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Re: pearling and CO2 from yeast



Diana wrote:

"I use yeast for my CO2 production.  I haven't seen
pearling in the tank yet.  Is it possible to get the
plants to pearl using DIY CO2 from yeast?"

It's possible to get plants to 'pearl' without any CO2
injection at all.  Pearling is the release of Oxygen
from the plants as they photosynthesize carbohydrates.
 That Oxygen need not form bubbles and rise to the
surface--it might dissolve into the water and never be
seen.  Pearling itself is not a sign that the plants
are healthy.  Good growth however, is.


"I have an average of 3 watts per gallon for lighting
running 12 hours a 
day. The plant growth is lovely, but I wonder about
this pearling.  I would 
love to see and get photos of this phenomenon in my
tanks."

It's a trophy kinda thing, isn't it?  I know exactly
how you feel.  You might fiddle around with different
diffusion techniques.  What I've done in smaller tanks
(10 and 20 gallon) is drill a hole in the bottom of an
old Pepto Bismol dosing cup, force the tubing into the
hole, and invert the 'bell' in the water, holding it
in place with a suction cup.  You could also use a
stone weight.  Keep a close eye on your water
chemistry parameters, especially pH and carbonate
hardness.  As CO2 diffusion improves, your pH could
drop to dangerous levels.  Make sure the water is
adequately buffered.

If the nutrients are right, the light is right and the
CO2 levels are right, the plants will photosynthesize
so rapidly that the water won't be able to diffuse the
additional O2 as quickly as the plants produce it, and
you'll get the pearls.

Personally, I think the DIY yeast route is a lot of
fun.  I'm using a 3 gallon plastic bucket now, and
producing some of the best tasting hard ciders, hard
lemonades and perry beverages I've ever had. :-) This
year, I'm giving 22 oz bottles of hard cider as
Christmas gifts.  This allows me to justify entering
yet another hobby when You Know Who starts asking All
Those Questions, since that side of the family gets
the most gifts. ;) 

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