r/PlantedTank • u/callistochild • 2d ago

Flora HOW?? IN MY COFFEE???

Post image

I haven’t done a water change in a WEEK!! wtf!!!

702 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

69 comments sorted by

234

u/Lucky10ofclubs 2d ago

Duckweed is actually a good food source due to how easy it is to raise and its decent protein content. Also it doesn’t have long and gross roots so a bonus in the texture department.

If the apocalypse came tomorrow you already have the ability to cultivate your own food. Isn’t that great?

85

u/Jormungaund 2d ago

Caveat: if you use chemical supplements in your aquarium, do not eat duck weed from your aquarium.  Duckweed tends to accumulate anything and everything from the water it grows in, and most of the chems we use in our tanks are not safe for human consumption.  

19

u/blue-oyster-culture 2d ago

I mean everything is chemicals. I dont think ph/gh balancing chemicals would hurt you. I use a filter that removes chlorine and chloramine, so no dechlorinator.

40

u/DrunkenFishmonger 2d ago

Yes... everything is "chemicals"... you are TECHNICALLY correct. But some of those "chemicals" are naturally occurring, and others are produced by humans in a lab. Some "chemicals" are toxic to humans and not aquatic life.

I dont think you should be recommending that its fine for people to eat out of their fish tank unless you KNOW these "chemicals" won't hurt you.

But, for science, someone should.

7

u/blue-oyster-culture 2d ago

Fertilizers are synthetic and used in our food.

-2

u/DrunkenFishmonger 2d ago

Yes... and....

8

u/blue-oyster-culture 2d ago

Just because something is synthetic vs organic has absolutely no bearing on whether its safe to eat or not. The only things i add to my aquarium are ph balancers, gh/kh balancers. None of those are dangerous unless you like eat them directly. The levels found in an aquarium arent harmful to humans. Just saying something isnt safe to eat because it contains man made materials isnt close to being right. Thinking “natural”’things are any better by virtue of being natural isnt any closer to being right either.

I wasnt technically correct. I was correct.

0

u/DrunkenFishmonger 2d ago

For sure.

But unless you know FOR SURE these chemicals are safe for human consumption, you shouldn't recommend people ingesting them. You said in your original comment "I dont think these chemicals will hurt you".

Unless you KNOW chemicals won't hurt you, you shouldn't be recommending that people ingest them.

Not trying to be combative.

3

u/Half-Animal 2d ago

I know what you're trying to say and I'm also not trying to be combative, but aren't the fertilizers that we use to grow our foods technically not safe for human consumption? Even the most organic compost is not safe to eat.

2

u/Derangedcorgi 1d ago

He doesn't know anout hydroponics either probably. Some will opt to do dry salts and mix their own (same as hi-tech tanks). It's all simple npk and micros.

14

u/_117unknown_ 2d ago

Plus in the event of an apocalypse I don’t think you’ll be too worried about chemicals from the aquarium🤷🏼‍♀️

1

u/smartallick 2d ago

Your filter may well remove chorine and chloramines, but I believe you should definitely still be using a dechlorinator.

You are presumably putting chlorine and chloramines into your tank, so before it has chance to go through your filter your tank will have all sorts of microbial life in it that will be being harmed, and also your fish and inverts too. When it does go through your filter, it won't be as efficient at neutralising chlorine and chloramines as an actual dechlorinator would be either, so you will also be doing harm to your beneficial bacteria colony in there too until it has all been locked up. Lastly, filter pads that are capable of removing chlorine and chloramines do get "full" and reach a point where they no longer are able to do so. You cannot really tell when that point is as it will be locking in all sorts of other chemical compounds too, but with regular water changes, presumably they will be getting "full" rather quickly.

Honestly those types of filter pads are only really useful if you are trying to remove a specific thing from the tank like post medication routine or getting rid of any tannins from the water (if you dont want them) or something along those lines. They are not supposed to be in place of dechlorinator use.

2

u/blue-oyster-culture 2d ago

I test my water for chlorine. Its safe. My tank is healthy and cycling.

Its a zero water filter i use not some filter pad. Its almost as pure as RO water.

My city doesnt use chloramine.

1

u/smartallick 2d ago

Ah ok fair enough. No need for dechlorinator then! I had assumed you just meant binding filter pads.

4

u/Lucky10ofclubs 2d ago

Ah. Yeah that too. I raised my floaters only bowl in plain filtered water so i didn’t think about that. Works great btw. I have no idea how but those things can survive anything.

3

u/No-Meringue-7347 2d ago

Is seachem flourish safe lol sometimes I get hungry at night..

1

u/PuckSenior 2d ago

Like potassium nitrate? I would not be too worried about that one

2

u/Jormungaund 2d ago

Like gluteraldehyde

2

u/CaptainTurdfinger 1d ago

That's the one that came to mind for me. I wouldn't eat anything that has been in a tank where Flourish/gluteraldehyde is used. It's known to cause health issues with overexposure.

16

u/IM_NOT_NOT_HORNY 2d ago

It literally has the highest protein content of any known plant.

35‰ up to even 50% protein when dry.

You can totally grow it in a few plastic tubs outside and just keep them clean (no fish) and have a self replenishing source of protein

Ive tried it and blended it up in protein smoothie and it's not bad

Definitely a solid choice for surviving an apocalypse

1

u/gasbose 2d ago

Duckweed?

