DIY Duckweed Skimmer

[@homefarmideas]

I hope this vid gets a nicer response then your last vid. I really like that you are offering an alternative to chemicals:) Thank you for the info!!

[@marilur.9645]

Duck Weed grows so fast that even fish can't control it. Eventually it will form a thick carpet over your pond and the fish will die off and smell horrible. We had that happen to us, but we built a similar contraption and it worked great. Like he said you can't get all the duck weed, which will leave something for your fish, but it gets totally out of control and grows at mock speed if you don't control it early in the season. This contraption make total sense to me!

[@davidtee5417]

Brilliant. I have just spent 2 hours in our pond of a quarter acre. Must have got 80% out with a 60 foot length. Used empty bottles as floats and also weighted the ends so the boom did not lift. Thanks

[@klmponds]

That's great to hear David...well done!

[@klmsolutions]

Anything that floats for the line should be fine. The wire ties are intended to catch or provide more catch points for the duckweed roots over just the floating line. Sorry no live video, but you might find something by searching more for it. People are trying a lot of things to manually remove duckweed but this is probably the simplest and cheapest.

[@tamsinthai]

No. It's not. See above.

[@iKnoMuzik]

Proof that this works wonders! I run a company called Clearwater, out of Kansas City, MO. We created something very similar to this with 8” zip ties spaced out every 5.5”. Easily skimmed the duckweed to where we needed it! To see the video, check out this link fb.watch/v/3iTNR1m9q/

[@klmsolutions]

@@iKnoMuzik nice video...thanks for sharing!

[@klmponds]

Jack...all of your points are valid here as duckweed I think could be useful in every case. The challenge for most people is harvesting. There are skimmer systems available but they are expensive and of course the one noted in the video is simple but it may not work on large waters very well. Duckweed and algae may be useful for many things...but there's probably a lot more research to do to get the most out of them.

[@lyman135]

Is there any video of this being used? How does it do?

[@klmponds]

There used to be something online some years back...not by us but by someone else so we never did one...just something as far as advice to try. Basically those wire ties are the key...they snag on the roots and you can drag a lot of it out...just can't get skimpy on the ties.

[@iKnoMuzik]

Proof that this works wonders! I run a company called Clearwater, out of Kansas City, MO. We created something very similar to this with 8” zip ties spaced out every 5.5”. Easily skimmed the duckweed to where we needed it! To see the video, check out this link fb.watch/v/3iTNR1m9q/

[@klmponds]

Yep Talapia will help. Might take more than a few and warm water to keep them going. Problem is in the northern areas Talapia may not be practical, but I like the idea.

[@almirria6753]

Because of where I live, I'm thinking of catching a couple of Asain Carp from the Mississippi River [by Lock & Dam #25, Winfield,Mo.] and letting them eat what I can not remove from my small pond.

[@tamsinthai]

I have 15 large Koi in a converted swimming pool and this bloody duckweed's proliferating like mad. Don't bother.

[@roygpa]

This is a great idea. I don't understand the purpose of the wire ties though. Do you think that polypropylene rope would also work as it floats where the nylon sinks? Do you have a video of this skimmer in action?

[@iKnoMuzik]

Proof that this works wonders! I run a company called Clearwater, out of Kansas City, MO. We created something very similar to this with 8” zip ties spaced out every 5.5”. Easily skimmed the duckweed to where we needed it! To see the video, check out this link fb.watch/v/3iTNR1m9q/

[@chriscash1535]

Will this work on the much smaller water meal?

[@klmponds]

Hi Chris, I honestly don't know that it would work as well. I suspect not, but it would be cheap enough to test it and see. If you do, please let me know how you get along!

[@klmponds]

Well first you have to know the wheel exists:) I haven't dealt with any oil spills so no experience with oil booms. This sounds like good idea to try. Thanks for sharing.

[@rawbingham]

You don't say how many pieces of buoy (noodle) to use- how far apart? I'd love to try this but I am having a hard time imagining a little piece of rope stopping much duckweed as it accumulates. Would it not just float over the top? I have been using long boards (doubled to prevent spilling over) and they work great, but are awkward for my 1 acre pond (with dock and plants on the sides).

