bubbles effects???

[The Game]

Dear all

Need some advise on the followng:-

1) What types of plant will give bubbles effects when they give out O2
2) Using 2 X 20W FL light for 3' tank, is it enough?
3) Can I use liquid fertiliser instead of substrate fertiliser?

[tawauboy]

only when the tank water is saturated with o2, you will be able to see bubbling effect.

assuming your tank is 3'x1.5x1.5', which works out to 182 litres or 55 us gallon. based on 2w/gallon guide, you'll need 110w of light. for high light plants, you'll need probably 3w/gallon or about 160w.

you can use liquid fertilizer. if you have root feeder plants, it is advisable to add some stick fertilizer such as jobe or horti stick.

[vinz]

1) All plants will, given there is enough light, CO2 and ferts to maximise photosynthesis and enough plants to produce so much O2 that the the tank water is saturated with it. Any additional O2 produced then cannot dissolve into the water and form bubbles instead.

2) Not enough for light demanding plants and definitely not enough to produce bubbles.

3) Yes. However, it's actually not that troublesome to use the plug form of Root Monster.

[toledosun]

think the most popular "bubbling" plant is riccia. That's what I have and I must say it's quite a sight.

Lighting is but one factor, you'll also need enough CO2 and nutrients. In my case, my tank gets about 2 hours of afternoon sun and the riccia bubbles even though my aquarium lights are off.

[The Game]

thanks alots bros![]

[vinz]

Jobe and Horti is not as helpful as Root Monster, JBL 7-balls, etc.

Jobe and Horti are mainly nitogen, phosphorus and potassium, whereas aquatic plant root ferts contain some macro and trace ferts. Plants can get N from NO3 (part of fish waste), P from PO4 (from fish food) and K (from ferts and K dosing).

Using Jobe and Horti without understanding your tank needs means risking high NO3 and PO4 levels in your tank.

Plants also prefer P from the substrate and N (as NH3/4 and NO3) and K from the water column.

[cks]

hi vinz ,
correct me if i'm wrong . are you saying that its more beneficial to use root monster than jobe sticks and JBL balls ? bcos of the high nitrogen and phosphoros contents in them.

[vinz]

Since The Game is not using base fert, his substrate is lacking in the basic substrate ferts. Provide the plants with the basic fert requirements first using root fert specially formulated for planted tanks. Plants can get N, P and K from fish waste, fish food and K dosing already, so no point adding N-P-K if these are sufficient for his plants.

Supplement the plants with Jobe and Horti only when the plants are lacking in P or for plants that need large amounts of P.

Moreover, NO3 and PO4 in high amounts are known to cause algae... so adding Horti or Jobe without knowing the plants' needs is risky.

A few forumers (including myself) have reported high levels of PO4 from using Jobe sticks in the substrate. I suspect 2 reasons... one, leeching and two, plants ignoring PO4 in the water since they get sufficient P from the substrate.

[cks]

thanks vinz, i get the picture