Pearling and Streaming, Confused!?!?!

[fish_4_all]

Most of the time, the red melon sword send out streams of period sized bubbles that simply won't pop on the surface. It always has the bubbles stuck to the leaves at the same time. Once in a while it will give off a bubble that is huge, O or larger.
So I guess that it is streaming from damage and pearling at the same time. That also means that the BN are damaging the plant somehow. They don't eat it but they rasp at it a lot. Only very little discoloring and the BN are fed well but they still must be rasping too hard.

SO does this mean the plant is unhappy because it is damaged but happy because it is pearling?

 

[An t-iasg]

I have never had a red melon sword, but it could be possible that the plecos are damaging it a bit, since it is streaming. My plants stream sometimes after a trim. The stem plants really don't but the sag has streamed for an hour or so after I cut a few leaves off. Pearling is simply the end result of photosynthesis - the tank water becomes saturated with oxygen, and the excess oxygen coming from the leaf will form a bubble on the leaf, since it can no longer dissolve in the water.

Do you have another tank that you could move the sword to? Then you could assess if it is the bristlenose plecos rasping on it too much. If my plants stream, they usually stop in about an hour. Sorry I don't have a real answer for you...maybe someone with BN and swords will chime in!

 

[Jchillin]

*Guy with BN's and swords chimes in*

Not only do I have them, I have several, plus a huge sailfin pleco. I doubt if the BN's would be able to damage a sword, the leaves are very hardy to withstand the little bit of pressure that rasping would do. Is the streaming coming directly from the leaf or the stem?

 

[GlitcH]

Ok........I guess I am more of a noob than I had first thought.
I didn't know there was a difference between streaming and pearling.

I have had plants in my 29g now for about a month maybe a little less.

I noticed last week after a water change........what I thought was pearling.

It was a stream of bubbles like you see in sprite......it was just one plant and it lasted for about a half hour after the pwc.

This weeks pwc brought on several more of these streams.........and larger sized bubbles coming from almost all plants. Up until this week I only got the bubbles that usually form after a water change.......the kind that don't keep forming, releasing, and rising to the surface like the ones I got this week.

Here are a few pics of the tank about an hour after the pwc..........50%btw.

Here is another plant doing almost the same.........with slightly larger bubbles.

And this is what I think is pearling......all this bubbling continued for over two hours after the pwc.

I don't have any plecos.....just 2 otos.

I thought I knew what pearling was....now I'm confused.
Is what is happening in these photos a good sign or not? :?

 

[czcz]

Pearling after a water change doesn't indicate anything and isn't really "pearling" as we use the term, since the water change is responsible for saturating the water column with O2. Streaming at any time indicates the plant is damaged, but this is okay: it happens, and the plant will repair itself.

I can't tell if the first pic is an anubias or crypt, but either way you should raise the rhizome or crown (respectively) until it is over the substrate. HTH

 

[GlitcH]

ok .......this is the first I've heard about streaming.
I wonder how my plants got damaged....haven't touched them since I planted them.
Can an oto damage a plant ya think?

So........pearling after a water change is pearling but it's happening because I saturated the water with O2 instead of the plants doing the saturation? Is that correct?


Thanks for pointing out the incorrect planting of my streamer (I don't know what it is either)
Does that sufficate the plant or something?
I will fix that asap.

 

[czcz]

You've got it. When other aquarists talk about or take pictures pearling, it is after the water column has been saturated by O2 from the plants. Pics of pearling after a water change is accepted as cheating It's one of those things that goes from cool (after a pwc) to self-gratifying and amazing (everyday).

I don't think my otos have ever damaged a plant. Streaming comes from damaged tissue, so could come from a clumsy fish, snails, nutrient deficiency, or any number of things. As you advance, you'll find your plants are more robust, and with typical fish and snails, may only see streaming after trimming or introducing new plants.

 

[GlitcH]

Cool, then I can't wait to self-gratify myself.......er ya lol.

Seriously though......the streaming of plants, if we assume that the cause is a deficiency, does that point to a specific deficiency or can it be anything?

And am I correct to assume that it would be harder.....or at least take longer to get plants pearling in a larger tank than a smaller one?
(more water to saturate correct?)

