Search results for query: pearling oxygen

Nope it’s not a problem if you intend to stick soft water species of fish. Here’s my first scape running CO2 on a controller, you can see the pH is 5.36 and the drop checker hiding on the back is visibly lime green indicating about 30ppm CO2, the tank is rammed with plants in rude health and the...

Great suggestion, always had a soft spot for black phantom tetras. At the moment there is 1 WCMM, 3 Green neon tetras and a pair of Apistogramma Elizabethae in the tank, all from the previous setup. Tank itself is a ADA 120-P (120×50×50, 300l) filtered by Fluval 407 which delivers a staggering...

Hi all, Exactly that, it is just a matter of priorities. I think of it like "Emergency First Aid", there is no point in putting a plaster on the cut on the casualties leg, if they have a huge wound on their torso that you are ignoring for the moment. Dissolved oxygen is always the parameter...

Hi Darrel, Yes I'm keeping an eye on the shells, moreso of the Ramshorns as I think they're a better barometer. Some of the more recent Nerites were already like this when purchased however. The pearling remark was in jest, whilst my Co2 alone doesn't look too dissimilar the fact I also have a...

Hi all, That maybe the bubble nuclei forming where there are rough sections in the Nerite's shell - <"https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230376"> or they may just <"be being "trapped"> by the rougher sections of shell. I'm guessing that that is actually the <"start of shell...

Hi all, Purely anecdotal, but you get a lot of cyanobacteria in waste water treatment, where you have a huge BOD (often about 300 mg/L in the incoming effluent). <"Cyanobacterial blooms in wastewater treatment facilities: Significance and emerging monitoring strategies"*>. When it is sunny...

Hi All, Just for arguments sake and actually to hopefully prevent a co2 vs non co2 argument ensuing. The reason I created this thread was because a poster on another forum said that if certain plants cannot grow underwater without supplemental co2 then they shouldn’t be under water and then...

Hi all, I think a lot of it depends on the fish. I'm going to guess that 30 ppm CO2 would quickly kill off most <"rheophilic fish"> and <"Tanganyikan cichlids">. This is an Arctic Charr reference <"https://www.grocentre.is/static/gro/publication/261/document/safina13prf.pdf"> and this a General...

Do you find you see pearling in your aquariums when using a wave maker? I see very little in mine, except in areas where the flow is more sheltered. I’m assuming the higher flow is simply blasting the oxygen bubbles away when still small?

Hi all, I'm not a CO2 user, but in pond aquaculture, where you have (in our terms) <"grossly polluted"> water <"oxygen supersaturation"> is a known issue in certain conditions, warm water, hot sun, very little water movement. At very elevated oxygen levels <"you can get oxidative damage to...

@jaypeecee - :thumbup: Measurements should be most observable at maximum depth. "Significant death rates occur when dissolved oxygen remains above 115%-120% air saturation for a period of time. Total mortality occurs in young salmon and trout in under three days at 120% dissolved oxygen...

Hi all, You can't really over-do it and fine bubbles are exactly <"what you want">. Air is <"only 21% oxygen">, which is why it is almost impossible to <"super-saturate the water column with oxygen"> purely by adding air. If you could? Every waterfall would be accompanied by a lot of dead...

Maybe you have high water flow in your tank, so the oxygen released by the plants is stripped away by the flow, not all, but enough to prevent the water for being saturated. If you stop the flow (as said, by turning the filter off), the oxygen is no more stripped away from the water, its...

Very interesting thanks for your help with that, so that's why in C02 dosed tanks you see the pearling a lot

WelI. Seems oxygen depletion is the latest fad... i work on the principle that if my fish survive the night, then I assume the plants will be ok. Could be wrong... enter the rabbit hole at your peril 😁

Hi all, You can still get pearling in water with a very high bioload and BOD, <"A question, dissolved oxygen and a pond">, and in that case it would be possible for there to be low oxygenation problems at night, but away from that scenario then no it isn't a valid concern and your tank <"will...

Are these concerns surrounding oxygen still valid when the tank is pearling vigorously through out the photo period? Are these concerns mainly for “night time”? I can oxygenate more at night so I may start doing that, I have a feeling it’d help everything.

I can tell you know your stuff ;) Just an update, a few of them have “hatched” if that’s what you would call it and I’ve attached what they look like below. Excuse the aquarium mess I’m still yet to clean the sides before adding anything living :lol:

Hi all, You are good. I do a bit of <"freshwater invertebrate work"> with my <"day job">, so I'm reasonably good with <"stray wee beasties"> in the aquarium. cheers Darrel

Here’s where my head is at on temperature. (turns out it led me down the track of fleshing out the entire system but hey!) What I could do: If you set it anywhere from 68f-88f and leave it and forget it and proceed as usual, then everything will be “fine”. But we want optimization: Each temp...

