# Rusty's GLA 36-L First Iwagumi Build



## daitran89 (Jan 13, 2012)

Nice start ^^


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Sounds exciting.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Dang that low iron glass and really white LED's just make that tank look like a setup that just screams POTENTIAL! I think I'm gonna have to get that tank/fixture... Oh wait...I did! Welcome to the club


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Dang that low iron glass and really white LED's just make that tank look like a setup that just screams POTENTIAL! I think I'm gonna have to get that tank/fixture... Oh wait...I did! Welcome to the club


Haha. Thanks.  And thanks for helping me decide which light to go with. HOLY COW! It weighs absolutely nothing. I picked it up and it was literally like picking up a feather. Lol. I checked the email I got when my stones shipped. They should get here either tomorrow or Thursday. Apparently I had the estimated delivery date wrong. lol. Too bad I won't get to start setting this up until after the new year.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

You know for a relatively inexpensive stand, I've ran across a lot of threads by Mini-M owners who use those ClosetMaid cabinets found at Target. I was gonna get one but decided to use my Ikea file cabinet since i decided to place my nano tank next to my desk.

There are other options at Target and Ikea, but here's an example...
http://m.target.com/p/closetmaid-2-door-organizer-espresso/-/A-11187095


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> You know for a relatively inexpensive stand, I've ran across a lot of threads by Mini-M owners who use those ClosetMaid cabinets found at Target. I was gonna get one but decided to use my Ikea file cabinet since i decided to place my nano tank next to my desk.
> 
> There are other options at Target and Ikea, but here's an example...
> http://m.target.com/p/closetmaid-2-door-organizer-espresso/-/A-11187095


Hmmm. Interesting. I need a shelf for my dvd's so I was gonna see if I could find something that would work for that and function as a stand. That looks like it would work pretty well though. Thanks


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Actually, that looks like it would work perfectly.  Might have to go pick one up. I'm still trying to figure out where I want to put it. Lol.


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## beedee (Jul 1, 2010)

This is gonna be goooood! Keep us posted!


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

AUvet14 said:


> I don't currently have a stand or anything to put it on but I plan to go out in the next few weeks looking for something relatively inexpensive that I can use as a stand.


Yeah, I notice a distinct lack of nice stands here in the US.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Green_Flash said:


> Yeah, I notice a distinct lack of nice stands here in the US.


Nope. That's why I built one for my 30 gallon  http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=187506 I could put something together for this one, but I feel like something like a side table or that cabinet would do just fine, as it would serve the purpose and wouldn't draw the eye from the focus (the aquarium). No need for anything fancy. With my 30 gallon, I built the stand so that it added to the overall display of the aquarium.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Well, I picked up something for the stand today. I was a little unsure of the weight-bearing capacity, so I tested it. I think this photo might serve as proof of its weight-bearing ability. What do you think? Lol.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

AUvet14 said:


> Nope. That's why I built one for my 30 gallon  http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=187506 I could put something together for this one, but I feel like something like a side table or that cabinet would do just fine, as it would serve the purpose and wouldn't draw the eye from the focus (the aquarium). No need for anything fancy. With my 30 gallon, I built the stand so that it added to the overall display of the aquarium.



I was talking about the prebuilt offerings, cheap particle board stuff, flimsy and ugly.

I look for clean minimalistic style stands that fit the tank seamless like Euro and Asian style. Only ADA and Elos fit those requirements.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Ah, well, while it's a nice-looking style, I don't want to spend money on one for a small tank like this. I am perfectly happy with something inexpensive that will do the job. Perhaps after I finish school I can build an ADA style stand. Until then, this should work just fine. 

Sent from my HTC One S


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Well, here's the beginning of my light stand. Both Lowe's and Home Depot wouldn't cut or bend the pipe for me, so I had to buy a conduit bender and I plan on returning it, undamaged, tomorrow.  lol. I don't have a pipe cutter and I wasn't going to buy one since I couldn't return that. I will just have to find someone with one I can borrow. I will shorten this by at least 2 and a half feet, maybe 3 feet, but this should give you an idea of how it looks. I will also cut off a piece of the horizontal arm so it doesn't look so long. Let me know what you think.


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## RayT (Aug 27, 2010)

I'm liking the shape of the pipe, it will look pretty sweet once a light is hanging off of it. But couldn't you just take a cheap hack saw to that pipe? It doesn't look too thick.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

RayT said:


> I'm liking the shape of the pipe, it will look pretty sweet once a light is hanging off of it. But couldn't you just take a cheap hack saw to that pipe? It doesn't look too thick.


