timrandlerv10
New member
why? not lots...but every few seconds another rock bubbles...what is that???
my rocks are bubbling?
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timrandlerv10
New member
it only happens when the metal halides are on...
greenbean36191
Premium Member
It's oxygen being produced through photosynthesis.
greenbean36191
Premium Member
Oxygen isn't very soluble in water. By the end of the day the water is nearly saturated with O2 and it's being produced faster than it can dissolve. Any more that gets produced just forms bubbles rather than dissolving. It's called pearling.
timrandlerv10
New member
and the actinics dont provide enough par to make the algae produce more than the water can easily absorb...
i never had that with my old 175s...and these are 150s on twice the tank size...i can see how these bulbs may be better and driven better and more reflective, but im wondering if maybe there is more algae in this tank than the old one? i cant really see it on the rocks until the pearling starts.
i never had that with my old 175s...and these are 150s on twice the tank size...i can see how these bulbs may be better and driven better and more reflective, but im wondering if maybe there is more algae in this tank than the old one? i cant really see it on the rocks until the pearling starts.
greenbean36191
Premium Member
The photosynthetic algae and bacteria are there in abundance whether they're macroscopic or not. Anything that affects oxygen consumption, off-gassing, production, or solubility will affect the amount of pearling- lighting intensity, photoperiod, nutrients, stocking levels, water motion, surface area of the tank, surface area of the rock, temperature, salinity, etc.
In most cases where there isn't an obvious algae problem, cyanobacteria are the culprit. Most people only recognize cyano as the scummy mats that form in stagnant areas, but in fact they're ubiquitous and usually aren't visible.
In most cases where there isn't an obvious algae problem, cyanobacteria are the culprit. Most people only recognize cyano as the scummy mats that form in stagnant areas, but in fact they're ubiquitous and usually aren't visible.
Tomoko Schum
New member
If this was a planted tank, I would have said that the pearling was due to oxygen saturation. I see my FW aquatic plants pearling in the afternoon due to this very condition. I also see balled up macroalgae in the fuge floating toward the end of the photo cycle due to clinging oxygen bubbles.
If it was not micro bubbles trapped under rocks, combining and bubbling out, I agree that Tim may have patches of cyano. In my limited experience, a thin film of cyano is not really noticeable until some oxygen bubbles collect inside the film. The cyano film usually holds on to the bubbles really well, though. I hardly see them getting released into the water column.
Tomoko
If it was not micro bubbles trapped under rocks, combining and bubbling out, I agree that Tim may have patches of cyano. In my limited experience, a thin film of cyano is not really noticeable until some oxygen bubbles collect inside the film. The cyano film usually holds on to the bubbles really well, though. I hardly see them getting released into the water column.
Tomoko
teamreefers
Moved On
Could it be nitrogen as a result of the denitrification process inside the rocks?
Jack
Jack
timrandlerv10
New member
2 points for both people that said cyano.
SO TODAY...there was a mild reddish tint to half the rocks and all the sand.
the cure is:
SO TODAY...there was a mild reddish tint to half the rocks and all the sand.
the cure is:
