Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi guys I have some questions about duckweed:

1. Can duckweed be the only food I would give my tilapia's or it is just a supplement? If so what do you suggest for main feeds. (the reason for this I want everything to be organic)

2. How do I make them multiply is there like a guide or design where I should place them cause I have read it needs slow moving water.

3. Lastly does it need direct sunlight?

Thanks.

Hey Jamesto, check out this thread here..

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=100

Lots of information about duck weed, should cover most of your questions..

Jamesto, Janet and others are more experts on Talapia than I am, but I believe they will eat any vegetable matter.

How do you make them multiply - talapia - just dim the lights, put on some good music and ready the nursery.....

Duckweed, pretty much the same, don't know about the music though LOL

Not sure how duckweed goes in intense direct light, might burn off a bit.

Others will post with better info...

Edited : Thanks EB.... was just out looking for that thread to link to...

As EB says

Hey Jamesto,

3 weeks ago I started growing my own duckweed.....all I did was put some in tubs of water that had a weak cow shit tea mix in it and I store the tubs in a small 60cm x 60cm x 100cm hothouse (not sure if thats necessary but it keeps the weather off it) and it is all out of direct sunlight.......and its been goin ape shit(in cow shit) ever since........is THAT easy

thanks guys by the way bundaberg kid do i need to airate the container and what else can I use in exchange of cow poop?

it doesnt need to be aerated, not sure about what else to use instead of cow shit.....maybe hang ya bum over the tub if ya bored? ..OR..maybe google "growing duckweed"

Jamesto, duckweed basically grows on ammonia.... generated by fish/duck/animal poo, nutrient run off etc..... some people have in the past considered increasing the [s]urine[/s] ammonia concentration by the obvious means

okay ill give it a shot this weekend also because I was able to find a supplier here in the philippines

Tilapia would be very happy to eat most vegetation you put in their tank. Mine have been sampling water hyacinth lately. That's nice stuff. It grows quickly (invasively in the warmer zones here) and even the pieces of it float so they don't clog the pump. I would stay away from stringy or potentially sinking plants. My fish have eaten bean leaves, radish leaves and spinach, too. Since gardening season is just getting going here, I expect them to be able to try out many other treats from the dirt garden.

While young tilapia need a bit more protein, older fish really like their veggies. I would think that vegetation could be their main food, with some supplements to give them a bit more protein. Perhaps they would like worms, mosquito larvae or maggots. I haven't been trying out raising bugs, but some people have had impressive results raising Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae.

hmmm sounds good i'll check it out. I was able to breed crickets tough lol am just nt sure if the tilapias would like to eat it. thanks janetpelletier

I live in Indo and My Tilapia love the duckweed. I am trying to make the system as dependent n duck weed as i can but at the moment i can't supply enough. I have started to look into contracting farmers to harvest it from their rice fields for me as it would be a great source of cheap food. (If i can harvest it myself maybe even free:))

Tilapia love dckweed or virtually any vegetables that are edible to humans ...

Maybe try some land weeds, such as "groundsel" and "Dandilion"?

I guess I am saying , that you could try anything that you could feed to a herbivore such as a rabbit or guinea pig .. see what works?

I took a handful of groundsel ... and threw it in ...

my budgie and looikeet love the stuff, rabbits love it, as do petrats and guinuea pigs...

so I am guessing no prob regards a supplement food for fish ...

will let you know if the fish don't like it!


I am guessing that a few weeds thrown into the pond now and again, will add a litle variety, .. which is the spice of life...

careful with the weeds, many of them tend to be quite fibrous.

i know SP might not have as much of a wide taste variety as tilapia, but when i have tried silver beet they leave the "stringy" bits and they end up getting caught around the pumps impeller shaft. almost as bad as hair for jamming things up!

I have found recently that Tilapia absolutely love Zucchini...... Sliced up and nuked for 2 min on high....

We have an edible weed here called purslane. It has fleshy leaves and grows low to the ground. I'll have to try that.

I should have mentions--I do strip the heavier veins out of leaves before feeding them to the tilapia. I did have fibers start wrapping the pump impeller before I learned that trick.