Hi all, Definitely theoretically true, but I think because we are dealing with very dilute solutions, that the differences in density will be minimal. That one. You can't see the nutrient ions, but you can see this effect, with dissolved gases, when you turn the filter off towards the end of...

I understand, but the existing plant have to adapt to their new conditions, and it can take months. During this time, the existing leaves seem in bad condition, and they will start growing new leaves adapted to the new conditions. They were used to have poor fertilization, and now it is...

Hi all, @_Maq_ thank-you, that is an interesting paper. That would be <"hypertrophic">, but you can get pearling and temporary oxygen saturation even in <"hypertrophic water">. I like BOD as a measurement, because it gives you a <"nice numerical scale"> for pollution. In terms of sediment...

I'm pleased to see the topic has attracted your attention. I'm not that sure about that. There's a functional link between the level of photosynthesis and the level of respiration. If plants create more photosyntates, they spend more energy on using them, i.e. respire. I suspect that diurnal...

Hi all, I've struggled to find many references. There are thousands for mechanisms for storing CO2, and for oxygen dynamics in flooded terrestrial plants, but not many specifically for oxygen storage in aquatic plants. I'd guess partially this is because where back into <"shades of grey">...

Hi all, It can be a temperature (and / or) pressure effect. All dissolved gases are more soluble at lower temperature (and higher pressure), which means that if you do a 50% water change with cool water all that "spare" dissolved gas will come out of solution as the water warms. In this case...

Pearling is associated with plant consuming CO2 and producing/perspiring O2. I can't tell you for sure about your water specifically but typically well waters can have a very high CO2 content. So that is probably why you see lots of pearling specially if you have adequate amounts of light.

Isn't pearling associate with the fact that you add fresh water high in dissolved oxygen ? Because i make water change using my tap which comes from a well. I doubt this water is high in co2 and change water by the overflow method. I get mad pearling as well after a wc.

The Full Tank Shot I promised yesterday was a little bit delayed, it seems when the medication says water change 8 hours later, it really means 8 hours specifically and not whatever Hufsa thinks is "close enough" :crazy:. I dosed the tank right before I went to bed saturday night, and planned to...

Hi all, I'm not sure it really matters. You only get visible pearling once the plants internal spaces (<"lacunae and aerenchyma">) are saturated with oxygen and aquatic plants are very efficient at <"moving oxygen internally">. She talks about this from about 10:30 in the SAPS video. If you...

Some yeah, polysperma is going wild, sending out shoots on every node, it never did that before. Every buce is putting out a new leaf, they're going out at record speeds. My bolbitis and javaferns are pearling a lot a few hours after light comes on, my entire watercolumn is covered with tiny...

Hi all, That is what we recommend, <"plant and wait">. It just does away with all the uncertainty, if you aren't sure? You just wait a little bit longer. That is right, ammonia (NH3) is a gas and diffuses into water from the gills of fish, the breakdown of proteins etc. and then theoretically...

I’m using matrix too (1 litre) and the filter does occasional purges but you should see how many bubbles are moving around my tank when plants are pearling. No purges outside photo period. Which suggests that the only air getting into my filter is from the water. I’m cleaning mine once a week...

Hi all, I think it is really fine threads of a green algae, where the white specs are oxygen bubbles. cheers Darrel

I have my filter and skimmer pushing water around e tank and I can see the movement through the co2 bubbles and microbubbles from the steriliser. If I can see the water is flowing around that should be good right? What benefit will additional flow provide if the water is already circulating...

You moved from a ~15 liter tank to a ~65 liter tank. The challenge of properly distributing and keeping CO2 stable in the larger tank should not be underestimated. I doubt a Chihiros 60cm LED lamp is insufficient. It will almost certainly be too much if you run it a +80% for long. If the HC and...

Is there any experimentation measuring the actual oxygen intake from plants during respiration in a limited enclosed space, such as a planted tank ? I understand that, conceptually, respiration can be an issue. But is it really an issue in practice?

In that case, do you think plants would need to draw any additional oxygen from the water column?

Hi all, Same for me, I also like surface agitation (a <"large gas exchange area">), I really don't see any downsides to this for the low-tech aquarist. Along with the the abiotic factors you have to <"take plant structure"> into account as well. Plants are <"full of spaces where gas can...

