plants pearling without co2 injection...why

[eggy]

hi... i went to my friends place and found out that his plants started to pearl even though he has no co2 tank but he has afew fl lights and uses canister filter. his plants will start to pearl afew hours after the lights are on unlike those with co2 it pearling will start faster (frm my experience )
why is this so???
i have always thought the co2 and light was for photosynthesis and hence the plants start to bubble???
can any pro guys help to explain??? thanks....
sorry if this topic has been discussed before...
thanks and have a nice day....

[|squee|]

That's interesting, perhaps he has other things going on. Describe his setup and fert regime?

[brad]

Depends on what you consider pearling. A few air bubles underneath the leaves is normal even in low light tanks.

[Xema]

Pearling is consecuence of a high concentration of oxygen disolve into de water. In the most the our aquarium, with high light, co2 and ferts, plants produce a large amount of oxygen which is dissolved into the water.... when this amount is enought large, anymore oxygen can be dissolved into the water, and oxygen go up to the surface beacause can not be dissolved.
If you provide condition of action which get better oxygen dissolution into the water, you can get temporally a soft pearling. Some action would be a good water surface movement, or a water change (mostly when this one is more cold than the aquarium one).

Greets from Spain

[bclee]

hi... i went to my friends place and found out that his plants started to pearl even though he has no co2 tank but he has afew fl lights and uses canister filter. his plants will start to pearl afew hours after the lights are on unlike those with co2 it pearling will start faster (frm my experience )
why is this so???
i have always thought the co2 and light was for photosynthesis and hence the plants start to bubble???
can any pro guys help to explain??? thanks....
sorry if this topic has been discussed before...
thanks and have a nice day....

What are the plants that was pearling? What is the light level and tank size?

Pearling occurs when the rate of O2 production is faster than the rate at which the O2 diffuses through the boundary layer (a very thin stationary layer of water at the leaf surface) into the bulk of the water. Faster water flow = thinner boundary layer = faster diffussion, lower water flow = thicker boundary layer = slower diffusion. The pearling can occur with moderate water flow over the leaves. The water flow be just enough to bring enough CO2 or CO3-- to the leaves and not fast enough dissipate the O2.

BC

[rtcc86]

hi guys can u explain how come sometimes my plants pearl and somedays totally no oxygen pearling at all.

[grey_fox]

Your CO2 PPM all the time above 30PPM during lighting hours?

[|squee|]

Let's keep topics to their respective titles.

I'm still waiting for eggy's reply

[eggy]

ermm... its a 3ft setup...
no co2...
about 6 x fl light... 3ft wan... normal lights... not acadia or wad...
total 132 watts
fert regime.... i dun think he has any regime...hehe
using aqua clay though
the plants were bubbling as in bubbles float up to the surface
water temp about 26-28 deg...
plants like echinodorus(spelling... hehe) some lotus and all that..
teh vallis are the ones pearling
no high requirements plants...
let me know if u need more details

[eggy]

What are the plants that was pearling? What is the light level and tank size?

Pearling occurs when the rate of O2 production is faster than the rate at which the O2 diffuses through the boundary layer (a very thin stationary layer of water at the leaf surface) into the bulk of the water. Faster water flow = thinner boundary layer = faster diffussion, lower water flow = thicker boundary layer = slower diffusion. The pearling can occur with moderate water flow over the leaves. The water flow be just enough to bring enough CO2 or CO3-- to the leaves and not fast enough dissipate the O2.

BC

hi... do you mean the co2 frm the air around goes into the tank through the thin water surface and so the water got co2 and the plants start to pearl???

[AquaObsession]

Just to Joke : Maybe it's the effect after water change, especially if u have a lot of chlorine in the water, as in the bubble may not be pearling, but rather air bubble from the gravel and water

[eggy]

i like your reply...
it made me laugh...
good one...

[bclee]

hi... do you mean the co2 frm the air around goes into the tank through the thin water surface and so the water got co2 and the plants start to pearl???

No... boundary layer is a static layer of water over the leaf surface.

BC

[bclee]

ermm... its a 3ft setup...
no co2...
about 6 x fl light... 3ft wan... normal lights... not acadia or wad...
total 132 watts
fert regime.... i dun think he has any regime...hehe
using aqua clay though
the plants were bubbling as in bubbles float up to the surface
water temp about 26-28 deg...
plants like echinodorus(spelling... hehe) some lotus and all that..
teh vallis are the ones pearling
no high requirements plants...
let me know if u need more details

For Echinodorus and lotuses, bubbles usually streams from nicks in the leaves. It is pretty normal.

BC

[Ah_ZhaN]

Pearling is consecuence of a high concentration of oxygen disolve into de water. In the most the our aquarium, with high light, co2 and ferts, plants produce a large amount of oxygen which is dissolved into the water.... when this amount is enought large, anymore oxygen can be dissolved into the water, and oxygen go up to the surface beacause can not be dissolved.
If you provide condition of action which get better oxygen dissolution into the water, you can get temporally a soft pearling. Some action would be a good water surface movement, or a water change (mostly when this one is more cold than the aquarium one).

Greets from Spain

Hi bro Xema...that's an enlightening statement...now I know why some plants can pearl easily despite the lack of co2 injection...

cheers,
zhan