Water changes & new growth?

[Bbush]

Is the fact that I have a lot of new growth on my plants do to more frequent pwc (daily) or the lower water level in my tank (to create more bubbles) or both / neither?



Anubias

 

[Rivercats]

Neither have anything to do with plant growth.

 

[Bbush]

Coincidence maybe.

 

[Maxw47]

After every water change I get a lot of pearling action. Idk why but I think the plants like it, who knows lol.

 

[Rivercats]

The most likely cause for more growth is due to adding the Geisemann bulbs.

Pearling is common after larger WC's.

 

[Maxw47]

Why do plants like to pearl after water changes?

 

[Rivercats]

I'm not a chemist so I can't give you a detailed explanation but the water from the faucet is under pressure and contains a higher concentration of dissolved gasses which your adding to your tank. Your adding oxygen and CO2 during your WC which makes plants pearl. If you want a technical explanation of the process you'll have to google it unless AquaChem see this.

 

[Billbug68]

Why do plants like to pearl after water changes?

Ever fill up a tank and see bubbles on the glass? What's being described is the same thing, its called false pearling. It's just the newly oxygenated water making bubbles stick to the plants. However, I think Tom Barr did an experiment and theory is, plants will pearl after a water change due to exposure to the extra co2 in the air.... I guess you can decide what's true, but I really doubt that water changes are really causing any pearling. Especially if your plants stay submerged during water changes... lol

 

[Maxw47]

That explanation is fine. Thanks. I've always wondered why that happens. My plants are definitely pearling. There are lines of bubbles going to the surface from the leaves. Rivercat's explanation makes sense.

 

[Rivercats]

Actually my plants would sometimes pearl after WC's. Not O2 bubbles sticking to them but actually pearling as they are now with the CO2. But it would only last a hour or so tops. There is CO2 in most tap water so I always thought pearling was happening due to the sudden addition of dissolved CO2 gas in the tap water.

 

[BBradbury]

Plant Growth

Hello Bb...

Daily water changes are wonderful if you can maintain the pace. If you can change half the water in the tank every day, you can essentially remove all filtration. You won't need it. The filter would simply be moving water that's already pure. But, this isn't really practical and removing and replacing half the tank's volume every week or so is sufficient.

The large, frequent water changes will replace nutrients your plants need like nitrates, phosphates and sulfates. Aquarium plants need these, plus a number of others for sustained growth.

However, I don't see that a lower water level in the tank would be especially beneficial.

B

 

[Billbug68]

That explanation is fine. Thanks. I've always wondered why that happens. My plants are definitely pearling. There are lines of bubbles going to the surface from the leaves. Rivercat's explanation makes sense.

Small streams of bubbles can be caused by damaged leaves, trimming, pin holes, a lot of things, actually that can can occur during a water change. It makes sense, except it doesn't. Why would extra oxygenated water make plants pearl if co2 encourages photosynthesis. Go figure. If water changes saturated water with excess co2 wouldn't fish show signs of stress...? Ah man, now I'm stuck on it and have to do research... Where's aquachem???

 

[Maxw47]

It puts both co2 and oxygen in the water. The plants are using the extra co2 and the fish are ok because there is also extra oxygen.

 

[Bbush]

Ok what is pearling ?

 

[Rivercats]

Actually it is when plants synthesize and either the oxygen can't dissolve fast enough, or it's already super-saturated in the water, and so it must leave in gaseous form. That's where the bubbles come from.

 

[Rivercats]

Here's some good pic's of plants pearling.... pictures of plants pearling - Google Search

 

[Billbug68]

Here's the thread from tb... It's making my brain hurt...

http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/2593-CO2-after-water-changes-and-an-experiment

 

[Maxw47]

So would a bubbler in a planted tank be beneficial? Yeah it adds oxygen but its adding co2 as well, so it's helps everything. Right?

 

[Rivercats]

So would a bubbler in a planted tank be beneficial? Yeah it adds oxygen but its adding co2 as well, so it's helps everything. Right?

A bubbler in a planted tank without CO2 is okay but a bubbler doesn't add O2 or CO2. The bubbles make surface agitation which aids in the gaseous exchange between the water and the air. It also helps keep a protein layer from forming on the water surface.

If you are using CO2 you don't want that surface movement as it allows to much gassing off of your CO2 which you don't want.

 

[Old Scales]

Most municiple water treatment facilties hyper aerate their process influent as part of the process that improves taste, disperses smells, helps oxidize pathogens during ozone sterilization. So the atmospheric gasses of O2 & CO2 are super concentrated for a few hours. I assume this stimulates the plants for awhile. The company I worked for had us learn all this to help our EPA program pass. LOL