@arcturus curated those two nice quotes together. This is serious proportional reasoning. And we are trying to guess without the mathematics. On the second piece: @KirstyF If this is the case, if agitation is increased 24/7, would the disadvantage of o2 loss during photoperiod, outweigh the...

Yea i am working on it, i got some 30mg/l co2 liquid now, and trying to get the co2 to be limegreen at lights off and not going into yellow, also still dosing EI and we're gonna learn on doing it with powders probably so doesnt have the problem with the FE chelates.

Yes, I am sure he does have a great tank with high light. But he found the right balance between the 3 main elements. Light, co2 and nutrients. It is difficult for someone to understand it but even 2 identical tanks are different. That is magical of course and makes the hobby much more...

Excellent process detail. These posts really need combining into a tutorial article and making a sticky in the algae section!

Ding Ding 🛎 Round One… Blackout over and cut the background stems, they’ll grow back quick under EI so not worth faffing around: Any loose bits of hardscape that have hair algae on that you can remove, give them a scrub with a toothbrush in the sink: Glassware and pipework clean so you...

Thanks, Darrel (@dw1305) JPC

Hi all, There are cyanobacteria spp. that occur in <"low nutrient, acidic conditions">, mainly because, like diatoms, cyanobacteria are pretty much universal anywhere there is liquid water and light. Other than in the <"lock-down lab. tanks"> I don't have visible cyanobacteria in the tanks, and...

Its not a good measure of much apparently. Personally, I never liked it from an aesthetic point of view - plants engulfed in air bubbles? Not sure what the aesthetic draw is with that. Hey you can even get sewage to pearl :) Cheers, Michael

Hi all, It is more to do with <"Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)">, even treated sewage <"can pearl in the right conditions">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yes, that is it. If you supersaturate water with O2 the pH will rise. <"If pH rises above pH8 (the carbonate ~ CO2 ~ pH equilibrium point)"> you know that you have another base present. Usually oxygen (and other gases) supersaturation occurs when you have a very rapid temperature rise...

Hi all, Simple enough <"oxygen is a base">, if you super-saturate the water with oxygen the pH goes up. I'm not sure what you mean. All the oxygen we breathe is as a result of the excess oxygen that plants produce during photosynthesis. For every one molecule of carbon dioxide incorporated a...

Decent shot of the R. macrandra a week after the tops were cut off and planted: If you look closely you can see the algae that has set up shop on the lower leaves since the plants were transplanted. This won’t occur on the new growth going forwards (or upwards). Have repeatedly found after...

Thank you for the extra details Vigneswaran. It really helps produce a broader perspective of how your system is performing. Several observations involving water parameters, timing, general distribution and Co2. Starting with water parameters. Do you use tap water? Is there a water report...

That's true. In a CO2 injected tank the unit does not add any more oxygen during the photoperiod because the solubility of oxygen is extremely low. It's the same reason we see oxygen bubbles when the plants are pearling. The oxygen production rate exceeds the solubility. At night (and early in...

Yep that and they probably just did a water change. +1 for turning off the filter to see if the plant pearls since with an FX5 you have a lot of flow, it might just wash out the pearling. Anyways your plants look healthy (there's a bit of necrose on some leaves could be due to shading by the...

I think many video's of pearling plants have the filter turned off briefly so the oxygen can accumulate faster on the leaves. If its just pearling you want to see you could try that. Your tank looks lush and healthy, I wouldn't change much.

I don’t, no, sadly. I’ve always fancied having a play with a DO meter, but they are a bit too cost prohibitive for the amount I would end up using one. As you say though, I am basing it on the fact I get significant pearling, even in higher flow areas where static areas of O2 saturated water...

Hi @Wookii Very good question. If you have the means to accurately measure 'full DO saturation' in your tank water column, it would be interesting to also measure ORP at the same time. Unfortunately, I am unable to measure dissolved oxygen other than to use the JBL dissolved oxygen test kit...

I think the substrate+plants are more complicated - because sometime you get sulfur and sometime nitrogen gas - sometime rot and decay and sometime healthy growth. Naturally I believe some of it has to do with if the substrate compacts and prevent oxygen flow but even that doesn't seem to fully...

Hi all, It is difficult to quantify, because there are a lot of potential variables. We have to make some assumptions and even a microscope isn't very useful. The recent findings of a whole kingdom of unknown nitrifying organisms was done by <"looking at microbial RNA for Ammonia oxidising...

Hi @Ullalaaqua When people refer to plants 'pearling', they are referring to oxygen (O2) bubbles forming. But, I'm wondering if the bubbles you are seeing are carbon dioxide (CO2) bubbles instead. The addition of potassium carbonate and/or potassium bicarbonate to your tank water may be...