 

[Jchillin]

It's not always due to a deficiency, it could be in spots where growth is taking place (ie: side shoots). All it really takes is a small microscopic opening somewhere along the plant. Try not to think of it as "bleeding". Since O2 is plant waste, seeing it being released is not always a bad thing. Also, this occurs when the water is not saturated. We can't see it because it is dissolving immediately.

Tank size isn't a factor but a heavily planted tank will produce more opportunities for visible pearling than a lightly planted one. FWIW, I've seen just as many self-gratifying pics of pearling plants in heavily planted small tanks as I have in large ones.

 

[fish_4_all]

Ok, now maybe we can figure out what is going on with mine.
The "stream" of bubbles, when it starts, is continuous and can come from the same spot for 2 days, at least when the light is down on the tanks. I have seen it from 3 different locations on the plant at the same time. 2 on 2 different leaves and 1 on stem/roots. The plant always has bubbles on the underneath of the leaves when the light is down. The funny thing is, when I lift the light to feed the fish or whatever, it stops almost instantly and then starts again after about 10 minutes of putting it back down.

Is my plant in that much pain or am I missing something?
This occurs every day from one spot or another. It will last all day long if I leave the light down until bed time. 8-12 hours.

 

[GlitcH]

sorry for hijacking your thread fish_4_all.

From what I've learned so far.......it seems there isn't much to worry about with streaming.

How does the plant look otherwise?

You mention that the plant is streaming from different spots each day......that must mean that it is being damaged but it also must be healing itself if the stream is not from the same location each time.

 

[fish_4_all]

Well, it is taking up 2/3rds of my tank and was just the size of a tea cup less than a month ago. It could just be because it is growing so fast. It starts new leaves every 3 days, the larger leaves get larger and the roots seems to be raising the gravel every day.

I am really not worried about the plant, maybe the BN will eat some of it to control it's growth 8O . That and my java fern is finally growing, and pearling, and streaming at times but at least it looks bright green again. The new leaves on the red melon sword come out red like they should and there are 4 of them red right now. I think it is healthy, and to be quite honest, I think the bubbles are a lot of fun, especially when it drives the betta nuts with them collecting on the surface.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

From what I've noted. Swords and plants like swords (Crypts, Crinum) will send out streamers from new growth ares (center of the plant). It's not a harmful injury, just a naturally occuring one as the new leaf pushes the rest out of the way.

 

[GlitcH]

wow ya sounds like the sword is doing well. I wouldn't worry a bit about it's health.
Sounds like you just need to concern yourself with how often you'll be trimming it back.
Got any pics?

 

[fish_4_all]

Check out my gallery. It is only 2 pics but the one on the right is the day I got it. The other one is less than a month after. It has since grown to the point that it is touch ing the orange planter on the right an a leaf has reached the surface. I may have another pic on there before you go there.

One question, how do you "trim" a Red Melon Sword? One more, when should or will it ever propogate? I want little ones so I can trade for something else.

BTW, those pathetic looking things in the planter are Wendtii crypts. I don't know if they will live or not but if they don't I am getting a Anubius Nana. They definately don't pearl, just melt a little more every time my BN knocks them loose.

 

[GlitcH]

wow ya it has grown huh.
I don't have a clue how to trim it.......but I had a different sword that propogated with shoots that you cut off and replant when they get a decent amount of roots and a few leafs.

 

[Purrbox]

Unfortunately Crypts don't like to be disturbed, which is probably why they aren't doing well with the BN constantly knocking them loose. I would suggest trying to find a spot where the BN won't disturb them and relocating them there. It's also a good idea to put a root tab under them to help prevent Crypt Melt.

 

[Jchillin]

I still doubt if a 2/3" bristlenose could cause any damage whatsoever to any plants, including uprooting. Goodness knows, I have 7 of them in my tank and ne'er did they do damage. My sailfin however, is a totally different story.

Fish_4_all - 1,000 apologies, I should have put the brakes on Glitch's hijack. However, since there has been an apology for it, all is well.

 

[fish_4_all]

Well there is a 5 inch BN in there and he likes to uproot the crypts. Not to mention lay on them and break off the leaves. Is why I had to transfer them to the planter. No big deal, just a pain in the butt. The big boy still likes to lay on them but they seem to be coming back a little. He has damaged a couple of the older leaves that lay on the bottom with his rasping. Taken the color out in spots but he is awesome with the algae so I don't care.

As for hyjacking the thread, no worries here. Is all relevant so far. Got a lot of good information from this one.