Do I want frogbit or duckweed???

[efinch77]

I have a 75 gallon community cycling right now and was thinking about putting some floating plants in there. Would you recommend frogbit or duckweed or something else even? I dont want to have to mess with fert and other stuff. Let me know what you think....thanks
Emmett

 

[sinner41265]

I recently got some Salvinia Minima as a hitchhiker with some Water Sprite. It's similar to duckweed, but won't take over your tank as bad. I recommend it !

 

[fishycat]

salvinia minima is a better choice simply because it's sturdier and has a better chance of staying afloat. Duckweed tends to get blown under the surface and sucked into your filter intake.

Just be sure your outflow is set below the water surface so the plants don't get tossed about too much.

Frogbit is a good similar choice, as is red root floater. You'll probably end up with duckweed in your tank anyway - it's notorious for hitchhiking.

 

[Lillyan]

Salvinia & red root floaters are a far better choice.

What's the difference between R R Floaters and Frogbit? I know rrf turns colors, but, unless you have co2, ferts, high light, it looks EXACTLY the same as frogbit...


I have a ton of Salvinia, I can ship a small box packed for $7 shipped.

 

[efinch77]

pm sent lillyan

 

[jackiomy]

If you get duckweed you will have it for the rest of your tank's life.

 

[Kashta]

Of the floaters, I like Amazon Frogbit and Water Lettuce the best.

 

[XanAvaloni]

efinch, I consider this question on a par with "do you want bubonic plague or smallpox?" or perhaps "would you prefer hanging or lethal injection?"

frogbit I know nothing about, but duckweed....is OF THE DEVIL! Ugh, ick, spit, ptooey. And ack and hack as well. Bah humbug. Vile and evil stuff. Nasty. High on my list of things I would not miss if it vanished from the planet tomorrow. Wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Given a choice between it and hemorrhoids I would stock up on Preparation H.

not that I have strong feelings on the subject or anything. And it IS possible to eradicate a duckweed infestation, it just takes six months or so of fanatical daily diligence to locate and pluck out every single tiny leaf. A three-finger grab is the best technique, keeps it from scooting away (most of the time) due to surface tension. Remove every existing particle. Feel triumph. Repeat the next day. and the next.....and the next....you get the picture.

shun the duckweed. Chances are you will be afflicted eventually by accident, as noted above. But you never want to look at it and know you did this to yourself.

 

[GuppyGirl1230]

I love my duckweed and water lettuce- I don't mind cleaning out my filter regularly ! Especially with snails, I have to get them out of my filter anyway

 

[dundadundun]

efinch, I consider this question on a par with "do you want bubonic plague or smallpox?" or perhaps "would you prefer hanging or lethal injection?"

frogbit I know nothing about, but duckweed....is OF THE DEVIL! Ugh, ick, spit, ptooey. And ack and hack as well. Bah humbug. Vile and evil stuff. Nasty. High on my list of things I would not miss if it vanished from the planet tomorrow. Wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Given a choice between it and hemorrhoids I would stock up on Preparation H.

not that I have strong feelings on the subject or anything. And it IS possible to eradicate a duckweed infestation, it just takes six months or so of fanatical daily diligence to locate and pluck out every single tiny leaf. A three-finger grab is the best technique, keeps it from scooting away (most of the time) due to surface tension. Remove every existing particle. Feel triumph. Repeat the next day. and the next.....and the next....you get the picture.

shun the duckweed. Chances are you will be afflicted eventually by accident, as noted above. But you never want to look at it and know you did this to yourself.

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree: :clap::clap::clap: :bowing::bowing::bowing: i've never heard that put so well. i've never heard that put so well. i've never heard that put so well. it must be said in thrice. :nilly:

i love my frogbit. haven't had the pleasure of water lettuce yet.

red root floater and frogbit are very different. you do not need extremely high light to turn rrf red. the leafs and growth pattern on the two are very different. rrf will grow vertically sprouting little leafs on a tiny stem and piling up on top of itself until it blocks all light coming into a tank. frogbit will not. rrf has little bunches of roots in clumps frogbit has a few main roots that branch off and tapers down to make a nice stunning diplay. rrf has leafs that wrinkle up at the edges creating a "lip" around each leaf as well as a very distinctive shape in the leaf folds. frogbit has tiny little cilia on the leaf tops. rrf has one root structure from which a stem and the leafs grow and break off to form new plants. frogbit throws runners just under the waters surface to form new plants. frogbit lets more light into the tank for submersed plants to utilize for longer between necessary removal.

lillyan... if you're interested i can send you some frogbit for the same price you're offering so you can see the difference. i have to admit... rrf has been one of my favorite floaters thus far but i grew tired of it stealing all the light in my tank quickly. soon enough the only way i'll be willing to grow it is terrestrially in my terrarium where it's already doing pretty good.

just an fyi... floaters don't need co2 injection since they're exposed to air that has more than they could possibly use.