Hi all, I think if the whole carpet was pearling it would suggest that the water column is close to oxygen saturation. As the others have said oxygen isn't very soluble in water, so localised pearling just tells you that the water in contact with the leaves was fully saturated. It is that lack...

Yes, if plants are not pearling turn the filters/powerheads off and pearling starts

Hi all, You can get pearling in sewage works (during <"activated sludge treatment">), if it is sunny. The process involves period of intense churn and then a static phase to allow the solids to settle out. During the settlement phase flocs containing cyanobacteria are buoyed to the surface by...

Hi all, It would depend a little bit on which <"photosynthetic pathway"> Blyxa spp. have, but I'm going to assume that they are "C3" plants. You also need to be aware of the <"BOD concept">, because what happens is going to be dependent upon the microbial bioload as well as the density of...

The idea that oxygen is affected by other things in water comes from what is called the diffusion coefficient which is a formula to measure how quickly it diffuses (and hence escapes). This diffusion rate is, in turn, affected by viscosity, which for our purposes measures the ability of the...

I would say yes. Pearling can occur only in water saturated with oxygen. You don't need the whole water volume to be saturated, just locally adjacent to the leaves. Saturated oxygen concentration is temperature and TDS dependent as shown. At 25C, saturated oxygen is about 10 mg/l.

Hello, I'm not really sure I've interpreted your question correctly but it sounds as if you're asking whether the amount of dissolved CO2 displaces the dissolved Oxygen. The answer is no. The other part of your question seems to be whether pearling is an indication of sufficient...

This might be a stupid question but I'm reasonably new to co2 and always concerned for my livestock. Common sense tells me that regardless of co2 level in water (it's below 30ppm) if plants are pearling then there is enough oxygen in the water right? I have nice even flow but not much surface...

Actually, I believe it's a bit more complicated than that. Heavy pearling can be an indication of DO saturation, but it's not necessarily always the case. There is a rate at which O2 can dissolve in water, dependent, like all gasses, on temperature, pressure and salinity. If the rate of O2...

yeah this is one of the reasons why I dont go for max CO2 anymore, a big trim of plants or some scum can already cause issues with low oxygen/high co2. I trim plants in batches too instead of all in one big trim, to reduce the impact. And I have a skimmer on in the morning to create some extra...

Hi all, It should do, if you have enough oxygen then all the <"potential oxidisable material will consumed">. Definitely shows oxygen saturation. That is the approach I take as well. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Am following with interest - so thought I would share some of my thoughts. 24 degrees - can we drop it down a degree or two without affecting livestock? Primary reason is to increase dissolved oxygen levels (which I will comment on after). Sounds silly to ask, but how is Calcium...

I’ve been thinking about pinholes and metal toxicity again this week and why I rarely see it anymore despite me continually adding them and not changing water to reduce any potential accumulation of metals, so for confirmation I went deeper down the Rabbit hole and found a ‘Purple Pill’...

Hi, I would first ask why are you wanting a more gentle flow ? are the fish having problems or the plants being buffeted too much ? If your filter / pump too strong, most devices have some means for regulating the flow, or direct the flow onto the glass so it helps disperse it more ? Re the...

Hi all, There is some discussion of impurities in urea in the <"biuret posts">. If the urea is fertiliser grade it should be fine, but I'd steer well clear of any sold as a de-icer. They are pretty leaky all over, the roots don't have have as many obvious "holes" but they are continually...

As far as I can tell the water fall should work in a similar way if you can obtain the type of over flow filter that has a long intake pipe that sits in the lower portions of the tank. Water being drawn in then replenished with oxygenated water continuously should work across the full volume in...

Thanks for the explanation. I currently run an airstone and our methods are practically polar opposites. I don’t use fertiliser or co2. However, like you I want to keep the oxygen levels high but I want to do this with very little flow. The airstone is great for this but they are noisy and...

TNC is a complete fertilser. If you use a lot then it's rich, if you use a little then it's lean. That's a little simplistic, i grant you. But near enough. Pearling isnt really a sign of plant health. Simply that the tank water has reached oxygen saturation point so when the plants produce...

Moss perling when initially planted is more likely to be air trapped in the moss, rather than pearling due to releasing oxygen. Similar effect when doing a big water change. 6 days... I think you need to leave longer. You'll get diatoms (a brown dusty algae) appearing for the first few weeks...

