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Thread: How come my plants never bubble?

  1. #1
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    How come my plants never bubble?

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    Hmm... I never see my plants bubble... Actually, once lah... when I started using my maqnum II PL light (110W), when the Hygrophila polysperma bubbled for a couple of days... But I never see bubbling again or on any other plants...

    I tot it might be the tank temperature, but I saw plants bubbling in tanks near 30C! My tank temperature is around 26.5C-28.5C, depending on outside temperature... Then I tot it might be that I had too many fish... But I also saw bubbling in tanks with many fish...

    Why har? Teach me how to have the bubbling effect leh...
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

  2. #2
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    Light (enough intensity), nutrients (N,P,K and traces), CO2 (30ppm if accurate) and good plant mass.

    Regards
    Peter Gwee

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    4ftx2ftx2ft tank, 110W PL light, CO2 provided (sometimes till the fish kena concussed by the end of the day!), HEAVILY planted (the attached pic is taken a couple of months ago)... What is not enough? The lighting? I dun wanna increase the wattage too much to cause algae growth or rise in temperature (or use too much electricity..)
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

  4. #4
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    The light intensity seems fine to me from the picture. What kind of nutrients are you dosing and how much/how frequent are you doing it? CO2? 30ppm?

    Regards
    Peter Gwee

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    Hmm... Never knew how to measure the CO2. But there were times when the fish and shrimps were all knocked out by the CO2 and there was still no bubbling... Ferts ah? I dose as and when I think it's time to do so... Using Tetra's FloraPride and Seachem's Flourish. Also, there is always a rather thick layer of protein on the surface... Surely the plants are photosynthesizing...
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

  6. #6
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    I might be wrong but bubbling plants are normally caused by a slight puncture in their foliages or stem. Your plants may actually have more than sufficient CO2 but all of them are intact? Try breaking off a stem or leaf and see if it's bubbling.

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    hi there, for a 4 x 2 x 2 tank, 110 w is way too low, its more like 1 W pergallon
    For you to have bubbling effect you need like 3wpg. And that means about 370, way below this minimum. Hmmm i suggest you get yourself about 250 more watts somehow if you want to see bubbling. My plants are bubbling like mad, and mine is about 3.5 w pgallon. 72W for a 2 x 1 x 1

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    Wong: When I trim the plants, yes, some of the stems will bubble. But that's only for the Hygros... Anyway, the bubbling plants I often see in other tanks were intact...

    Phillipians: 3Wpg?? Wow... That would be rather heavy electricity usage... Dun think I can add on 2 more lamp hoods... If so, then maybe when I change this current tube, I'd get a higher wattage tube... Just hope it won't boil the water!! *Yikes!*
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

  9. #9
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    Your tank looks fine as it is. If it's algae free and looks bright enough, no bubbling doesn't mean it's low on CO2, just don't have the aesthetic value of bubbling that's all. Anyway, your plants aren't those fast growers, therefore less or no bubbling effect, so I think it's ok

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phillipians
    hi there, for a 4 x 2 x 2 tank, 110 w is way too low, its more like 1 W pergallon
    For you to have bubbling effect you need like 3wpg. And that means about 370, way below this minimum. Hmmm i suggest you get yourself about 250 more watts somehow if you want to see bubbling. My plants are bubbling like mad, and mine is about 3.5 w pgallon. 72W for a 2 x 1 x 1
    BTW, I find the 3W/G rule translating to high lighting doesn't really hold true for all, just a general guide. It still have to depend on the height of your water level, ultimately.

  11. #11
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    I'd rather follow the Wpft rather Wpg... More logical to me... In that case, mine is 55W per ft of water... reasonable?

