Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Every few weeks I see discussions pop up about making root tabs and since my experience with the ones I made is spread amongst three or four different threads I figured I would make a new thread with all the information on it that I can Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.
These root tabs are made with a mixture of terrestrial time release fertilizers inside size 00 gel capsules.
These root tabs will need to be placed at the very bottom of your substrate. If they aren't placed deep enough they can potentially cause an ammonia spike. They can also deposit the fertilizer balls over your tank when you uproot plants. They can easily be pushed back into the substrate at that point though. I would put 1 per 6"x 6" area in gravel or 1 per 3" by 3" area for sand. Instead of depositing them all over my tank I generally place one underneath the plants that benefit from root feeding. Each tablet should last approximately 2 - 3 months.
These are commonly referred to as O+ tabs or Osmocote+ Tabs. However the Osmocote + is a discontinued product and suitable replacements have been found.
My personal mixture:
This is a 50/50 mix of Miracle gro Tomato, fruit, and veggies along with Osmocote Flower and Veggie
The miracle gro is a 9-4-12 fertilizer with added micro nutrients and calcium.
The Osmocote is a 14-14-14 fertilizer that lacks the micro nutrients that the miracle gro has.
I picked these two because they are what I had available locally. Another good stand in is Dynamite flower and vegetable. It has everything the plants need so won't need to be mixed. The total cost per tab is approximately $0.02
Results:
I measured the results of the root tabs in the growth of an amazon sword plant that I tracked over time. There were a few small changes in my plant regimen at the time but the only major change to affect the sword was the introduction of the root tabs. The tank is a 55g with dual t5ho bulbs. EI dosing and 10ml of excel per day. The substrate is black diamond blasting sand.
6 - 10 - 2013
This seemed to be the maximum size my amazon sword would reach given my setup. It was approximately 4 months old at this point and I used flourish root tabs for it on a monthly basis.
7 - 25 - 2013
This is to show the change in the amazon sword after a little over a month. This was the day I started to use the DIY root tabs I had made.
8 - 9 - 2013
2 weeks after the introduction of the root tabs. I had added some new plants at the time but the main ones stayed the same. Amazon sword, water wisteria to the left, Temple leaf hygro further left. and Star repens in the front.
9 - 23 - 2013
6 weeks after the last picture
10 - 30 - 2013
1 month after last picture.
These root tabs are made with a mixture of terrestrial time release fertilizers inside size 00 gel capsules.
These root tabs will need to be placed at the very bottom of your substrate. If they aren't placed deep enough they can potentially cause an ammonia spike. They can also deposit the fertilizer balls over your tank when you uproot plants. They can easily be pushed back into the substrate at that point though. I would put 1 per 6"x 6" area in gravel or 1 per 3" by 3" area for sand. Instead of depositing them all over my tank I generally place one underneath the plants that benefit from root feeding. Each tablet should last approximately 2 - 3 months.
These are commonly referred to as O+ tabs or Osmocote+ Tabs. However the Osmocote + is a discontinued product and suitable replacements have been found.
My personal mixture:
This is a 50/50 mix of Miracle gro Tomato, fruit, and veggies along with Osmocote Flower and Veggie
The miracle gro is a 9-4-12 fertilizer with added micro nutrients and calcium.
The Osmocote is a 14-14-14 fertilizer that lacks the micro nutrients that the miracle gro has.
I picked these two because they are what I had available locally. Another good stand in is Dynamite flower and vegetable. It has everything the plants need so won't need to be mixed. The total cost per tab is approximately $0.02
Results:
I measured the results of the root tabs in the growth of an amazon sword plant that I tracked over time. There were a few small changes in my plant regimen at the time but the only major change to affect the sword was the introduction of the root tabs. The tank is a 55g with dual t5ho bulbs. EI dosing and 10ml of excel per day. The substrate is black diamond blasting sand.
6 - 10 - 2013
This seemed to be the maximum size my amazon sword would reach given my setup. It was approximately 4 months old at this point and I used flourish root tabs for it on a monthly basis.
7 - 25 - 2013
This is to show the change in the amazon sword after a little over a month. This was the day I started to use the DIY root tabs I had made.
8 - 9 - 2013
2 weeks after the introduction of the root tabs. I had added some new plants at the time but the main ones stayed the same. Amazon sword, water wisteria to the left, Temple leaf hygro further left. and Star repens in the front.
9 - 23 - 2013
6 weeks after the last picture
10 - 30 - 2013
1 month after last picture.