gerbilfood Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 Hello all! I apologize if this is something thoroughly discussed before. I searched but did not find my answer. I am more of a neophyte in advanced aquariums, but have had a few tanks going since mid-2020. They started out in various stages of chaos, but have evened out and been an adventure along the way. In my largest tank (45 gallon), I have a few rooted plants. Like, amazon sword, micro sword, , java fern and a few that just seem to hang out. I also have some moss balls and some hornwort. And! lots and lots duckweed. The rooted plants seemed to be at a standstill development-wise. So, I bought Easy Green in an attempt to help the rooted plants. It does not seem to make the world a better place for my rooted plants. I had it in my brains that some how the Easy Green would end up penetrating the substrate and feeding the root plants too. Is it safe to say I was off on that? I was reading some threads about making my own root tabs, and it so happens I use the same ferts for my house plants. Is it time for me to go root tabbing, or am I not using Easy Green efficiently enough? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Keeper Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 Yeh definitely use root tabs and let us know how that DIY root tab goes, I'm very interested! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levi_Aquatics Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 Root tabs are very helpful for plants that feed from the roots like Amazon swords the Java fern will most likely appreciate the easy green though if it’s roots are kept out of the substrate-attached to rocks or wood. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PedroPete Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 It may also be that the duckweed is most efficient at absorbing the easy green doses as it is closest to the light, has access to atmospheric CO2, and has roots in water column....?Just a guess? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1moretank Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 @gerbilfood You are thinking right that your rooted plants can benefit from Easy Green. As others stated above, the rooted plants might not be getting any fertilizer because floating plants are more efficient at using it. You can test your water to determine if there is any fertilizer in the water a couple days after fertilizing. You are also correct that the rooted plants would benefit from root tabs. Please do a lot of your own research before making your own, as most of the components for DIY root tabs have ammonia which is toxic to fish. Easy Root Tabs do not have ammonia in a toxic form. Good luck, and do keep us updated. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 the easy green will go anywhere thats wet in the tank, but it is fairly diluted in the water. root tabs really target a small area of the substrate, giving the plants its near a much better chance of getting those nutrients. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerbilfood Posted January 3, 2022 Author Share Posted January 3, 2022 Thank you all for the information. I am also concerned that Osmocote has Copper in it. I am going to start with Easy Root Tabs and see how the tank responds. I am also not interested in an ammonia spike! I will update after I get it started. My main java fern is somewhat planted in the substrate. I may pull it up, and anchor it with some lava rock. And may be a bit more aggressive with duck weed. I did not think that it might be hogging on the ferts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 @gerbilfood, how long have the plants been in the tank? Java Fern and Microsword are both very slow growing so you might just have to wait a bit longer to see growth. The Java Fern is an epiphyte plant that will eventually die off if you have it planted in substrate. Most folks attach it to a rock or piece of wood. Root tabs are not necessary for this type of plant. The Amazon Sword and Micro Sword should benefit from them but should still grow ok with just Easy Green and time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 On 1/3/2022 at 10:17 AM, gerbilfood said: Thank you all for the information. I am also concerned that Osmocote has Copper in it. I am going to start with Easy Root Tabs and see how the tank responds. I am also not interested in an ammonia spike! I will update after I get it started. My main java fern is somewhat planted in the substrate. I may pull it up, and anchor it with some lava rock. And may be a bit more aggressive with duck weed. I did not think that it might be hogging on the ferts. Easy Root Tabs are as their name says "Easy", if I were only using a few a month that's the best way. They are also 41-1/2 cents each, I go through enough root tabs that I started using the Osmocote Plus homemade ones about ten months ago. I never saw any ammonia. I still sell a couple hundred shrimp a month (the copper didn't get them). I did make the root tabs in bright orange capsules so I can see if they come unburied (none have). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) On 1/2/2022 at 12:18 PM, gerbilfood said: I had it in my brains that some how the Easy Green would end up penetrating the substrate and feeding the root plants too. Is it safe to say I was off on that? You were not off in any way. Root tabs aren't needed at all. And more often than not, cause more problems than they are worth. Oftentimes, people get caught up in dosing instructions, when they should be learning what they are actually dosing. Understanding the individual components of nutrients and the PPM we dose them in creates a more stable aquarium. My guess is that you are simply under dosing the tank. However, a planted aquarium is more than just nutrients. Light drives the whole system, and CO2 plays a large role as well. The best advice I can offer is to individually correct each component so you can rule out the problem. If you square away nutrients, and still have problems, then you can safely say the problem is elsewhere. It could be light, or it could be something else. We would simply move to the next step in the equation and make changes there. However, don't make too many changes at once. For every change you make, wait at least 3 weeks to observe the results. Even in my high energy tanks, I wait 3 weeks before deciding what impact the change has had. If you are sticking to Easy Green, here's a chart to get you started. Edited January 4, 2022 by Mmiller2001 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerbilfood Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 On 1/3/2022 at 12:36 PM, Patrick_G said: @gerbilfood, how long have the plants been in the tank? Java Fern and Microsword are both very slow growing so you might just have to wait a bit longer to see growth. The Java Fern is an epiphyte plant that will eventually die off if you have it planted in substrate. Most folks attach it to a rock or piece of wood. Root tabs are not necessary for this type of plant. The Amazon Sword and Micro Sword should benefit from them but should still grow ok with just Easy Green and time. @Patrick_G Some have been in since August of 2020. The sword and a few that hang out that of which I do not know the names. I think I added the Java Fern and some Microsword late last Winter. It was when I started my 5 gallon filter-less experiment. I did not realize that Java Fern was an epiphyte, which is disappointing since I have several orchids 😄 I have it out of the substrate now, and anchored to some lava rock. Thank you for the information! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerbilfood Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 @Mmiller2001 Thank you for the information! I am currently giving four pumps per dose, and dosing twice a week for a forty gallon. I have a Finnex planted+ crv that I have running the default 24 hour cycle. One day I want to be a cool Finnex light programmer type of guy, but not yet. Anyway, I also have a CO2 system running at four bubbles per second at about 26 - 30 psi. My diffuser was clogged about six weeks ago, but I have since replaced it. I don't seem to see much in the way of yellowing of my plants, so I have not thought to add iron to my tank. And I appreciate the caution you advise. @Ken Thank you for the feedback, that is good to know about Osmocote. Mayhaps I will get back on the home built wagon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now