Scientific Name: Lemna minor
Family: Araceae
Description and Requirements
Difficulty: Ultra Easy / Practically Indestructible
Growth Rate: Explosive (can double its biomass in 48 hours under optimal conditions).
Lighting: Low to High (will thrive under almost any light source, including low ambient room light).
CO2: Not required (utilizes atmospheric $CO_2$).
Water Parameters
Temperature: 6°C - 33°C (43°F - 91°F). Resilient enough to survive freezing winter ponds as well as peak summer tropical heat.
pH: 5.0 - 9.0 (Extremely versatile)
Hardness (GH): Very soft to very hard
Compatibility and Placement
Placement: Strictly a floating plant.
Compatibility: Perfect for livebearer breeding setups (Guppies, Mollies, Platies) and shrimp colonies.
As Premium Live Food: Duckweed is a highly nutritious, protein-packed natural snack. It is passionately consumed by Goldfish, Koi, Turtles, and large herbivorous Cichlids. Many hobbyists grow it specifically as a self-sustaining, clean live food source.
Plant Tips & Recommendations
Pro Tip 1: The Ultimate Nitrate Sponge: There is simply no plant in the aquarium hobby that purifies water and locks in heavy metals, nitrates, and phosphates faster than Duckweed. It is the absolute ultimate biological solution for keeping water parameters pristine.
Pro Tip 2: Managing Surface Cover: Due to its accelerated reproduction rate, clearly instruct your customers to routinely scoop out excess mats with a fish net. Leaving it to cover 100% of the surface will block light from reaching lower plants and can restrict surface gas exchange.
Pro Tip 3: Infinite Food Source Setup: A brilliant selling point for Goldfish keepers: advise them to culture a small portion of Duckweed in a separate jar or sunny bucket. It will multiply automatically, creating a lifetime supply of fresh, healthy greens for their fish.