Little leafy things

[bertie 83]

Since I have been dosing with seachem flourish I have little four leaf clover thingys floating on the water surface. Is this a type of algae type plant? It is a high flow planted tank, as ever all water params are in check. I am not particularly bothered by them just curious as to what they are, I have no clue where they came from. They breed pretty fast but don't worry me cos I can easily get most of them in a minute or so with a net. Can get pics if required

[DrKennethNoisewater]

ive seen those pop up in tanks also, im not sure the name but they would be great if you could contain them on the surface somewhere, the trouble with them is they get sucked into the filter stream and blown down and it always looks like debris in your water. maybe a floating fishline barrier done correctly would contain them and create a really nice top water blanket and a different mood for a section of the tank! it makes tanks look very tropical when the top is covered in plants..

[bertie 83]

I have no problem with them getting sucked down. My filter intakes are very low and my powerheads point up a little, they stay put on the water surface which suits me lol

[RVS]

Sound like Lemna minor

[Lil' Swimz$]

Duckweed, a very annoying floating plant that spreads very fast. It's nice for tanks if/when you are looking for top cover to diffuse the lighting, but when you want as much light to reach down to the plants as possible it is very annoying. I'd get rid of it now before it's too much to control, unless, you want it

[bertie 83]

Ah I see, like I say I can remove it quite easily if needed was just curious, thanks guys

[bertie 83]

I suppose what I am really getting at is, what are the good/ bad points about this stuff being in my tank? I was tempted to put some in a non planted tank to see how it grows in there. Where did it come from? Am I overdosing ferts? A small amount of hair algae has been there for a while also, doesnt seem to spread much either, I think the flow and reg w/c are holding it where it is, I am happy for these things to exist in my tank under controlled circumstances as they are gonna use any excess nutrients, as they do not spread fast ( I know hair algae should, I just have 1 small patch unchanged for weeks) I can't be far off, is there anything I should look for that could be causing this? Or should I continue not to panic as these fast growing things are not really growing?

[scpion]

These things are pretty much considered a pest as they clog up filter intake. They are weeds that really grow like a weed.. But in a non planted tank, it may be very useful as they really soak up nutrients unwanted for your fish.

[RTR]

Duckweed comes from duckweed. A single plantlet on the back of your hand or arm can grow to totally cover a tank. It reproduces quite rapidly except that some fish graze on it. Both goldfish and Malawu mbuna I have kept relish the stuff. It is a fair nutrient sponge, but if you have excess duckweed it is a PITA as it robs the submerse plants of light and food.

It is easier to get than to get rid of. It is one of the reasons I QT plants as well as livestock.

[bertie 83]

Thanks guys, gonna move some to some non planted tanks and remove from my planted tank