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Pearling

Daveslaney

Member
Joined
21 May 2016
Messages
824
Location
Nottinghamshire
Did a large water change today and this evening my plants are pearling like crazy.
Why does this happen when we do a large water change?.
 
Last edited:
The fact the bubbles also appear on pipes, wood and hardscape after a large water change, especially if water is straight from the tap, indicate that it is probably not pearling but dissolved gasses being released.
 
Yep. True pearling is the plant respiration process where you see bubbles of o2 being expelled. Hardscape can't breath.

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I can't seem to get my plants to pearl :(

-my co2 comes on 2 hours before the lights do and goes off an hour before (pressurised solenoid system)
-my lighting is LED; Arcadia stretch LED (35w on for 7 hours a day)
-Tank is 180l, standard aquarium depth.
-I use crypto tabs to feed my crypts and I fertilise once a month
-my drop checker is a nice lime green.

What am i doing wrong?

Thanks guys
 
Any pics? Sounds to me like you have low lighting and fert dosing sounds none existent if only dosed once a month. 180ltr, is that 3 or 4 feet long with only 35w over the whole tank? Is that a root only fert or are you dosing a full fert into the water column - ideally daily?

With only ample lighting and gas Co2 injection, youll have pearling plants within a few hours. Imo, you don't even need root tabs. I run play sand and when trimming and uprooting plants, they all have huge long bright white roots.

As a test, id run a nice bright 50w desk lamp over the tank where your plants are most compacted in addition to your led lighting. If you see pearling from the undersides of the leaves, then your 35w unit is inadequate for your pearling desires ;)


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30w of led is not that much on a 180l tank. I used to run 30w of led over my 60 l. I have stopped co2 injection and now the tank only gets 15w of led. everything is healthy but pearling never happens in that tank now, it pearled every day with more light. I think that the secret of pearling is a large 'healthy' plant mass and a reasonable amount of light
 
For me it was Co2 injection.

I had 48w of T5HO, Dosed liquid carbon and full fert daily on a well plant stocked tank. I never got pearling until I added Co2 injection.



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Rotala after water change:).
20160730_213118-1024x875.jpg
 
The fact the bubbles also appear on pipes, wood and hardscape after a large water change, especially if water is straight from the tap, indicate that it is probably not pearling but dissolved gasses being released.
yes i think that this is correct to some degree. I think that the higher o2 levels in the water will cause some of it( bubbles on the hardscape, equipment etc.) but because the water is saturated with o2 and co2 then some of it will be pearling too.
 
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