Hi all, They are almost certainly the oxygen from photosynthesis (<"pearling">). You get it when the water around the leaf is 100% saturated with dissolved oxygen. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They do. Yes, it will also have saturated the internal spaces of the plants with oxygen. You also have to think about replenishing CO2, water circulation will help do that. I just think that having water circulation makes aquarium management easier. cheers Darrel

It depends on the stocking and the amount of pearling. In my zero tech shrimp bowl, pearling sustains for several hours when sunlight hit the bowl in the afternoon. Pearling is an indication of O2 saturation because oxygen can no longer dissolve in water passed the Saturation point. Because...

Hi Darrel I’m using circulation currently. Bubble walls also tend to create quite a lot of water movement. I understand the belt and braces reasoning but my question is about plants and their ability to saturate the water column in a heavily planted tank. I will always use aeration at night...

No I'm doing the water change at 7.30 am fi Yes we have dates in the Always used them 20 years ago when I wasn't keeping plants, they seemed reasonable enough to show general trends, mind you whatever they said you ended up doing the same thing ie a water change. We used them when we did the...

Hi all, I experienced something similar a few weeks ago. I hope I am understanding from what I read: You water change at 7:30 PM, CO2 off at 5:30 PM and lights still on from 1-9PM - water change completed at 8:30 PM no ramp. Fish show signs of distress at 8:30 PM. My thought is a sudden”Ish”...

In eutrophic lake, not only O2 is streaming but CO2 is stripped to near zero at high noon leading to large pH swing as mentioned in Walstad book. But natural waters are not algae free and rarely have as high plant mass as in planted tanks. Only urban creeks and storm water ponds have choking...

Hi all, My guess is that you are right, I think "futile" would be stronger than I'm willing to go, but certainly "difficult to quantify". Depends on the algae, there are algae that are adapted to <"clean, highly oxygenated">water. In eutrophic conditions you can end up with very high oxygen...

With the entirety of < this thread > and embracing the cyclic nature of plant growth pearling is a sign that there is healthy chlorophyll. This means that pearling on new growth is definitely a great sign! Aside from a visual inspection of new growth to tell us if it is healthy - pearling is...

Let's bring on the crazy. These are my ideas :). The cause of algae is *irregular photorespiration. When irregular photorespiration occurs, a signal (likely electrical? as a result of the differing mechanism than Calvin Cycle) is sent triggering algae to germinate. They germinate and grow and...

Thanks for the link, @ceg4048. You mention this: In turn, the photosynthetic rate depends on many factors such as light intensity, CO2 availability, nutrient availability, temperature and overall plant health. I guess it leads to the crux of my question. Can we prevent this by limiting a...

Hi everyone! Yes this is the same guy just with a new username! Well, do I have an update. The algae was getting worse; it wasn't getting visibly better - same with plant growth. I did the water changes, but the heart of the issue wasn't resolved. I found BBA in my skimmer and I realized my...

Hey all, I am glad you brought this up, since I am in the process of trying to figure it out (I think my days don't match up - its a blurr when in quarantine lol - nonetheless, lets call it a guideline of actions that I have taken): Day 1: since spray bar: had to crank CO2 up since with the...

Maintenance day today, I’ve been slowly tweaking co2 up again also over the past few days to a point where I think I have a good balance. I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve always struggled with the co2 balance, perhaps this is down to my plant choices, more often than not utilising slow...

Thank you Darrel! Timer it is then?

Hi all, You don't need to worry as much about oxygen levels during the photoperiod, unless you have a very small plant mass. Plants are very effective at oxygenation, you can even get <"cyanobacteria pearling in sewage treatment"> when the sun is out. <"A question......"> might also be of...

Possibly, but i've also addressed the flow in the lower flow tanks with additional powerheads and pumps. Still diatoms. In one tank they started off on the Bolbitis which was directly in the flow from a 1800 lph filter in a 150L tank! Another thing i'd been chasing around recently is that I...

Josh, what DO probe/meter are you using there?

Hello all! Since I have time while I wait for the dark start to cycle + wait for my lights, I have some time with no stress about fish health - fishless for the win!!! Thinking ahead (since I have gassed fish before by accident and never want to again) I have been thinking about how to retain...

Tap water contains lots of dissolved gases which soon come out of solution after water change and if your lights are on it looks like pearling ;) which it is OFC but not necessary from the output of Oxygen from the plants

Iv done a water change tonight a bit earlier than usual so I just turned off my filter and co2 inj, carries out my maintenance then refilled and turned everything back on. A couple of hours later now and all my plants are pearling like iv never seen, it’s streaming from some of the leaves. Am I...