweed

Mine is Lemna minor (individual plant about 5 mm wide with roots about 2 cm long), but i strongly suspect the duckweed japanese breeders use to feed their ranchu is Wolffia globosa (the really small ones under 2mm long) as seen in this link:
http://www.malaysiaranchuclub.com/Publication_P04.htm

LuvMuhFred

Oct 4 2005, 03:28 AM

Great thread as I just bought some duckweed off ebay about an hour ago!
Cant wait to get it and try it

squeeker

Oct 4 2005, 05:59 AM

Oh, my guys LOVE duckweed. They go CRAZY for it!

Ranchugirl

Oct 4 2005, 07:53 AM

Andy, I got mine from a nursery, that happened to have a big pond completely covered in it, and I do mean COMPLETELY! There was nothing left to see from the water, just a green carpet of duckweed!

Some petstores might have it hidden away somewhere in the back though....

Of course, you can always try ebay and see if you find a seller who doesn't know he can't ship it to Florida...

orandas*r*my*heart

Oct 6 2005, 10:47 AM

Ahhhh yes Duckweed! I bought a ton of it, and as Rancugirl stated, they thought it was their own private salad buffet! LOL!

I plan on getting some more of it and giving it another go, but if nothing else it's a cheap and healthy treat for them, so I won't put them in time out!

Tazz Knight

Oct 6 2005, 01:08 PM

thanx golem for starting this thread...had been thinking about the green cover of a local pond. I think I will have to try to go down there and get some...it will give me a reason to play witht he resident white ducks

chico

Oct 6 2005, 01:35 PM

Once you get it, how do you store it?

edit: or maybe i should ask how do you grow it?? I see someone from Florida is selling it on ebay! ha!

Ranchugirl

Oct 7 2005, 07:34 PM

Chico, I have it out in the sun in a tub, or if you have enough aquarium light, you can just leave it there. Of course, no guarantee that it'll still be there in the morning, with those hungry fish...

d_golem

Oct 7 2005, 07:55 PM

best thing is just to put it out in the sun (some covering maybe needed cos they can wither if the light is too strong) in a wide shallow tub of water. they'll grow like crazy!

LuvMuhFred

Oct 13 2005, 12:55 AM

I got my duckweed deliverd 2 days ago

I have placed it in an old fish bowl in dechlorinated water with an air stone and where it gets light. So far so good. I got the small variety and its got long roots.
I have read that it does not require high light and too strong a light can harm, so I am not doing artificial light, just going to let it get some natural sunlight and daylight during the day.
Planing on feeding some to my family tonight for dinner

LuvMuhFred

Oct 13 2005, 02:25 AM

OMG!! They LOVED it
they just went psycho! LOL it was so cool to watch

I do not think the duckweed will grow in the main tank..they ate it so fast LOL
So I will keep growing it in the old bowl I mentioned in previous post so that way I should have a continual supply.

I took some great pics of them eating it
will post them soon.

d_golem

Oct 13 2005, 03:19 AM

Awawawawa quick2 post them piccies LMF

One question though, do they need some kind of aeration to grow/multiply? I just transferred my duckweed bunch in a 55 litre bucket with some hornwort & guppies

but no aeration. is it ok like that?

x-Lucy-Fish-x

Oct 19 2005, 06:09 AM

good thread! i might go down the the local pond and collect me soma that!