# pearling..do all plants so this...how much co2 is needed?



## Casardo (Jul 2, 2013)

Title pretty much summed it up. I have a planted 55 ,emp 400 hang on, with a power head and pressurized co2. I also just finished my second week of ei dosing. I have the 48 inch current USA satilite plus. Looking to figure out how to get my plants to start pearling


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## plant.one (Sep 4, 2013)

ditch the HOB filter.

with the surface agitation they produce with an un-sealed style of filtration you're pretty much outgassing all your co2 back into the atmosphere.

if you want to test the theory, turn the HOB off, and just run the power head only for a full light cycle. You should see a difference.


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## pwolfe (Mar 2, 2011)

Just remember that a tank doesn't have to have pearling going on to be a thriving healthy tank. 

Doesn't it also have to with saturation of oxygen in the water column? Hence why plants tend to pearl at the end of a light cycle?


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## plant.one (Sep 4, 2013)

pwolfe said:


> Just remember that a tank doesn't have to have pearling going on to be a thriving healthy tank.
> 
> Doesn't it also have to with saturation of oxygen in the water column? Hence why plants tend to pearl at the end of a light cycle?


yes, pearling only happens when the saturation of oxygen around the plants reaches a critical level. Again with the HOB the extra dissolved gas is being reduced to atmospheric levels due to the agitation in the impellar and the surface movement they generate.


When i used to take photo's and wanted stuff pearling, i'd crank up the co2 for about an hour, make sure i had no surface agitation, then shut all the circulation.

15-30 mins later i had a champaign tank


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## samwoo2go (Apr 27, 2013)

My HC Cuba when drop checker in yellow


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

There are plenty of ways to reduce surface agitation and plenty of ways to compensate for any CO2 loss.

Otherwise, so many of us experienced hobbyists wouldn't use HOBs in CO2-enriched planted tanks.



plant.one said:


> ditch the HOB filter.
> 
> with the surface agitation they produce with an un-sealed style of filtration you're pretty much outgassing all your co2 back into the atmosphere.
> 
> if you want to test the theory, turn the HOB off, and just run the power head only for a full light cycle. You should see a difference.


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## pwolfe (Mar 2, 2011)

I have an obscene amount of surface agitation as I like my tanks to be oxygenated as much as possible. I just compensate with more co2. I have a 5lb cylinder. I could care less if I run out of gas a week or 2 early! Despite that, I still get pearling plants every night


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## plant.one (Sep 4, 2013)

pwolfe said:


> I have an obscene amount of surface agitation as I like my tanks to be oxygenated as much as possible. I just compensate with more co2. I have a 5lb cylinder. I could care less if I run out of gas a week or 2 early! Despite that, I still get pearling plants every night




by having high surface agitation it would stand to reason that the gas exchange would actually be LOWERING your possible Dissolved oxygen concentrations during most of your photo period - not maximizing them - especially during the first half of your lighting cycle. With a Low to minimal surface agitation situation your oxygen concentration during the photoperiod would reach a point of supersaturation long before the evening part of your photoperiod. In my experience my 120 used to start to pearl about 1-1½ hrs into the photoperiod and not just in the evenings.

As a balance high surface agitation ensures that your oxygenation during the dark periods and the plants are not producing oxygen doesn't bottom out and cause undue animal duress butt that can be achieved with a simple airstone on timer running opposite your lighting cycle.

i mean sure you can gas the hell out of it and get good results, but if you're gonna invest in pressurized co2, why not spend a few extra $$ and get a nice quiet efficient filter that can double as your co2 reactor as well?


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I have found no method to get pearling in all my tanks, sometimes I will get it, sometimes not, even in the exact same setup. 

To just make it happen, assuming you already have good plant growth, good CO2 levels, etc is increasing the light. If I drop my light down to tank level (light is hung more than 12 inches over a 12 in tall tank), I get pearling within minutes. I can't keep my light low enough on my current tank to get pearling without overdoing the light, at least in massive levels. 

As some stated, you can have a healthy tank without pearling. You can also have unhealthy tanks with pearling, you just won't want to keep things as is for very long. Certain algae pearls very easily as well. Just saying that it isn't something you should necessarily strive for. If you have no algae and get pearling though for long periods of time, you can be pretty sure you have a healthy tank that you can grow anything in. I have had the same without as well. Sorry, long winded, just saying no pearling and no algae is not an indicator but pearling an algae can be an indicator.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

True pearling to me has more to do with the rate of photosynthesis then whether the water is o2 saturated. In other words if the plant is producing o2 quicker than it can dissolve in water you will see pearls. If it was based on o2 saturation then only heavily plant tanks would pearl as opposed to a iwagumi or a minimalist type setup. Some plants pearl easier than others probably based on their rate as well as the makeup of the leaf structure.


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## EricShane (Sep 3, 2013)

I dont understand pearling..? Im newer to this also.. Ive kept saltwater reef tanks for years! Ive gron fragged and sold coral.. But this freshwater planted tank is a whole new world! Much cheaper, but very different!!


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

EricShane said:


> I dont understand pearling..? Im newer to this also.. Ive kept saltwater reef tanks for years! Ive gron fragged and sold coral.. But this freshwater planted tank is a whole new world! Much cheaper, but very different!!


It's simply when you see oxygen bubbles on plant leaves. Look at samwoo2go's post for what it looks like. Basically, in high light/high co2 level tanks, plants can grow so fast that the oxygen they put out in the growing process are actually visible. I am purposely being very unscientific in my language as someone can explain that in scientific terms much more accurately and more concisely than I.


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## KTern (Mar 2, 2012)

You won't get pearling with your setup. You have a 55gal and a sat+ fixture, there is not enough light. Pearling is overrated. Having the right amount of light and a healthy tank is the way to go


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## pwolfe (Mar 2, 2011)

KTern said:


> You won't get pearling with your setup. You have a 55gal and a sat+ fixture, there is not enough light. Pearling is overrated. Having the right amount of light and a healthy tank is the way to go


/thread


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## morelight (Jun 2, 2013)

a tank loaded with plants will pearl easier than a scarcely planted tank. load up with plants, light and co2 and pearl away.


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## tetra73 (Aug 2, 2011)

Pearling mostly happens when CO2 is injected in high concentration. In my low tech dirt tank dosing with Excel, I see no pearling. The plants are doing very well. And high light plants do not pearl when you don't have enough light.


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## Casardo (Jul 2, 2013)

somewhatshocked said:


> There are plenty of ways to reduce surface agitation and plenty of ways to compensate for any CO2 loss.
> 
> Otherwise, so many of us experienced hobbyists wouldn't use HOBs in CO2-enriched planted tanks.


Could u list a few or point me in the right direction


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## Casardo (Jul 2, 2013)

KTern said:


> You won't get pearling with your setup. You have a 55gal and a sat+ fixture, there is not enough light. Pearling is overrated. Having the right amount of light and a healthy tank is the way to go


I added a dual lamp t5 ho 48" from Aquatic Life.. that good enough?


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Casardo said:


> I added a dual lamp t5 ho 48" from Aquatic Life.. that good enough?


That should be good. To start you could remove the bio-wheel from your HOBs. 

Other questions:

What kind of plants do you have?
How are you diffusing the co2?


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