• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

My plants never pearl

maboleth

Member
Joined
5 Jan 2014
Messages
74
Location
Serbia
I started using pressurized CO2. Currently drop checker is green, my KH is 7, Ph 7, so I should have 21ppm of CO2 at all times. I have 250l tank with 3x39w T5 light bulbs.

However, not a single plant pearls. I've noticed a stream of bubbles from Anubias nana leaf, but that's it.
I expected my mosses, ferns and Bacopas would start releasing the oxygen but not so...

Is there some other factor involved for pearling? Should I raise CO2 to 30ppm? My plants are slow-growing though, so I followed the recommendation from Tropica for their low and medium plant CO2 level.
 
In my experience, pearling only occurs under high light conditions.

I have a carpet of HC, only the section directly underneath the lights pearls, the other parts of the carpet not so much.
 
Thanks, well I have about 0,5w/l. I hope the stem plants (Bacopa & Ludwigia) will pearl once they grow some more.
 
KNO3 as needed, Easylife Profito liquid fertilizer daily, Sera root tabs & JBL substrate. Though I have to say, I suffered big outbreak of cyanobacteria for months. I did some thorough cleaning 10 days ago. So this is my take to make the plants grow as fast and healthy as possible.
 
Pearling is not necessary to get good plant growth but it does look good!
You could just temporarily suspend a desk lamp, or something similar with a bright bulb, to see what happens.
If your plants have enough CO2 reaching them they will pear under bright light but it is a balancing act if you want to avoid unwanted algae!
 
I only see pearling if I switch my filter off and let the flow stop, then the plants pearl, if you have high LPH turnover you may find the O2 is washes off the plant before it accumulates to large bubbles.
 
I only see pearling if I switch my filter off and let the flow stop, then the plants pearl, if you have high LPH turnover you may find the O2 is washes off the plant before it accumulates to large bubbles.

That will possibly be the case! All plants that I expected to pearl are under some heavy stream of water. But if I turn off the filter, CO2 will stop too since I placed diffuser in it.

@foxfish nice idea, will try it!

Thanks everyone.
 
Next to light source it also depends a bit on the plant sp. :) Ferns and Anubias are slow growers, slow metabolism. And when it comes to plants with faster metabolism then leave shape and surface plays a role too.. For example a feather leaf shape (cabomba, myriophillum etc.) will trap and hold much more oxygene bubbles.

I've seen Myriophillum create and trap oxygene bubbles in the garden pond on a sunny day..
 


Now that you've started it, this is the first time I've noticed my ferns oxygenating. The anubiases release like crazy daily but I've never noticed the ferns doing it until today.

ps. I know I know. Black tips are no good.
 
If the plants are in good shape and are non limited you can induce pearling by increasing the light intensity.
 
I started using pressurized CO2. Currently drop checker is green, my KH is 7, Ph 7, so I should have 21ppm of CO2 at all times.

I would advise you to rely on something else instead of the pH/KH chart. It is very easy to get skewed results. A bit of acidity and the whole table is off.
Same problem with the drop checker, it is a good visual hint of CO2 presence, but not a precise measure.

I can assure you that even if you have around 21ppm of CO2 at one point in time, you do not have 21ppm at all times. Even with a pH controller it does not get that precise.

Good thing is that this precision is not needed. An easy way to check your CO2 concentration is to measure the pH drop caused by the CO2 injection. A 1 point pH drop is okay in most cases. With a 1.5 pH drop and a minimal amount of ferts, light would the only thing left for pearling.

Also consider that some plants will pearl like crazy, while others barely do.




Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 
I would advise you to rely on something else instead of the pH/KH chart. It is very easy to get skewed results. A bit of acidity and the whole table is off.
Same problem with the drop checker, it is a good visual hint of CO2 presence, but not a precise measure.

I can assure you that even if you have around 21ppm of CO2 at one point in time, you do not have 21ppm at all times. Even with a pH controller it does not get that precise.

Good thing is that this precision is not needed. An easy way to check your CO2 concentration is to measure the pH drop caused by the CO2 injection. A 1 point pH drop is okay in most cases. With a 1.5 pH drop and a minimal amount of ferts, light would the only thing left for pearling.

Also consider that some plants will pearl like crazy, while others barely do.




Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk


Woa, your tank is beautiful and looks like you activated some air stones. :D Delicious.

As for drop checker, I use 4dH solution, not aquarium water.
Before CO2 injection I had 8-8,5pH. Now it's a solid 7pH every time I measure it. So the light is the main limiter here. I won't go for higher W/l because of the algae problem. I suffered from - and I'm still cleaning of - cyanobacteria. Today I bought Ludwigia repens v. rubin & Rotala macrandra, so I will see how that goes. Hoping for the best, but experimenting with that Rotala, thinking it might need brighter lighting.
 
Lovely tanks. Do you know your par? What kind of lights are you running and what's your fert routine to the two tanks video'd.

Op hope you don't mind the ever so slightly off topic questions.
 
Before CO2 injection I had 8-8,5pH. Now it's a solid 7pH every time I measure it. So the light is the main limiter here.

Thanks man :)

I would measure the CO2 on the same day.
• Take aquarium water and let it rest 24h or air it with an air stone. Measure it. Because the CO2 level in water is in balance with the atmosphere, this water sample should have roughly 2 - 0.5 ppm of CO2. You can use this value to "calibrate" the pH/KH chart to your tank.
• Measure it right before CO2 starts.
• Halfway through the photo period.
• When CO2 goes off.

This way you will know your CO2 during the day, initial and final values, night degass, etc.



Off-topic: around 150 PAR. 4x24w T5HO plus a 39w LED Chihiros, over a 60 liter tank. Ferts: 10ppm NO3, 3.5ppm PO4, 10ppm K, 0.3ppm Fe-EDTA 3x per week.
 
Light is Arcadia 120 cm LED OTL its a mix of 10 and 1.5 watt leds not sure of the par but it very high.On the arcadia website it is quoted at 280 par at 300mm through water at full intensity.
Ferts APFUK EI so NPK targets much the same as above. Iron twice weekly.
 
Last edited:
Just a clarification: those are not my targets, thats a single dose, 3x per week. Iron on alternating days, also 3x per week.

My weekly targets are:

30 ppm NO3
10 ppm PO4
30 ppm K
1 ppm Fe-EDTA

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top