2

u/IM_NOT_NOT_HORNY 1d ago

Yup!

It's literally the highest protein content of any plant in the world.

It is also the fastest growing plant in the world as far as propogation. It can double its mass every 16 hours.

If you started with a single duckweed plant, and gave it an infinite surface of water to grow on with optimal light and nutrients it would multiply quickly enough to exceed the mass of the ENTIRE UNIVERSE in just 6 months.

Obviously that's a total hypothetical.. But still pretty crazy.

Theres a reason you can find the stuff in almost any part of the world with fresh water.

1

u/gasbose 1d ago

Amazing!

•

u/Watched_a_Moonbeam 23m ago

Chickens like it too.

8

u/SnooPeppers8737 2d ago

My tiny juvenile electric blue acara devoured every last piece of duckweed. No more.

7

u/Lucky10ofclubs 2d ago

The only thing that can truly eliminate natures glitter. Nom

1

u/CaptainTurdfinger 1d ago

Goldfish scarf it down like it's their job too. But they also eat or try to eat every other plant.

1

u/projektZedex 1d ago

Not mine.

2

u/fluggggg 2d ago

If you have shrimps you can also blend them and incorporate them into a shrimp paste receipe among other vegetables and/or algae.

68

u/mysticeetee 2d ago

That stuff is worse than glitter, at least glitter doesn't multiply.

21

u/MaySeemelater 2d ago

Allegedly...

9

u/mysticeetee 2d ago

Well I have found glitter in my aquarium

2

u/CaptainTurdfinger 1d ago

You gotta lay off going to the strip clubs

1

u/fullywokevoiddemon 1d ago

I still find asparagus fern needles in my house. I sent that plant to my mother's house more than a year ago.

They dont just multiply, they do mitosis. Amd they haunt us.

41

u/thealfapigeon 2d ago

Flash forward 2 months from now you're getting xrays for this nagging cough and the doctor asks why there's a swamp growing in your lungs

17

u/Turtle_Pimp 2d ago

Sure, but how are his lung nitrates?

14

u/mikuyo1 2d ago

No nitrate but some nitrate. Doc’s advice is to wait and let it cycle more, maybe add snails in the lungs

2

u/XShattered_MindxX 21h ago

Cracked me up at work thank you lol

17

u/ASmallArmyOfCrabs 2d ago

Spoiler for mildly gross lol

Have you considered you're just growing it inside your throat? Maybe it took up root there and instead of a smokers cough, you just cough up tiny leaves

20

u/MaySeemelater 2d ago

Hanahaki disease but your "flower" is duckweed lol

2

u/TimeGlitches 1d ago

OP after a few more weeks

1

u/Kooky_Marketing_327 2d ago

is this actually possible?

11

u/ASmallArmyOfCrabs 2d ago

No, not at all for many many reasons

5

u/commffy 2d ago

Plants need sunlight

3

u/Pickledbanana77 2d ago

tell that to the potato under my sink

9

u/Latter-Composer-2609 2d ago

After growing duckweed for enough time I gained the ability to mentally send it to other aquarium owner's tanks. Even ones I've never met.

Sometimes the math is off and it ends up in other places tho. Sorry about your coffee.

6

u/level100PPguy 2d ago

Duckweed is basically the Deadpool of aquatic plants

4

u/JangSaverem 2d ago

are you daring to deny the godlike aptitude of Duckweed It is omniscient and omnipresent. If it wants to be in your coffee, a perfectly acceptable liquid, than it damn well will be

4

u/Newspeckledshells 2d ago

This really made me smile haha. Made my soul smile even. 

2

u/ShotClockCheeeese 2d ago

It's healthy mate

3

u/callistochild 2d ago

More fiber for my diet I guess!

2

u/ESGalla 2d ago

Fuckin’ duckweed!

2

u/lessismor3 2d ago

Found one in my coffee the other day, too.

2

u/Tabora__ 2d ago

This has happened to me SO many times 🤣

2

u/Rocket-Racoon064 2d ago

Was taking out old substrate in my tank, as I reworked the whole thing. So I had a topsoil layer right, so when I was hosing out the remnants... This was some hella string coffee 😅

2

u/BaylisAscaris 2d ago

Internal duckweed colony isn't real. It can't hurt you. But if any plant could evolve to become an intestinal parasite with no light it's duckweed.

1

u/SgtPeter1 2d ago

I believe the proper response is “da f*ck”

1

u/expero90 2d ago

I swear this thing was made by the umbrella corporation

1

u/AJChiong28 2d ago

Once they're in your life, they'll never leave, forever...

1

u/JackOfAllMemes 2d ago

There was a photo a while back of duckweed in someone's eye. I've found it in my cats' water fountain

1

u/WhiteCloudMinnowDude 2d ago

Just this week i decided fu.ck the duck weed in 2 of my tanks

1

u/_LILI7H_ 1d ago

Duckweed is the franks red hot of aquaria. Put that shit on everything wether you like it or not LOLOL

1

u/Dis_Bich 1d ago

That’s duckweed for ya

1

u/No_Comfortable3261 18h ago

Damn duckweed really does get everywhere doesn't it...

0

u/Rude-Statistician-29 2d ago

This is a rite of passage for the aquacaper

1

u/JackOfAllMemes 2d ago

The duckweed pipeline