Possibly. I'm heading home for Christmas break tomorrow and I think my dad might have a pipe cutter in his shop. If so, I'll use that. If not, then I might resort to a hack saw.  Believe it or not, that was my first time ever bending conduit, so I got a 5ft piece to practice on first, then did it on the 10ft pipe. Now I've just got to cut the pipe down to about 5ft in height rather than the almost 8ft that it is right now.


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

How much does the tank cost from GLA?


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

GLA is getting a new line of tanks in after the new year, so thus one was on sale for around $45 I think.

Sent from my HTC One S


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## Williak (Jun 26, 2012)

Long time absence, but it's nice to come back to this  Looking forward to seeing the progress!


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

New stuff!  :
16.6lbs of Fluval Shrimp Statum (for the 10 gallon low tech shrimp tank I'm going to set up)
3L ADA Aquasoil New Amazonia powder type
Tank mat for GLA 36-L
Cal Aqua nano fluxus pipes inflow and outflow
Cal Aqua nano drop checker
glass hang-on-rim thermometer
GLA Atomic in-line diffuser to fit my Eheim 2211
Rumford Aquatics pincettes
Rumford Aquatics spring scissors
27lbs of seiryu stone


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Your setup and materials are PHENOMENAL. Very excited to see the artistic side of this tank.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Okay, I just threw something together in like 5 minutes but let me know what you think so I might have an idea of where to go from here.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

tex627 said:


> Your setup and materials are PHENOMENAL. Very excited to see the artistic side of this tank.


Thank you very much  I'm excited about it too. Lol.


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

The red circles/oval represent parts that I feel don't flow with your main and power stones. The blue indicates the relative flow and direction your stones are indicating. Looks quite solid, but a little more tweaking never hurt for a thought out Iwagumi.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

tex627 said:


> The red circles/oval represent parts that I feel don't flow with your main and power stones. The blue indicates the relative flow and direction your stones are indicating. Looks quite solid, but a little more tweaking never hurt for a thought out Iwagumi.


Nice illustration.  thanks. Like I said. I threw it together in 5 minutes. It's only a first draft. Much more tweaking to come I'm sure  what would you suggest maybe doing with the front area? It looks like to 2 larger stones seem to work pretty well together, but I'm having some difficulty after that. :/ 

Sent from my HTC One S


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Play with it! Iwagumi's can have so much meaning depending on how you move some of the minor stones. In can be very playful by having both forces equal, or it can reflect power by having greater support for the dominant stone.


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## ramen lover (Jun 22, 2012)

nice tank! i love my GLA 36-L. mine is low-tech no co2 though


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Okay, I spent a little more time on this one. Let me know what you think.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Attempt #3



Please let me know what you think


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## ad3hybrid (Dec 11, 2011)

I think you need more bigger stones. Try to raise the small stones up a little more. There won't be visible once your plants filled in. Anyway, awesome equipment!roud:


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

ad3hybrid said:


> I think you need more bigger stones. Try to raise the small stones up a little more. There won't be visible once your plants filled in. Anyway, awesome equipment!roud:


How's this?


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Tweaked again:


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Got my light hung now


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Wow... Nice work!


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Nice, did you use fishing line? I just ordered a Mini M and a Finnex Fugeray. Planning on hanging it just like that. How did you connect the light to the fishing line?


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

I think this is getting close to the final arrangement. I'm pretty happy with this. What do you think?


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Couesfanatic said:


> Nice, did you use fishing line? I just ordered a Mini M and a Finnex Fugeray. Planning on hanging it just like that. How did you connect the light to the fishing line?


Yup, fishing line. I ended up cutting 2 wire coat hangers so that about half an inch stuck out on both sides. I just tied the fishing like the that.  Nothing really complicated.


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Nice work. Scape looks good. What plants are you going to go with?


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Couesfanatic said:


> Nice work. Scape looks good. What plants are you going to go with?


HC carpet and probably Blyxa japonica background.


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## Conrad283 (Dec 10, 2012)

Looks great


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## skindy (Jan 30, 2012)

Coming along nicely! I'm excited to see what it will look like with some plants.


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## BenderBendingRodriguez (Aug 29, 2009)

Looking good man.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Pretty sure this will be the final hardscape. I'm going to leave it for a few days to make sure I'm happy with it, but so far I'm pretty pleased with how it looks.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

So because I was bored and sitting here with my tablet PC, I decided to do this to get an idea what it might look like when it's planted.  Lol.


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## scbrooks87 (Nov 28, 2012)

Can't wait to see this full of water and planted! Looks awesome! Did you get all that stone locally or order online? If online, where from?

Thanks!
-Scott


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## Rbp917 (Dec 9, 2012)

I'm curious about the stone as well, also, is that a Whippet?