[@klmponds]

It's been quite a long time since I made this video but the main thing I recall is the proximity of the ties...the more the better...the floats are probably spaced every 3 to 6 feet apart. The assembly does float on the top but the ties go into the water and of course most duckweed floats as well. Commercially there is something called the Parachute Skimmer which make work for the job as well.

[@rawbingham]

@@klmponds Well...Thanks for the reply.

[@rawbingham]

@@klmponds I'd really love to see a video of this. I have used five kinds of floatable rope, various distances between the floaters. It does not capture the duckweet- only boards do

[@klmponds]

@@rawbingham it's been years since I made this video so don't have any of the stuff around that I used here...I think it would be more accurate to say that the rope alone isn't doing that grabbing its those wire ties...those are very important and the dense you set them up the more they may grab too. This of course is just an idea to try...I suspect since this was made there are a number of other skimmer type things that would work. When the video came out we had a few folks provide feedback that it worked really well so it's probably something in your set up that's kind of limiting you. Might be those wire ties...not really sure.

[@iKnoMuzik]

@@rawbingham Proof that this works wonders! I run a company called Clearwater, out of Kansas City, MO. We created something very similar to this with 8” zip ties spaced out every 5.5”. Easily skimmed the duckweed to where we needed it! To see the video, check out this link fb.watch/v/3iTNR1m9q/

[@rodster4843]

Hey Mark, I have a two acre pond that every year packed solid and deep with duck weed. I have been down the road with chemicals and skimmed it clear just to have it recover the pond in one week. Now I hear it is valuable to man in so many ways, for food for plants, fish etc., fertilizer, an immence help in the purification of polluted water, assisting in water treatment systems and not to mention biofuel. What do you think, any ideas as to how I can utilize this product to help people? Jack

[@klmponds]

Sorry, I would add one other thing. Folks may think that I'm pro-chem but that's not the case. The problem is, if duckweed get's well underway, there are pond owners who simply can't stand waiting for it to die off so they treat it with all kinds of things. I don't advocate ever treating duckweed if it's widespread with a chemical and by that time it's too late to see any quick turn using nutrient reduction. Regardless of my, or other's opinons, people still use chemicals unfortunately.

[@Quackzzscuba]

It’s works

[@klmponds]

Hi Mat...you must mean on duckweed...no worries, everyone is entitled to an opinion and if they get way out of hand, the delete button isn't far away:)

[@bobglastron2987]

Add a few male tilapia

[@landworkingforlife6674]

yes get some male tilapia

[@imatelly]

i dont undertand why everyone hates duck weed. if you grow it your fish can eat it,to grow it you bearly have to do anything. its like people would wrather buy fish food. i hope everyone knows,buying crap does not help the economy. it just forces you to sign your life away,and when someone snaps you jump and say yes sir.

[@dianeagans8984]

If it covers your entire pond the oxygen level is too low.

[@Baneslayer]

A much better option is to just purchase a boom that is used to cleanup oil spills etc... They are super cheap, sit perfectly on the water and work 100x's better than this P.O.S. The boom will last you for decades.... Why re-invent the wheel?

[@tamsinthai]

Thanks for this! I've just cleared a covering of duckweed with a simple plastic scrub brush from a smaller pot just by skimming it along the surface and rinsing off in a bucket (no more scooping it out trying to avoid/rescue neon tetras for an hour or several) all done in five minutes flat. Took a broom to the Koi pond, not so much duckweed yet so had to go in very gingerly with the net as well and got most of that. The contraption shown is ridiculously complicated and doesn't take into account tall standing plants such as lotus. Thanks again.

[@Tappedline]

u r the POS

[@iKnoMuzik]

Proof that this works wonders! I run a company called Clearwater, out of Kansas City, MO. We created something very similar to this with 8” zip ties spaced out every 5.5”. Easily skimmed the duckweed to where we needed it! To see the video, check out this link fb.watch/v/3iTNR1m9q/

[@BWCA-vy2pi]

Zylo, do you have a link for this oil spill boom you are talking about? It sounds great and I also like that it is super cheap because I hope to be doing this only once. Thanks