alcidmr Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Hi I added some root tabs, 5 to be exact to my new plants. (Cryptocoryne perva) (Cryptocoryne wendtii green) (temple scarlet) and some Java ferns and anubias pattie. I know the Java and anubias don't need tabs only the otheres I mention. Just giving an idea of what all I have all a total of 10 plants in a 20 gallon H. And i just finding out I have nitrite spike in my tank. aquarium is 11 plus month old and all the sudden I got nitrite I'm thinking are the Root tabs I know I need to do water change but should I take what ever is remaining of the root tabs. And I think is the root tabs because my 5.5 aquarium also al the sudden has a nitrite spike after adding 2 rot tabs I put some fritz conditioner till I find out what is the cause tomorrow ill do I a 60 water change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda4fish Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Interesting, i have similar concerns and hesitate to use easy green after using root tabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcidmr Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 On 1/16/2022 at 11:04 PM, Linda4fish said: Interesting, i have similar concerns and hesitate to use easy green after using root tabs Yeah I been adding eazy green also for my Java and anubias but just Ike one time every other week and never had this problem now I'm kind worry if I should have put only eazy green lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 I'd like to first state that plants do not need root tabs. It's a misconception that gets passed along through the internet. It's 100% not true. If you choose to use them, they come with risks and should be used very sparingly. I can't tell you for sure the tabs caused your spike, but these tabs are not benign. I've also read, here, that others have had "spikes" when using tabs. I also think people view their substrate as a closed system. It is not, water flows through and pulls nutrients into the water column and the rate is difficult to control. It also works in the reverse direction, nutrients flow from the water column down into the substrate. Adding multiple tabs can release quite a bit of unknown level of nutrients into the tank. I would keep on your water changes and test often to make sure nothing gets too high. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 I would do a water change and wait a day or so to see what shows up in your water testing before considering removing what is left of the root tabs. I feel like each aquarium is so much its own system, one size does not fit all. Testing your water to see the impact on your individual tank's parameters is the exact right way to figure out what is helpful and what isn't for your setup. When I first read the instructions on root tabs to put one in every so many inches, I said no way. In my 20g long, that would be about 10 tabs. On the other hand, if I only put one in under my "heavy feeder" plants e.g. my swords and hygrophila, that would be 3 tabs. The impact of 3 root tabs in a lightly stocked tank with new substrate and new plants might be very noticeable, but six months later when there are more plants and they are much larger and use more nutrients, those 3 tabs make less impact. Fish complicate the situation more: what happens when 3 platies has turned into 30 platies...now I might not even need added ferts, or if I do the impact may be different--it may reach a tipping point where a water change is needed even though two months ago it didn't have that effect, or it could be that since my plants have gotten giant over time, they suck those nutrients right up and there's no spike. Only one way to find out, and that's to test. I 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 (edited) @alcidmr What kind of root tabs are you using? I haven’t had any troubles with Easy Root Tabs or Neo ST tabs. Edited January 18, 2022 by Patrick_G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcidmr Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 I'm using easy root tabs from aquarium co op 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcidmr Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 On 1/17/2022 at 6:25 PM, PineSong said: I would do a water change and wait a day or so to see what shows up in your water testing before considering removing what is left of the root tabs. I feel like each aquarium is so much its own system, one size does not fit all. Testing your water to see the impact on your individual tank's parameters is the exact right way to figure out what is helpful and what isn't for your setup. When I first read the instructions on root tabs to put one in every so many inches, I said no way. In my 20g long, that would be about 10 tabs. On the other hand, if I only put one in under my "heavy feeder" plants e.g. my swords and hygrophila, that would be 3 tabs. The impact of 3 root tabs in a lightly stocked tank with new substrate and new plants might be very noticeable, but six months later when there are more plants and they are much larger and use more nutrients, those 3 tabs make less impact. Fish complicate the situation more: what happens when 3 platies has turned into 30 platies...now I might not even need added ferts, or if I do the impact may be different--it may reach a tipping point where a water change is needed even though two months ago it didn't have that effect, or it could be that since my plants have gotten giant over time, they suck those nutrients right up and there's no spike. Only one way to find out, and that's to test. I That makes so much sense thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcidmr Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 Ok guys thanks for all your input , My nitrite are gone I added Fritz zyme 7 also and everything seems to be back to normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnnlynch Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 I add a few coop root tabs every other month to my 29g near my heavy root feeders. They are well established with large root systems in about 3 inches of substrate. Growth is excellent and no nitrite spikes. I have no fish in a re-scaped tank. Added a lot of root tabs to help new plants get a jump in growth. Spike in nitrite and nitrates that was slowly consumed over the next two weeks. I figured the extra in the water column was good for the newly added java ferns. The snails and daphnia who rode in on the java ferns seem unphased by the spike. I just added Fritz7 as well as I want to add some fish soon. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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