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## ad3hybrid (Dec 11, 2011)

I always love this kind of layout for small tanks. Nice and simple.:icon_smil


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

scbrooks87 said:


> Can't wait to see this full of water and planted! Looks awesome! Did you get all that stone locally or order online? If online, where from?
> 
> Thanks!
> -Scott


I got the stone on ebay from the seller "sea77777779"



Rbp917 said:


> I'm curious about the stone as well, also, is that a Whippet?


Nope, Not a whippet. He's a greyhound  My 75lb couch potato/lap dog. Lol.


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## Tcal01 (Apr 23, 2012)

> Nope, Not a whippet. He's a greyhound  My 75lb couch potato/lap dog. Lol.


i just joined my local greyhound rescue looking to find the right one :icon_smil. i call them 40 mile an hour couch potatoes lol:hihi:


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Tcal01 said:


> i just joined my local greyhound rescue looking to find the right one :icon_smil. i call them 40 mile an hour couch potatoes lol:hihi:


That's pretty much what they are  He sleeps 18hrs a day at least. I really only have to walk him for 20 minutes a day and that's enough exercise for him. I take him out to the dog park every now and then to let him run around off leash, but that's just a treat for him. Lol. It's fun to watch them learn how to just be a dog after living usually 2-4 years as a trained athlete. It's like watching them grow up


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

I'm considering doing a DSM with this tank. I'm still trying to get my CO2 situation for this tank situated, but in the mean time, if I did DSM, I could go ahead and start growing my HC. Any thoughts, suggestions, personal experience with DSM?


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Well here's the beginning of my dry start. I got more HC than I needed, so that was helpful. Rather than planting stems individually into the substrate, I broke the HC apart into small bunches and placed them on the substrate and then pressed them down a little with my fingers, just to make sure they were set down closely to the substrate.

Before I started planting, I used a piece of CO2 tubing to siphon some water from my 30 gallon high tech tank to moisten the substrate in this tank. I used just enough water to get everything damp. There is no standing water anywhere in the tank right now. Then I placed the HC down carefully to try to get as much cover as I could. My thoughts are that the more I place down initially, the faster a full carpet will form. Once I was done planting, I used a spray bottle containing dechlorinated water to dampen everything once again. I wiped off the front glass to take the pic. Finally, I covered the top with Cling plastic wrap. Occasionally I will spray everything once or twice and I peel back the plastic wrap every few hours to allow fresh air to enter. Hopefully in a week or two, the HC will have grown roots sufficient enough that I can plant my blyxa japonica and flood the tank.


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

looks good, make sure you have enough water in there. It should be enough that the water line should be just below the substrate line in the front. Will be following this.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

New regulator  Now I can run CO2 on my 30 gallon and my nano at the same time  One downside though... These bubble counters are much larger than my GLA Atomic bubble counter was and the bubbles are larger, so now I have to figure out the proper bubble rate on these bubble counters. Lol. I think I can manage that though :tongue:


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

nice work, good equipment is a must.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

well, after examining the HC very carefully, I determined I think I would be able to flood it, so... here it is so far...


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Filled, planted, plumbing set up.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Excellent work! Looks sleek and well thought out in terms of the scape and all. I really like the placement of those stones and how it already looks all tied in well with the flora. I need to learn from this and start looking at my future scapes with the "less is more" attitude. As it stands, I have too many species of plants in my tanks


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Excellent work! Looks sleek and well thought out in terms of the scape and all. I really like the placement of those stones and how it already looks all tied in well with the flora. I need to learn from this and start looking at my future scapes with the "less is more" attitude. As it stands, I have too many species of plants in my tanks


Haha. I know how that goes. You've seen my 30 gallon, right? Lol. Way too many species in there, but I don't want to get rid of any.

It was a long process putting it all together, but I think it was definitely worth it. I'm gonna go with some boraras urophthalmoides for stocking. I'll probably put around 3 Amano shrimp in there too. I'll add a couple otos later on if I end up needing any.

I can't wait for the HC to fill in completely and the blyxa to mature.


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Looks great! However, are the colors that desaturated or is it the camera?


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

tex627 said:


> Looks great! However, are the colors that desaturated or is it the camera?


It's probably the camera. I took the photo with my phone, so I don't have as much control over the exposure so the colors aren't washed out as I do with my DSLR.


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Good to know! I thought your plants were like UGH we need iron haha. Looking forward to more progress!


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

tex627 said:


> Good to know! I thought your plants were like UGH we need iron haha. Looking forward to more progress!


