How To Get Rid Of Duckweed In Aquarium? 6 Easy Steps!

Duckweed is a simple plant that grows easily in ponds and aquariums. It looks like a green floating aquatic plant, and its main purpose is to prevent other plants from getting to the surface of the water. But as duckweed matures, it can start taking over your aquarium and eventually outgrow the filter. Here’s how you can remove it from your aquarium once and for all.

What is Duckweed?

Duckweed is a floating plant that floats on the surface of water. It is green and takes up very little space and does not use much energy. Duckweed grows quickly and can even form colonies, which generates oxygen for those who live nearby.

Is duckweed bad for aquarium?

Duckweed can grow quickly in ponds and aquariums. It takes over the oxygen that may have been needed by other plants, such as algae or water lily. This will affect both your fish and aquatic insects because they’ll start to suffocate, lose their colors, and die off slowly if you don’t get rid of it soon enough. So if you want to grow larger fish or keep pests away, then getting rid of duckweed is essential.

How to easily get rid of duckweed

Scoop Excessive Duckweed using Your Hands

If the process of elimination is not working, then you can try using your bare hands – this method is simple and effective. This will help keep fish healthy and gravel clean without even disturbing them, plus it saves time to avoid unnecessary fussiness caused by other (unnecessary) methods like machines.

You just need to scoop the duckweed by pushing it into a bucket, cup or your hand. This way you can direct all that floating plant out of your aquarium tank automatically and at the same time prevent new duckweed from entering for future months so no more damage will occur.

Screen Out Living Duckweed One by one Using a Bucket, Water Filter Unit and Air Stones

If you’re using under gravel filters as an essential part of water filtration system to help maintain healthy aquarium ecosystem then it is recommended that they be removed from the tank temporarily so that they don’t disturb fish as they blindly beat away at any ducks that come crawl out of the ground. So those kind who know how to install under gravel filters, can consider picking one up and using its grid frame effectively.

As for water filtration unit shields – you mind them upside down in your tub of water. This way it will act like net creating a barrier across the top of your aquarium that can minimize duckweed growth while not blocking out any healthy fish.

You just need to place some air stones on top, turn on power and vacuum pumps, then wait for a little while until bathroom sink drains and then the water is pulled through. This helpful procedure will help you to very quickly eliminate existing duckweed on your glass aquarium, but before it can make new ones after some time out of water/light exposure.

Cleaning Filteration System with Duckweed

Although it is highly recommended to keep the cleaning of your aquarium tank after removing living duckweed as simple as possible since otherwise there are some serious problems that can occur, not all maintenance tasks need effort. And shutting off power valves will help you make good progress on eliminating existing duckweed. It is highly suggested to scrub the filter mat, clean air intake tubes with toilet paper or something similar and remove any other foreign materials that can prevent vacuum pumps from working correctly.

After all, you’ve got to remember that it is essential for the fish tank cleaner undertank filters and fountains. And on top of this not only dirt or dead algae can be removed with duckweed cutting blades but so any chemicals such as toxic nutes will also be found.

Fish that eat Duckweed

Some pond fish, such as goldfish and koi don’t prefer their food to be made of plants. Dwarf cichlids may also eat duckweed, but if it is so widespread in your tank that these species will not clean up the existing plant mass quickly enough they should be removed to prevent further spread. Nothing kills duckweed faster than hungry fish or snails hunting for algae sticks!

Here’s are variaties of fish that eat duckweed:

• bettas
• loaches
• molly
• barbs
• koi
• tilapia