Duckweed Plants

Some Duckweed that got imported with my last river water infusion to the aquarium has really taken off. It covers the whole surface now and I am hoping it provides oxygen to the closed system.

1. This is a leaf from the top. The white lines are the veins like in any leaf, leading to where the root grows down from the center.

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nice series...are this micro plants/weed?...

Rakesh, the duckweed plant floats on the surface and is made up of two or three tiny green leaves that lay flat on the water. The root hangs down about 1/4 inch and there are two to four little roots. Each plant is small, 6 or 8 of them could sit on your thumbnail. They multiply very fast by dividing and splitting into new plants about once a day. They can cover a one acre pond in just a few weeks once it warms up. Heres a little more about them, with pictures.

Excellent close up work Mitch, Very interesting.

Tony.

Thanks Tony. It was a matter of getting the root to lay down sideways under the coverslip.

Enjoyed seeing this. I paddled my aluminum canoe through about a mile of solid duckweed last weekend. I love being in it, except that it does require more effort to pull through, and makes a rasping sound against the hull.

A fish jumped beside the canoe, which opened a hole about a foot across. It only took about 20 seconds to close up, leaving no sign.

I've noticed that some places, there will be a high percentage with a perfect hole eaten through the middle. Do you know what critters do that?

very nice.

Interesting stuff.
Not sure about helping to oxygenate the system though - on small ponds duckweed tends to do exactly the opposite causing the pond to go anaerobic.
Brian v.

Thanks for looking Keith, Rick and Brian. I think you might be right Brian. I can see the water below the surface is much clearer than it use to be, meaning less microlife is growing in it. The surface is solid duckweed now, so maybe it's time to cull some of it. It is amazing stuff though, it went from 12 or 13 small single plants a few months ago to solid cover now.

Keith, not sure what animal or fish would do that. But if a fish jumped, then there almost has to be oxygen in the water. It's quite possible there could be a spring or current under that spot keeping it open. If a fish jumping and your canoe cutting through it only made an open spot for a few seconds, then I would guess a current or spring. If something ate that hole open, it would just close again in a few seconds.