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Giant Duckweed floating plant for aquariums and ponds
  • Giant Duckweed floating plant for aquariums and ponds
  • Close-up of Giant Duckweed plant
  • Giant Duckweed Roots
  • Giant Duckweed floating in a planted aquarium
  • Giant Duckweed floating plant for aquariums and ponds
  • Close-up of Giant Duckweed plant
  • Giant Duckweed Roots
  • Giant Duckweed floating in a planted aquarium
Giant Duckweed (Spirodela Polyrhiza)

Giant Duckweed (Spirodela Polyrhiza)

$6.99 USD
Usually ships in 1-2 business days from our fulfillment center

Spirodela polyrhiza is a larger form of the notorious, fast-growing floating plant, Duckweed. Giant Duckweed features bright green, rounded leaves that float freely on the surface of planted aquariums or ponds, producing a serene, lily-like look.

It is on equal footing with classic Duckweed and provides the same water-purifying power, but is a little easier to manage and thin out as needed. Alongside natural water filtration, floating plants are great for providing shade and shelter to aquarium fish or shrimp and indirectly help with algae control. It is relatively hardy, making it a favorite aquatic plant for beginner aquarium hobbyists. Overall, adding Giant Duckweed to your aquarium or pond is a great, low-maintenance way to grow beautiful and functional floating plants!

What to do with excess Giant Duckweed

This pond and aquarium floater grows quickly, so it’s important to monitor its growth and remove excess as needed to prevent shading of other aquatic plants that need light to grow. When disposing, please do not release it into local waterways, ponds, or down your plumbing. Try composting it or allowing it to dry out completely before discarding in the bin. It can also be incorporated into soil mixtures for house plants or gardens! Thank you for being a responsible aquarium hobbyist and helping protect native ecosystems!

Plant Care & Information
Common Name(s) Giant Duckweed, Greater Duckweed
Plant Type Floating
Care Level Easy
Lighting Moderate
CO2 Not Required
Growth Rate Fast
Suggested Placement Floating Plant
Height / Size <1"
Propagation Separate & Harvest
About Our Live Aquatic Plants

Aquarium plants can vary in growth form and may require time to transition to your aquarium environment, whether grown submerged or emersed. This transition period is a natural part of establishing healthy, long-term growth in planted aquariums.

From carpeting plants in the foreground to stem plants and larger species used in the midground or background, each plant offers a unique contribution to a balanced and natural aquascape. As plants adapt, it is normal to see minor changes such as leaf melt, color shifts, or new growth patterns as they settle into their new conditions.

We carefully inspect and prepare all live aquatic plants prior to shipping. While we do our best to minimize hitchhikers, we cannot guarantee plants to be completely pest or snail-free unless tissue culture options are selected.

Because live plants are perishable, some signs of transit stress may occur, including leaf loss or cosmetic damage. These are typically temporary and when when healthy roots are present, most plants will recover with proper care.

Want to browse more? Shop all aquarium plants here.
About Our Floating Plants

Floating aquarium plants grow along the water’s surface, developing long roots that extend downward into the aquarium. They are commonly used to create natural shade, reduce excess nutrients, and add movement to the upper layer of the aquascape.

Because they sit at the surface, floating plants have direct access to atmospheric CO2 and generally grow quickly under the right conditions. Most varieties prefer moderate to high lighting and calmer water flow, as strong surface agitation can disrupt their growth.


How Our Floating Plants Are Grown
Our floating plants are grown in gently circulating water under higher-intensity lighting. Due to their natural growth habits, plants will vary slightly in size, density, and root length depending on season and conditions.

Floating Aquatic Plant Care & Information

Do you like aquarium floaters? We do! Having them offers plenty of benefits. Aside from looks, floating aquatic plants like Azolla, Salvinia, Frogbit, Red Root Floaters, Water Lettuce or even Duckweed can help improve the quality of your water and make your fish feel a little safer in their tanks. Caring for them comes down to tank maintenance, balancing light, flow and ensuring they have a source of nutrients for healthy growth. Here are some tips to help you grow some healthy floaters!
Azolla - Mosquito Fern Floating Plant | Glass Aqua
How much light do floating plants need?

Since they literally float in natural sunlight—most aquarium floaters grow best with high light. For most tanks kept indoors, moderate to high lighting for 8-10 hours under quality LED fixtures will do the trick. Be mindful though and monitor your plants. Lighting that is too strong or kept on for too long can cause an algae bloom that will be a different issue to tackle.
Do floaters need fertilizers?

Live aquatic plants, in general, help with water filtration. Floaters especially! You’ll notice almost all of them send down long roots that are responsible for absorbing available nutrients in the water to support their growth above the waterline. If you frequently perform water changes or have a tank with a smaller bioload, dosing with a liquid fertilizer that contains macro and micronutrients will ensure your plants don’t become nutrient-deficient. Look for signs of stunted growth or yellowing leaves.  
Maintenance and water flow

If you’re doing it right, you’ll know. Floating plants have a reputation for being very fast-growing plants. Whether you love it or hate it, regular thinning is necessary to prevent other aquarium plants from being overly shaded. Allowing overgrowth can result in dense mats that clog filters or hide decaying plant matter that can affect water quality down the line. Provide your floaters with gentle flow—anything too strong can cause damage. Luckily, there are many filter attachments or baffles that are designed to diffuse flow!
Shop all aquarium floating plants
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Shipping, Returns and Refunds

Shipping
Orders are typically processed within 1-2 business days M-F. However, additional time may be required during peak seasons and federal holidays. For orders containing live plants, we exercise extra caution and assess factors such as travel distance and weather to ensure safe transit.

To avoid delays, please ensure all order information is accurate and complete. We cannot offer refunds and are not responsible for orders shipped to incorrect addresses due to errors in provided information. Once an order has been shipped, delivery times are determined by the carrier and are outside of our control. On average, shipments arrive within 2–5 business days, excluding weekends and holidays. For more information, please visit our FAQ page.

Returns
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us within 48 hours of delivery. Approved returns must be shipped back within 14 days of approval. Returned items must be unused, unopened, and in their original packaging. Specific return requirements, if applicable, will be listed on the product’s page. For more information, please visit our FAQ page.

Refunds
No worries, we’ll take care of everything as long as it fits the guidelines above.Most answers to general questions can be found on our FAQ page.