Easy Green Question: Should I dial back use of easy green if most of my plants are root feeders?

[SupersoNick95]

I have a 20 long with aqua soil capped with sand. Most of my plants are root feeders: Val, Dwarf Sag, and crypts. The only water column feeders I have are some anubias. I have a slight BBA outbreak and I was wondering if dialing back on easy green might help? I have also noticed a lack of real growth vertically from the valisneria. I'm really striving for an overgrown jungle look. 

Does easy green contribute much to the growth of root feeders and could I be overdoing it in the water column without many water column feeders to absorb nutrients?

EDIT: Tank is about 6 months old; 1 Florida flatfish, 20 lowlight tetras; and 7 corys.

Edited November 29, 2023 by SupersoNick95

[lefty o]

heres my take. everything below the surface of the water in a tank feeds from the water column regardless of whether people classify them as root feeders or water column feeders.

[Milliardo Peacecraft]

@Pepere question for you, if you have totally inert substrate, aka colored gravel, I've always debated on how many root tabs to put on my Amazon Sword or my Cryptocoryne Lucens.  I put 5 aquarium coop root tabs around it to start and now about 2 or 3 a month for the past year and the plant isn't really any bigger, though it isn't really any smaller either.  The crypts got about 3 tabs at the start and about 1 or 2 tabs a month.  They have been in there for about 3 months or so and do have some new growth, which is good.  I would say the crypts are doing better than the sword.

[Mmiller2001]

Very few plants are actually “heavy root feeders” as the internet loves to say. Plants will take from both areas and the truth is some plants are just heavy feeders and they don’t care where it comes from. I wouldn’t cut back on column dosing. BBA is an issue with CO2 and general poor plant health. I’d up the tank maintenance and water changes. Here was my competition tank with pool filter sand and only column dosing. I just don’t see, or have found a reason to use root tabs.

[Seattle_Aquarist]

On 11/29/2023 at 8:51 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Very few plants are actually “heavy root feeders” as the internet loves to say. Plants will take from both areas and the truth is some plants are just heavy feeders and they don’t care where it comes from. I wouldn’t cut back on column dosing. BBA is an issue with CO2 and general poor plant health. I’d up the tank maintenance and water changes. Here was my competition tank with pool filter sand and only column dosing. I just don’t see, or have found a reason to use root tabs.

+1 for what @Mmiller2001 said.  Most (but not all) submerged plants are capable of absorbing nutrient through their leaves or their roots.  This is because most of the plants we use in our aquariums are mostly 'marginals' (plants that live in shallow water near the shore).  They spend part of their lives submerged underwater (wet season) and the other part emerged along the shore (dry season), so being able to absorb nutrients both ways is an product of evolution and necessity.  -Roy

[SupersoNick95]

On 11/29/2023 at 11:51 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Very few plants are actually “heavy root feeders” as the internet loves to say. Plants will take from both areas and the truth is some plants are just heavy feeders and they don’t care where it comes from. I wouldn’t cut back on column dosing. BBA is an issue with CO2 and general poor plant health. I’d up the tank maintenance and water changes. Here was my competition tank with pool filter sand and only column dosing. I just don’t see, or have found a reason to use root tabs.

Yep. I think I underestimated how low my plant stocking was and was mistaken that i could just leave the tank alone for months using the plants to filter and use up nutrients. Thankfully fish are thriving and water is free from harmful excess nitrites and ammonia but i feel like nutrients built up way too high that's why i am getting slow plant growth and lots of BBA. Will go back to once a week 50% water changes. 

I am using aquasoil so i probably also was going to heavy on the ferts. I will go to a half dose in the mean time.