Too much CO2? Bubbles coming out of my plants...

[Devilishturtles]

I have bubbles in my tank everywhere, mainly on the undersides of the leaves of my plants, but also some floating around the water column. I don't know if it's just CO2 bubbles or if the plants are pearling, or what is going on. When you look closely, the plants area actually bubbling out, very consistently. 3 days ago I broke off the tops of my Ludwigia to replant them, and today the tops are pumping out bubbles, about 1 every 1-2 seconds. I noticed some other plants doing it as well, but mainly the top of the Ludwigia.

For my CO2 source, I'm using the RedSea unit. I don't turn it off at night, and run an HOB filter on the back.

Is this a sign that I have too much CO2? What is causing the bubbles to leave my plants? I have been trying to get hold of a freshwater test kit, but my local petsmart has been out, and my nearest LFS is 45 minutes away. I have no way to measure my pH. But I do have a CO2 test in the Tetra test kit, but have been told that's not accurate.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

[mr funktastic]

thats a sign of healthy plants. the bubbles u see coming out is the oxygeb that the plants are producing. u wil get pearling quite ofter. sounds like a healthy happy tank to me

 

[Purrbox]

Streaming: If the bubbles come out of the plants in a steady stream, it's called streaming. Streaming is usually a sign of injury to a plant. It's common after pruning and can also occur if a fish causes some damage.

Pearling: Bubbles that appear at a slower rate and gradually build to a size where they escape the plant, is pearling. This is the sign of healthy, happy plants.

False Pearling: Pearling that occurs right after a waterchange, is actually false pearling since the water being added to the tank is usually highly oxygenated.

So if you aren't experiencing streaming, and the pearling isn't right after a water change, then your plants are giving you a nice thank you for the excellant care.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Cool. Thanks guys! I am experiencing the streaming definitley, and maybe the pearling too. I will have to take a picture and see what you plant gurus think. Its been a week or so since I last did a water change, so that's not it. I guess I'm pearling...a lot!

 

[rich311k]

Sounds great. I will sit and patiently wait for the pictures.