    Slow growers dun bubble? But I also have moss that's growing like siao... So are my swords... In fact, going to throw them away soon cos grow too much!
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

  12. #12
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    actually what was said is true, 3 wpg is a rough gauge and yea it also depends on the height of the tank and also the plants in it. I overlooked the fact that your plants seem not to be the fast growers type. I dont see that many stem plants also. And hmmmm but really 110w for 4 ft tank is way way too low if yu wanna see it bubble, at least go for 2 wpg and then you can dose well. Even if you up the co2 without sufficient light its almost impossible to maximise O2 production. Well thats what i believe and 2 ft height is reallty a little high hahah unless your gravel is super low or else i dont see the prob with using PLs

  13. #13
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    Hmm... Think I will buy a higher wattage tube next time when I change lights... And hopefully by then, I would have completed my much much delayed re-scaping... Perhaps the different plants will bubble easier?

    Anyway, my gravel is about 2-3" thick...
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

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    Don't forget to check the wattage of your ballast, and on my 4x2x2 i have 280w (thats 7 standard 40 w t8 tubes) with dodgy reflectors and my plants are just pearling i'm about to upgrade to 6xHOt5 55w tubes with parabolic reflectors so i definetly hope i get bubbles then!!!
    Matt

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    Quote Originally Posted by Justikanz
    Wong: When I trim the plants, yes, some of the stems will bubble. But that's only for the Hygros... Anyway, the bubbling plants I often see in other tanks were intact...

    Phillipians: 3Wpg?? Wow... That would be rather heavy electricity usage... Dun think I can add on 2 more lamp hoods... If so, then maybe when I change this current tube, I'd get a higher wattage tube... Just hope it won't boil the water!! *Yikes!*

    Actually, quite often, i see bubbling of my plants after trimming too (at the cut), be it at the stem or the leaves. Even holes on leaves created by snails got bubble coming out also. But after a few days, the bubbling will stop- giving me a feeling that the "wound" has healed. I still wonder if such bubblings are considered "false" bubbling.

  16. #16
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    Is bubbling all that important? Anyhow, doesn't mean you have the lights you get the bubbles...you gotta have sufficient carbon dioxide, nutrients, etc...to have plants photosynthesize...for I rather see healthy plants rather than bubbling plants....
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    Personally, as long as the plants are growing fine and healthy, don't need to see too much into WPG or bubbling or not. Many other factors contribute to the growth as well.

  18. #18
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    i concur, but well, for the aesthetic value, some would pump in that $$$$ to see it you see. Hmmmm interesting though, i believe only co2 levels and lighting is involved with the process of photosynthesis, the absorption of nutrients dont exactly translate into better pearling though. Anyway dont change the tube w/o first checking the max wattage of your ballast... or you will end up with 0wpg
    Holy is the Lord, God Almighty ! The Earth is filled with His Glory !
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  19. #19
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    hi jus,

    first buy a ph / kh test kit

    raise kh to 4 by adding baking soda into ur tank to raise KH ( dilute half teaspoon in 75l)

    ph to a range of 6.7-6.9 using CO2 injection (set the co2 rate to 1bps, slowly increase by 1bps daily to tune ur ph to the desired range)

    .....should bubble now

  20. #20
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    It's just that I see plants bubble at so many tanks. Some heavily planted, some sparsely planted, some heavily populated, some barely populated, some chilled, some in the sun, all with CO2, most not measured (bps, Kh, pH)... So, I dun understand why I ALMOST NEVER see my plants bubble... Really puzzling... And to a point rather disturbing... Keke...
    Read me! :bigsmile: http://justikanz.blogspot.com/

    I'm crypt collecting... Starting cheap, now have Cryptocoryne beckettii, C.beckettii var petchii, C.crispatula var.balansae, C.griffithii(Melted! ), C.nurii, C.parva, C.pygmaea(Melted! ), C.tonkinensis(Melted! ), C.walkeri, C.wendtii 'Brown', C.wendtii 'Green', C.wendtii 'Green Gecko', C.wendtii 'Tropica' and Cryptocoryne x willisii

    Oh, juggling is hard work, man!...

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