increasing pearling

[brad]

I don`t get much pearling in my tank. Only a few bubbles under the leaves of my java ferns. Nothing on the other plants. I`ve got bacopa, e.tennelus, hygro. polysperma, java ferns, various crypts.......

Here`s what I dose in a 35 gallon with 50 watts of light in a week:
15ml Flourish
3 pinches (rice grain size) kh2po4
20-25ppm kno3
occasionally a little potassium. Maybe 5ppm a week or so. sometimes more, sometimes none.
gh:12
kh:12
co2: gave up on testing ph. Turned it up until fish gasped by the end of the day, then turned it down a hair.

Right now I think my lack of pearling has nothing to do with my ferts and more to do with my low light levels. Am I right?

 

[alexperez]

Re: increasing pearling

I agree whith your assesment of the situation. But If your plants are growing good, regardless of how much they pearl. I wouldn't add more light to it.

 

[PeterGwee]

Re: increasing pearling

Add some surface motion if you don't have any. This will allow you to add more but do it slowly and over a couple of days between each rate increase. Give the plants some time to get their growth rate up to speed. Don't get impatient and add too much.

Regards
Peter Gwee

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: increasing pearling

I'd have to agree with you about the light.

If you add more light, the CO2 demand will increase but you'll also have higher O2 levels.

Good CO2/nutrients at low light are a good way to have success.
Just because you do not have intense pearling does not imply you should use more light.

If the lack of pearling is CO2/nutrient related, then you would want to change things.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[brad]

Re: increasing pearling

Overall, I`m pretty happy with the plants. Not a big fan o2 bubbles all over everything anyway. I also don`t want my tank to look like I put the sun in my wall. As long as the lack of pearling is lighting and not a nutrient issue, I`ll leave it the way it is. I don`t expect explosive growth from crypts and java ferns anyway (which is why I put them in there in the first place) I just want to be sure my plants are happy.

Thanks for the feedback.