Well I think part of it is the fact that I just flooded the tank and they are adjusting to sumberged life. The color isn't quite as vibrant as the color in my 30 gallon. I can try dosing some micros and see if that helps. I'm just not really sure how to go about fertilizing this tank without causing an algae bloom. Since they're both heavy root feeders, I'm not sure how much good dosing the water column does, but I suppose it's worth a try. I can always do a water change if I start getting algae.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Updated photo as of last night.



I started dosing PPS-Pro this week and I could immediately tell a difference in the plants. They looked starved for nutrients before, but the first day I started the PPS-Pro I noticed intense pearling from the HC and the blyxa looks happier now. Looks like I need to scrub a bit of algae off the glass now too. Overall I think it's making progress.


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## Brian_Cali77 (Mar 19, 2010)

Looks good Rusty. Are you using an airstone as a diffuser? Also, I think if you have the room behind the B. Japonica on the right, you should lay your heater horizontally just above the substrate so it's not so noticeable. I did that in mine and it's working fine.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Brian_Cali77 said:


> Looks good Rusty. Are you using an airstone as a diffuser? Also, I think if you have the room behind the B. Japonica on the right, you should lay your heater horizontally just above the substrate so it's not so noticeable. I did that in mine and it's working fine.


Nope. The airstone is temporary. I had a nitrite spike last weekend because apparently my filter didn't completely cycle despite me running it on my 30 gallon for 2 months. After 2 dead amanos i tested and nitrites were at 5ppm. YIKES! So long story short, I did some large water changes, got them back to 0ppm, and I'm monitoring closely until I'm satisfied that the filter is cycled properly. Air stone is just to make sure the water is good an oxygenated and to help the filter bacteria grow. The diffuser I'm using is a GLA Atomic inline diffuser in the return line from my filter, that's why you don't see it 

As far as the heater goes, I suppose I could do that, but I will be taking the heater out once it warms up here in a month or two and my apartment is warm enough that it doesn't need it, so I'm not too concerned with the eyesore right now.


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

Here are a few pictures of the filter and CO2 diffuser setup


The white PVC fitting at the top of the outflow line is just an adapter I pieced together so I could go from the 9mm hose of the Eheim 2211 return line to the 12mm hose for the glass filter pipes.


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## tex627 (Jan 11, 2009)

Very well thought out system! Pearling never ceases to make me smile! 

Good luck,
Justin


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## joey24dirt (Jan 2, 2013)

With reference to pearling... I get a few pearl pockets after a water change but it doesn't last. I'm guessing that as my plants grow and expand, they will in turn end up producing a higher volume of oxygen. This will increase the oxygen saturation in the water and create more frequent pearling?! Am I correct in this theory lol? Isn't pearling due to maximum oxygen saturation or something?? Or have I been reading false information haha


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## AUvet14 (Apr 11, 2011)

joey24dirt said:


> With reference to pearling... I get a few pearl pockets after a water change but it doesn't last. I'm guessing that as my plants grow and expand, they will in turn end up producing a higher volume of oxygen. This will increase the oxygen saturation in the water and create more frequent pearling?! Am I correct in this theory lol? Isn't pearling due to maximum oxygen saturation or something?? Or have I been reading false information haha


It's not necessarily that the water is saturated with oxygen. It's just that the plant is producing oxygen faster than it can be diffused into the water. The amount of water flow will play a role in whether you visibly see pearling. High water flow will allow more water to move across the plants, so oxygen will diffuse into the water quicker and result in less pearling. Also, fertilizer dosing may play a role in your case. Before I started dosing any ferts in this tank, I hardly noticed any pearling and growth seemed sluggish. The day I started dosing ferts, I noticed some intense pearling.


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## joey24dirt (Jan 2, 2013)

Thanks for the info. I agree I think it could be a fert issue. I currently add ferts after a water change (1-2 a week) and see small amounts of pearling then. Maybe I need to look into a better fertiliser. The one I have now was just a random one that the shop had an offer. I read a lot on here about one called 'excel'? I don't think it's widely available in the uk. eBay seem to have a few of the ADA ones on there. I'm just wondering what you use? Thanks


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## joey24dirt (Jan 2, 2013)

Ahh just noticed in your earlier post. PPS Pro is what you use. Quick search has revealed that there's none in the uk haha


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## BenderBendingRodriguez (Aug 29, 2009)

joey24dirt said:


> Ahh just noticed in your earlier post. PPS Pro is what you use. Quick search has revealed that there's none in the uk haha


Hey man pps pro is just a method not a product.I won't go into the details but here is a good guide to using it. 

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/pps-analysis-feedback/39491-newbie-guide-pps-pro.html


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## joey24dirt (Jan 2, 2013)

Haha ok thanks I didn't realise. There's that many out there I just thought it was a brand name. Thanks for the link I'll do some investigating


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