Laterite and leaf zone ok. Root Tabs?

[BillyZ]

I understand the Laterite and I'm using Leaf Zone once a week.

I got to the LFS yesterday and the guy there also suggested "root tabs" made by the same manufacturer as the leafzone and laterite.

anyone have any experience with these? think they'll be necessary with laterite and Leaf Zone already in use in the tank?

 

[Guest]

For heavy root feeders like sword plants, yes I like to use root tabs or Jobes plant spikes. I use them around my swords, crypts and apongenetens. those plants get more nutrients from the substrate then they do from the water column. However, the packaging will lead you to beleive you need them like once a month, I only root feed every 3 months or so. Be Sure to put tabs at least 2 inches deep, if they are too close to the top of substrate they will leach nutrients into the water column and BOOOM, algae bloom! Be certain the plants are where you want them before root feeding, moving plants will also uproot the tabs, again releasing the nutrients into the water.

 

[BillyZ]

I've only got two medium size swords in my tank (20g). Would breaking one of those tabs in half for each plant be sufficient you think? Or should I give each plant a full tab?

 

[Guest]

Would breaking one of those tabs in half for each plant be sufficient you think?

Yes, I would try that first. If not much reaction in a few weeks, then give each of them another half tab.

IMO, conservative fertilization is best. You can always put more in, but ya can't get it back out! It could burn the roots or cause an algae bloom.

 

[BillyZ]

Thanks CC. I just added some laterite to my tank. pulled back the 1" of gravel that was there, spread it out on the bottom, covered it with some new smaller gravel, then mixed the original gravel back in with it. Doing so I, of course, had to up root the plants. My swords actualy seem to have good root growth going right now. looked like a number of new hairy white roots (a good sign right?) but my cabomba didn't have any roots. This makes me nervous. The plants themselves still look healthy and green with the exception of a small portion near the base of the plant is getting a brownish tint.

current tank setup: 20gallon, 3" gravel substrate with laterite. Whisper power filter 4 running cotton and carbon. 50 watt heater set to 75f. no airstone. Lighting (probably cause) standard 20w NO corallife daylight bulb. 1 angel, 1 pleco, 1 blue... grr thingy and two fancy tail guppies.

I feed standard flake food about every other day. I suppliment with Leaf Zone once a week.

the lighting is probably insufficent for the cabomba right?

 

[Guest]

1 wpg, not adequate for most plants, surprized your swords are doing ok. better if you could retrofit the hood to 3+ wpg.

Whisper power filter 4 running cotton and carbon.

Ditch the carbon, it will remove all the stuff you are putting in with the Leaf zone. Carbon removes trace elements from the water very quickly, perhaps the Iron too.

Cabomba is a bunch/stem plant, and doesn't usually grow many roots, I believe. I could be wrong, because I have tried cabomba 3 times and it always croaks on me! Perhaps someone with better cabomba success could help you out.