root tabs Thoughts on DIY Root tabs?

[Maggie]

35 minutes ago, Demobanana said:

You think I could use 1 like every month or even every few months? I feel like I would run out too quick since I want some in my val and crypts.

I cannot advise, as I don't know much about plants other than mine seem healthier with regular fertilizer and I prefer to do it on a schedule so I don't forget and kill yet more plants than I already have. I recently bought the 60 pack of Easy Root Tabs because there are two other smaller swords in this tank as well as several crypts in this and another tank. I use 2 on this one since it's gigantic, but everything else gets only 1 tab a month.

[Andy's Fish Den]

18 hours ago, Demobanana said:

That does sound a little annoying...but the Aquarium Co Op ones? I've never really considered them. I saw a video around a week ago that showed the Seachem Flourish ones were clearly superior- even if everyone's water is different. Unfortunately, it looks like with the QT he couldn't get the Co Op tabs through. Aquarium Co Op offers 20 for 10...Seachem offers 10 for 10 but those tabs are pretty thick. You think they're worth more?

 

I have used the easy root tabs since Cory brought them out and have had great results. I can definitely tell when I need to add more, especially with the big red flame sword in my display tank, it will start showing yellow leaves and other signs. I have used the Seachem tabs once when I ran out of tabs and I just grabbed a pack at a LFS, and honestly I didn't notice much of a difference. I was glad when Cory finally came out with the larger pack of root tabs, as I was buying 2 or 3 small packs at a time. When you have 20+ tanks with plants, you can go through them quickly. 

[Demobanana]

18 hours ago, Maggie said:

I cannot advise, as I don't know much about plants other than mine seem healthier with regular fertilizer and I prefer to do it on a schedule so I don't forget and kill yet more plants than I already have. I recently bought the 60 pack of Easy Root Tabs because there are two other smaller swords in this tank as well as several crypts in this and another tank. I use 2 on this one since it's gigantic, but everything else gets only 1 tab a month.

I also don't like killing plants....

5 hours ago, Andy's Fish Den said:

I have used the easy root tabs since Cory brought them out and have had great results. I can definitely tell when I need to add more, especially with the big red flame sword in my display tank, it will start showing yellow leaves and other signs. I have used the Seachem tabs once when I ran out of tabs and I just grabbed a pack at a LFS, and honestly I didn't notice much of a difference. I was glad when Cory finally came out with the larger pack of root tabs, as I was buying 2 or 3 small packs at a time. When you have 20+ tanks with plants, you can go through them quickly. 

Ok maybe I'll try em out next time Im shopping on Aquarium Co Op

[Ben_RF]

Like many of us, I tried for a number of years to use DIY Root Tabs.  I didn't mind taking the time out to make them. Thing is, most of the DIY root tabs I made over the years all had major issues.

While many of the root tabs that I did make did ok, the ones that I had the most nightmarish problems with were the ones made with osmocote. Let me list the issues that I had using DIY osmocote.

1.  They are buoyant and once the gel capsule dissolves will begin to work itself up through most types of substrates. I found this particularly problematic with regular aquarium gravel, flourite, and eco-complete. I found I had the problem the least with sand IF it was pushed atleast 2" or more down. 

2.  If a single pellet of osmocote comes loose, like say you are pressing a new root tab down 1 to 2 months latter, it may become fish food.  This has happened to me and has killed more than one fish.

3.  Ammonia is a big part of osmocote.  If your substrate is not very compact and/or gets flow, then you will often see ammonia in your water supply.  I battled for over a year in one of my aquariums with ammonia. Ultimately, I had to rip out all the substrate and replace it to get it to go away.  It was linked to the osmocote.  I tried again in some other tanks and found I had issues battling ammonia as linked to the 

4.  Plants seem to respond better to a lot of other DIY and store bought root tabs better.  

5.The DIY root tabs are hard to keep down in your substrate inititally when in gel capsule form.  Unlike other gel capsules, if you try to squeeze these or somehow poke a hole in them to help them sink, the osmocote pellets tend to come out which can kill your fish through poisoning.

