Monte Carlo pearling after waterchange.

Tropical Tony

Fish Crazy
Joined
May 4, 2020
Messages
206
Reaction score
167
Location
Liverpool
So I’ve just done one of my two weekly waterchanges and as a lot of you know my Monte Carlo hasn’t been doing too well. (I’ve been dozing liquid Co2 and found out this can melt Monte Carlo) I cut the dying Monte Carlo right down to give it another chance.

Anyyyywayyyy, I stopped dosing Co2 about a week ago now and just done a waterchange and can see the Monte Carlo pearling! This is surely a good thing right?

Here’s a pic of the tank from tonight!
A6EBD82E-9E3F-48E7-BA0B-83BD109D1646.jpeg
 
Yes. It shows that the plant is likely getting sufficient light intensity, and that it is getting the nutrients sufficient to balance. The pearling is due to the CO2 in the fresh water; I see this often with other plants, crypts, swords, Vallisneria.

Tap water can have varying levels of CO2 dissolved in it. This depends upon the natural source of the water, and can vary with the seasons. Some weeks I see pearling, others not. A good indicator is the number of bubbles you see after the water change, as these are the CO2 exiting the water; the tank walls, filter stems and heaters, bits of wood, rock, decor...all of these can be coated with CO2 bubbles, and by next day most will have disappeared. I can see some of these in the photo above, on the tank glass, etc. As you probably know, these are not pearling, just dissolved CO2 out-gassing.

Brisk agitation of water heavy with CO2 will cause the CO2 to rapidly dissipate. Water just sitting will do the same, which is why we recommend letting a glass of water sit for 24 hours before testing pH. The dissolved CO2 can be considerable, and it produces carbonic acid which lowers the pH. Once the CO2 has dissipated out, the carbonic acid is gone and the water is back to "normal" as it were.

The plants if light is sufficient will readily assimilate this sudden influx of CO2. The stream of very tiny bubbles from one spot on a plant leaf is the oxygen being released by photosynthesis, increased by the additional CO2.
 
Thanks Byron. It seems a lot more plants are doing it now not just the Monte Carlo. I’ve not seen them do this since I first put them in the tank.
 

Most reactions

Back
Top