Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
I was just wondering what everyone's favorite root tabs are. Currently I'm using the flourish root tabs but I am wondering if there are others out there that are better.
Favorite root tabs?
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Brian_Nano12g
Aquarium Advice Addict
I like flourish tabs best.. just wish they were cheaper. I decided to give Osmocote Plus DIY tabs a shot to see if I can save money, I only used a few about 2 weeks ago in my nano, and it made the NO3 and PO4 skyrocket... this reaffirms my favoritism towards flourish tabs.
Edit: Some will still swear by O+ tabs and can attribute my experience to 'user-error' but I'm sticking to my guns on this one...lol
Edit 2: FYI - I placed the O+ tabs at least 2 to 3" deep in Floramax substrate. These tabs might have to go deeper or be in a more compact sand substrate to avoid the faster release of nutrients and subsequent leaching into your water column.
Edit: Some will still swear by O+ tabs and can attribute my experience to 'user-error' but I'm sticking to my guns on this one...lol
Edit 2: FYI - I placed the O+ tabs at least 2 to 3" deep in Floramax substrate. These tabs might have to go deeper or be in a more compact sand substrate to avoid the faster release of nutrients and subsequent leaching into your water column.
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bud29
Aquarium Advice Addict
All things considered, name brand root tabs such as API and seachem are incredibly overpriced - you can get 100 O+ tabs on ebay at about the same price as 10 name brand ones. I have only found them to affect parameters when I didn't put them at the bottom of the substrate. You can also make or buy clay root tabs (like peabody's ru tabs). O+ is more of a long term solution (lasts about twice as long) but with the clay, more nutrients are available at a given time during their lifespan since they release faster.
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Old Scales
Aquarium Advice Addict
I am liking the Ru Tabs I got from Peabody's Paradise. Seems to last well and easy to insert into my Flora-Max substrate. Not all that expensive either. OS.
jetajockey
come get me tang police!
I use both the ru-tabs and osmocote, the osmocote has a more long term effect (slower release) and the clay tabs are more immediate since they incorporate into the substrate as soon as they go in.
Brian_Nano12g
Aquarium Advice Addict
Guess I'm going to have to try those Ru tabs next time. So do they stay pretty intact like Flourish tabs or do they create a mess if you up-root some plants?
jetajockey
come get me tang police!
Nope, it's just ferts bound by clay. They aren't fired or using any time release agent so they begin to break down almost immediately after they go in. They aren't meant to be disturbed after that point, just like if you were using soil, so any uprooting should be done with care.
They are actually relatively easy to make if you already have the ferts on hand.
I use the root tabs from AquariumPlants.com. You get 75 for $8 plus I can also order iron or phosphate only root tabs for the same amount and price. I use the iron ones on various plants that I only want iron around and the phosphate only as extra phosphate on swords which love a lot of it.
Brian_Nano12g
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks Jeta... if you don't mind PM'ing me the recipe/process that would be cool. I do have the PPS-Pro Dry Ferts package from GLA.
Brian_Nano12g
Aquarium Advice Addict
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Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Has anyone looked at the root tabs from Planted Aquarium Fertilizer - Blends, Tabs, Capsules, Blends, Tabs, Capsules, , , Planted Aquarium Fertilizer - RootMedic Complete Capsules, RootMedic Complete Capsules,
Apparently for $18 is gives you enough tablets to fertilize a 55g tank and each tablet lasts up to 6 months.
Apparently for $18 is gives you enough tablets to fertilize a 55g tank and each tablet lasts up to 6 months.
bshenanagins
Aquarium Advice Addict
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How long do the osmocote gel caplets last? I've used em but I'm not sure how long until I have to replace them.
bud29
Aquarium Advice Addict
My understanding is that the actual gel caps dissolve fairly quickly, it is just the contents that slowly release. The contents should last 3-4 months.
bshenanagins
Aquarium Advice Addict
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Yeah I just meant the ferts thanks
MMantelli
Aquarium Advice Addict
+1 on the Ru-tabs can't beat the quality vs price of the name brand ones.
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Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Wow, I just went and bought ferts and gel capsules for some diy root tabs and the price works out to about 3 cents each mostly due to the fact that I didn't but a bunch of gel capsules at once.
Since Osmocote plus is discontinued I did a 50/50 mix of both miracle grow and osmocote.
The miracle grow I bought was the Tomato, Fruit, and Vegetable plus Calcium which I got for the micros. While the osmocote Flower and Veg I chose for the higher levels of npk. It's not my first choice for ferts but it's what they had and it was affordable.
I guess now all I have to do is wait and see how it works out.
If these don't work very well my next choice will be the RU-Tabs
Since Osmocote plus is discontinued I did a 50/50 mix of both miracle grow and osmocote.
The miracle grow I bought was the Tomato, Fruit, and Vegetable plus Calcium which I got for the micros. While the osmocote Flower and Veg I chose for the higher levels of npk. It's not my first choice for ferts but it's what they had and it was affordable.
I guess now all I have to do is wait and see how it works out.
If these don't work very well my next choice will be the RU-Tabs
MMantelli
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just be careful with the osmocote it can leech ammonia into the water column a min of 2" deep is ok preferably 3" and do not over do it. With the osmocotes.
jetajockey
come get me tang police!
I don't see why that wouldn't work, sounds good. I dont think I've ever used the miracle gro, is it a slow release type also?
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Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yeah, I put them in and made sure they were touching the glass when I did. I also have one of the tabs soaking in a glass of water to see how much ammonia leaches out.
Yep, It's a 3 month fertilizer. It has calcium, magnesium, sulfur, copper, maganese, and zinc added in as well as being a 9-4-12. The osmocote I used was a 14-14-14
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Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
10 hours later and there's no sign of ammonia. That's a good sign in my book. Especially because those gel caps I bought disintegrated within 15 minutes in a glass of water.
I used 3 for my 10g tank and 11 in my 55
I used 3 for my 10g tank and 11 in my 55
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