6. I am thinking it is because of the ammonia, but both times I used these with shrimp they completely wiped out the colony. 

 

[Ben_RF]

With all that being said, I would highly recommend using the Aquarium Co Op root tabs. They are comparable to many of the best that are out there; exceeding in some areas and lacking in others. They are a little hard to stay down, but this can be easily resolved with either squeezing them to get all the air out or poking a hole into capsule.  Sometimes they will work there way back up, but the good news is the dirt/minerals has caused no fish or shrimp fatalities for me yet. And there might be a little bit of cloudiness around the spot if the stuff comes loose, but the good news it quickly settles to the top of the substrate.  

Save yourself money and buy it in bulk too. Root tabs in most cases last a really long time. There are somethings like Amazon swords that will devour them; but for most I only add a root tab once a month or once every other month per area it is serving (2" to 3" radius). 

So yeah, for me, the Co Op root tabs were the way to go after years of trying to work out a good DIY root tab.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Ben_RF

[Demobanana]

14 minutes ago, Ben_RF said:

Like many of us, I tried for a number of years to use DIY Root Tabs.  I didn't mind taking the time out to make them. Thing is, most of the DIY root tabs I made over the years all had major issues.

While many of the root tabs that I did make did ok, the ones that I had the most nightmarish problems with were the ones made with osmocote. Let me list the issues that I had using DIY osmocote.

1.  They are buoyant and once the gel capsule dissolves will begin to work itself up through most types of substrates. I found this particularly problematic with regular aquarium gravel, flourite, and eco-complete. I found I had the problem the least with sand IF it was pushed atleast 2" or more down. 

2.  If a single pellet of osmocote comes loose, like say you are pressing a new root tab down 1 to 2 months latter, it may become fish food.  This has happened to me and has killed more than one fish.

3.  Ammonia is a big part of osmocote.  If your substrate is not very compact and/or gets flow, then you will often see ammonia in your water supply.  I battled for over a year in one of my aquariums with ammonia. Ultimately, I had to rip out all the substrate and replace it to get it to go away.  It was linked to the osmocote.  I tried again in some other tanks and found I had issues battling ammonia as linked to the 

4.  Plants seem to respond better to a lot of other DIY and store bought root tabs better.  

5.The DIY root tabs are hard to keep down in your substrate inititally when in gel capsule form.  Unlike other gel capsules, if you try to squeeze these or somehow poke a hole in them to help them sink, the osmocote pellets tend to come out which can kill your fish through poisoning.

6. I am thinking it is because of the ammonia, but both times I used these with shrimp they completely wiped out the colony. 

Wow. I have PFS like 2" to 3" down but I'm kinda nervous, I have shrimp and fish in a small tank.

9 minutes ago, Ben_RF said:

With all that being said, I would highly recommend using the Aquarium Co Op root tabs. They are comparable to many of the best that are out there; exceeding in some areas and lacking in others. They are a little hard to stay down, but this can be easily resolved with either squeezing them to get all the air out or poking a hole into capsule.  Sometimes they will work there way back up, but the good news is the dirt/minerals has caused no fish or shrimp fatalities for me yet. And there might be a little bit of cloudiness around the spot if the stuff comes loose, but the good news it quickly settles to the top of the substrate.  

Save yourself money and buy it in bulk too. Root tabs in most cases last a really long time. There are somethings like Amazon swords that will devour them; but for most I only add a root tab once a month or once every other month per area it is serving (2" to 3" radius). 

So yeah, for me, the Co Op root tabs were the way to go after years of trying to work out a good DIY root tab.

Yeah Ill just go with the co op or seachem ones then, whichever is easiest to get at the moment.

[Ben_RF]

I would encourage you just not to disturb that area, at all, you put it in for at least four to six months as to avoid disrupting and letting a pellet float up. Even after that time osmocote pellets may still float up but will be primarily depleted. I don't know if they still might be deadly or toxic at that point if swallowed by a fish.   

[Demobanana]

I usually get bored and move plants or buy new ones frequently, so I think I'll just go with the co op ones.