Greater Duckweed
Spirodela Polyrhiza
Greater duckweed may be useful for indoor aquariums or for use with Siamese fighter fish especially when breeding. Indoors it will require medium to strong lighting and periodic thinning.
This duckweed variety can be useful as fish food for goldfish, mollies or other green food eaters which may be tempted by it's flavour. It is recognised for its very high nutrient continent making it an excellent food for those fish which eat it.
Like regular duckweed it is a great plant for ponds and fountains where it will carpet the surface in delicate green plants. This free floating plant is easily maintained; it grows without fuss when given a spot with some filtered light or bright shade.
Greater duckweed is a very small plant and it will not choke your pond to the degree that salvinia species will tend to. It can be fed to farm animals or placed on garden beds were it will form a surface mulch.
This duckweed propagates itself by seed or division. Growth by division is the prominent reproduction mode but a few seeds are formed each year from the tiny annual flowers.
Greater duckweed will help keep the water a little cleaner by removing wastes as part of its growth process. It also serves as an effective mosquito control method once established. The tightly packed leaves are able to stop most of the insects from laying their eggs. Another advantage is it's ability to control algae by blocking it's light source. A further plus is the protection duckweed offers fish from opportunistic birds and other predators.
Greater duckweed thrives at 15 - 18 degrees c and tolerates water temperatures of 5 - 25 degrees c making it useful in both unheated and moderately heated tanks and ponds in many regions of Australia. Greater duckweed will retreat to the bottom of ponds in cold weather to return in warmer months.
The greater duckweed picture shown is a moderate close up shot taken of the plants carpeting the water surface.
If no greater duckweed plants are currently on offer please check back later or browse aquarium plants currently available.