Anyways, assuming my setup is good
enough for the plants to bubble at night, how long should it be until I
observe this?



The plants won't pearl at night. They will pearl during the day. Often in the
afternoon or evening, after a long day of photosynthesizing. (Though in some
tanks, the plants will pearl an hour or two after the lights go on.)

As for when you might see this happen...I'm afraid it's impossible to predict.
There are all kinds of variables: temperature, what kind of plants you have,
how many plants you have, light, CO2, surface turbulence, etc.

Some plants produce more oxygen than others. And some take longer to establish
themselves after planting. Stem plants will adjust a lot faster than rooted
plants.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about pearling. A lot of healthy and vigorous planted
tanks don't pearl.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/