# Best alternate NITRATE plant killer for duckweed???!



## shor171ty (Jun 18, 2009)

Hey all, and thx to all in advance..........

I was just researching what types of vegetation in freshwater eat the most nitrates....I found that floating plants do really well as well as mossy ones......kind of like duckweed......

now duckweed has been famous for "THE NITRATE KILLER"

however infamous for spreading to the main tank display and getting practically impossible to get rid of..............

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So my question is what is the best alternative to duckweed that will suck out nitrates like theres no tomorrow?

----I know there are some GOOD alternatives...i read it in a thread a long time ago somewhere............however i forgot them =(....................

THX FOR ALL YOUR SUGGESTIONS...........

(I prefer plants suggested to work from experience and testing though...thx)


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

IMO the best alternative to duckweed is Najas or hornwort, depending on how much light you have on the tank. Najas will grow under a regular fluorescent strip light (not great, but it will grow, particularly in a 10-20 gallon tank) but hornwort needs more than that to survive.
Amazon frogbit or water lettuce are also good for a floater, but while they will quickly cover the surface like duckweed they're easier to control because the plants aren't tiny. Duckweed isn't actually hard to manage either, just scoop it up with a net to thin it out, and in a couple weeks it will grow back just as heavily. The main problems are that it will block the light if you have other live plants, and clogs hob filter intakes.


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## shor171ty (Jun 18, 2009)

toddnbecka said:


> IMO the best alternative to duckweed is Najas or hornwort, depending on how much light you have on the tank. Najas will grow under a regular fluorescent strip light (not great, but it will grow, particularly in a 10-20 gallon tank) but hornwort needs more than that to survive.
> Amazon frogbit or water lettuce are also good for a floater, but while they will quickly cover the surface like duckweed they're easier to control because the plants aren't tiny. Duckweed isn't actually hard to manage either, just scoop it up with a net to thin it out, and in a couple weeks it will grow back just as heavily. The main problems are that it will block the light if you have other live plants, and clogs hob filter intakes.


I have s separate refugium for the plants with ltos of light so those arent factors......so what would you suggest is the best nitrate sucker out of the ones you have mentioned....do you have experience? thx......


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

I use Najas, hornwort, and duckweed to keep the water conditions tolerable in my breeding/growout tanks. It's not unusual for me to have 100-200 (or sometimes more) cichlid or BN pleco fry in a 29 or 30 gallon tank along with 2-6 adults. It seems to me that the hornwort grows faster and thocker than the Najas, but it's hard to say exactly.


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## Schwartzy61 (Jan 25, 2010)

Hornwort, Watersprite, and possibly Wistera. Try pennywort also because they have a poor root system and absorb alot of nutrients through their broad leaves. I have pennywort in my 28g


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