Lemna minor

Duck weed is a plant that aquarists either love or hate.  In fish tanks, it can give cover for fry or nervous fish and also sucks nutrients from the water.  In a planted tank it takes nutrients meant for the ornamental plants and also blocks light to plants below.  It is avidly eaten by many chichlids, gold fish, turtles and other herbivores, so a good food source.

In tanks where it is being used for cover of food purposes, it can be intermittently thinned out by running a fish net over the water surface.  If you get it in a tank unintentionally and need to get rid of it, a surface skimmer will do the job in short order.

Common Name:     Duck weed

Family Name:          Lemnaceae

Native To:                World wide

Lighting:                  Undemanding

Requirements:          Undemanding

Growth Form:           Floating

Growth Rate:            Extremely fast

True Aquatic:            Yes

Placement in Tank:   Water surface

Available As:              Bare root