Question about pearling

[John P Coates]

Hi Folks...my aquatic plants are generally in good health and growing but there is only minimal pearling. I keep CO2 in the range 10 - 15ppm. Lighting in the tank is from 30 PAR to 90 PAR, corresponding to substrate and top of water, respectively. Why am I seeing so little pearling? Thanks in advance.

 

[Sacha]

Your Co2 is not high enough! Turn it up to 35ish PPM. I run my Co2 very high now, but I ensure the fish are all ok by increasing surface agitation. Pearling starts about an hour after lights on. By the time the Co2 turns off, the plants are fizzing away!

 

[Alastair]

Not only that but flow from filters can blow any oxygen coming from the plants. I noticed this in an old set up. Mid photo period or towards the end of if, knock your flow or filters off for ten mins and you should see pearling.

As long as your plants are very happy and healthy then I wouldn't worry too much about it

 

[parotet]

As long as your plants are very happy and healthy then I wouldn't worry too much about it

Yes, I have heavy pearling only since April but my setup is exactly the same since the beginning of the year... I think it is due to a much larger plant biomass which probably saturates the water column faster.

Jordi

 

[ceg4048]

OP is advised to forget about pearling which in no way is an indicator of overall plant health. Chasing pearling is a path that leads nowhere.

Cheers,

 

[John P Coates]

Hi Guys, thanks for the feedback. Overall, it seems as though we would all be well-advised "to forget about pearling". I guess I got drawn into this for a variety of reasons, not least of which it's easy to feel that it's a plant's way of saying "Don't worry about me, I'm good".

 

[Andy D]

Plus it looks cool! 🙂

 

[foxfish]

I love to see my plants pearling, whether it be good or bad, it is a condition I enjoy!
I don't doubt Clive for a second but for me, I adjust my display until I see nice pearling.
I don't even know much about the reasons to be honest, however from my experience by adjusting the light, gas & flow I seem to get good plant growth associated with active pearling.

 

[Guest]

I always experience massive pearling...but I'm also aware that it's nothing to do with actual plant health, like Clive says...but like foxfish, I also love to see it...and I have to admit to adjusting my parameters until I do...

 

[Andy Thurston]

With the few high tech tanks i've played with all but one has pearled at some point
I've never deliberately tried to make my plants pearl but it does seem that once the tank has a good healthy plant mass it will pearl
The one tank i did that doesn't pearl, i just thought it was because i really struggle to get enough co2 into it because of the trickle filter.
It does look cool too, which i suppose is why so many of us get sucked in.[DOUBLEPOST=1405894149][/DOUBLEPOST]And i've seen unhealthy plants pearling too

 

[Guest]

In short.......absolutely.....it's mesmerizing. And it's kinda an indication that you're doing something right...at long last.

 

[parotet]

Well, I guess the point is: pearling is a good signal for plant health but no pearling does not imply that you don't have healthy growth. I've read in other forums people that are obsessed with that and what they finally do is to put more and more light which sometimes gives you pearling (in my case, if I put my light fixture just 15 cm lower without changing anything else I got mad pearling from the beginning of the light period, instead of light pearling towards the end). But you all know what happens when you push the system to the limits. If everything is not fine tuned...BOOOOM! These same threads and people that recommend for nice pearling having a 'optimum spectrum', high amounts of Fe, low flow to avoid blowing the pearling bubbles, you know what I mean...

Jordi

 

[ceg4048]

it's easy to feel that it's a plant's way of saying "Don't worry about me, I'm good".

And that's an illusion of the highest order for someone who is a beginner.
Fundamentally, bubbles that form are an indicator of poor solubility of a gas. Pearling therefore is a race between Oxygen production rate versus Oxygen solubility.

1. Oxygen production rate is directly proportional to the photosynthetic rate. There are a few ways to increase this rate such as increase in light, CO2 uptake rate, and nutrient uptake rate.

2. Oxygen solubility rate is adversely affected by increasing salinity and temperature.

Since the bubble formation (or not) is the result of the race between these two rates, it's possible to have a combination of conditions which are in the following categories:
a) favor pearling but which negatively affects plant health
b) favor both pearling and plant health
c) does NOT favor pearling but which positively affects plant health
d) does NOT favor pearling and does NOT favor plant health

So just because someone reports that their plants pearl in their tank, it does not mean automatically that you should do the same things because you may negatively affect the health of plants and/or fish. One needs to understand whether the set of conditions in one's tank is in category a, b, c, or d, and what impact changing the conditions will have on the state of the tank health.

Therefore if you like to see pearling then you need to ensure that you set up the conditions to keep you in category b). Most people have difficulty maintaining plant health to begin with, so without being capable of achieving this at a fundamental level, it's foolhardy to attempt to get plants to pearl until competency is achieved at basic skill of plant health.

Cheers,

 

[John P Coates]

And that's an illusion of the highest order for someone who is a beginner.

I'm not sure how to take that remark. If you are implying that I am a beginner, then you are mistaken. I may not have the breadth of knowledge that you possess, but I am by no means a beginner. Please explain.

 

[Michael W]

I'm not sure how to take that remark. If you are implying that I am a beginner, then you are mistaken. I may not have the breadth of knowledge that you possess, but I am by no means a beginner. Please explain.

Don't worry John, Clive does not mean anything bad he is a very straight forward person when it comes to explaining things to people. Once you are around more you will understand.

 

[John P Coates]

Don't worry John, Clive does not mean anything bad he is a very straight forward person when it comes to explaining things to people. Once you are around more you will understand.

Hello Michael,

Thanks for your reply. It is reassuring.

However, Clive must explain himself.

John C.

 

[ceg4048]

Hello,
Here is the explanation:

Beginners, non-beginners, those lacking n breath of knowledge and experience and experts alike make false assumptions. These assumptions determine the procedural path they take when troubleshoot problems in the tank.

One of the most popular false assumptions people make about pearling is that it necessarily indicates that a plant is healthy. The false assumption is even more profoundly affected by the next false assumption, which is that pearling indicates Oxygen saturation in the tank's water column. These assumptions then lead the observer to overlook the root cause of a problem and to instead pursue ghosts.

These assumptions are particularly damaging to beginners because it then sets them on a path that leads nowhere by programming a false mindset.

It matters not to me which category you feel you belong to, beginner, expert or otherwise. That issue has no relevance to me, the syntax is written as an infinitive clause, and I regret that you consider it a form of personal attack.
I do know that beginner, expert and otherwise will read the thread and hopefully will consider the wisdom of the text and disregard the experience category unless it applies to them.

If you read the rest of my post #13 you will see my argument of why these assumptions are false.

Cheers,

 

[John P Coates]

It matters not to me which category you feel you belong to, beginner, expert or otherwise. That issue has no relevance to me, the syntax is written as an infinitive clause, and I regret that you consider it a form of personal attack.

Thanks for the above explanation. As I said in post no. 14, I wasn't sure which way to take your remark. It could have been interpreted as a personal attack but you clearly did not intend it that way. I'm happy with that. The matter is resolved.