# Big Time Pearling... for a day. Why?



## Gatorguy (Aug 28, 2006)

It is very obvious that after my weekly 50% water change (EI ferts), all of my plants are pearling and bubbling like mad. The bubbling slows the next day. By the end of the week, there isn't much pearling going on. 

I'm thinking that there is something in my tap water that my plants are loving and once it gets used up, they calm down. What do you think it might be? I am not dosing any Calcium.. think it could be that?

I am dosing .5 tsp 3x's a week of:
KH2PO4
K2SO4
MgSO4
Plantex CSM+B 

I am dosing 1.5 tsp 3x's a week of :
KNO3

Macros Mon, Wed, Fri. Micros Tue, Thurs, Sat. Water change Sun.

CO2 is pressurized at 30ppm. 
110g with 4x55w AH Supply 6700k


----------



## yoink (Aug 31, 2005)

This thread may help you out. http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...after-w-c.html?highlight=waterchange+pearling


----------



## Gatorguy (Aug 28, 2006)

Thanks for the link. What I got from that link is that there is no clear answer. It looks like some of the leading people seem to think it's a CO2 issue. That should be easy for me with pressurized CO2 to see if it makes a difference. I'll just hop it up some and see what happens.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

There is a cheap, easy way to be sure your CO2 concentration is in the right ballpark. See: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/do-it-yourself/32100-diy-drop-checker.html
I think too often we think we are right on the verge of dosing too much CO2, so we edge it up a bit, then lose our nerve and leave it alone, but the actual CO2 in the water never goes above 10 ppm, which is just too low. A simple device like that described in the link can help us make sure we don't do that.


----------



## Salt (Apr 5, 2005)

Water is in your pipes at pressure. When you fill a tank after a water change directly from the tap, the "super" saturated water degasses its extra oxygen (as it's no longer at pressure), and you see bubbles forming on everything.

*It is not pearling.*

Lots and lots and LOTS of misinformation out there about this simple fact.


----------



## Edward (May 25, 2004)

There is the same reaction with RO water as well. Pearling is not a valid indicator of healthy plants.


----------



## Sudi (Feb 3, 2005)

It's always nice to see plants pearl  You can tell that plants are "happy" if they start pearling 15-30 minuts after you turn on the light. My plants did that and now the new glosso that I planted on the weekend is starting to also 

Matt


----------



## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

Salt said:


> * It is not pearling. *


I have to disagree here (and sort of agree at the same time). There is a big difference in O2 comming out of solution and sticking to the aquarium walls, plants and rocks compared to the CONSTANT stream of bubbles I see rising from my plants after a WC....

... I only have low tech tanks so this the that only tme I ever see my plants pearl.

I have always reasoned that it was either CO2 content of the new water causing the pearling.. or Photorespiration due to the added O2 content from the new water, and aeration from pouring/siphoning the water into the tank.

With very high levels of O2 in the water, Plants will sometimes trigger Photorespiration which is a wasteful process in which plants consume O2 and respire stored CO2.

Photorespiration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So if it IS infact Photorespiration that is observed during and after waterchages then no, its not pearling in the sense that we think of it. There is atleast a couple big variables though..... because while every tap is under pressure and contains high levels of O2... not all tap water will contain elevated levels of CO2 - this would depend on the way water is treated, and how and where its collected 

In plainer words, while it may be "pearling" in my tank it may be photorespiration in JohnDoe's tank and plain old O2 outgassing in Jane's tanks 

I have actually forced my plants to Photorespire in one tank by simply hooking up a O2 reactor and letting it run for awhile. WIth these elevated O2 levels without the presence of CO2 in the water (which I'm sure the O2 Reactor helped remove) the plants began to release streams of tiny gass bubbles within just afew hours. Looked just like a high tech tank  but infact its the byproduct of a wasteful process 

Take care,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


----------



## NE (Dec 10, 2004)

I agree partly with Salt and Edward but also partly with onemyndseye.

My guess and belief is that the water in the tank gets super saturated, when you end the water-change the excess O2 which has been forced into the plants due to the super saturation will begin to bubble instead to reach equilibrium as the o2 escapes from the water (I hope you will understand what i'm trying to describe).

It is quite easy to check if it is due to photosynthesis or something else.

If you do the water-change in darkness you get the pearling and that should be prof enough to discard that it would be photosynthesis.

The bubbles are forming on the leafs as it would with normal photosynthesis and even gives bands of bubbles.

The bubbles are very hard to see but you could do two things to ease up the check, either try a flashlight or light up the lightning and you will see bubbles (at once, not after some hours as it usually does with photosynthesis).

My test of this:
Test av bubbel vid vattenbyte i mörker - Zoone


----------

