Popular Post Bill Smith Posted August 9, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) I normally don't order lots of root tabs. I should; I have tons of plants that can use them. But they are more buoyant than anything I've ever seen in a aquarium, and it's really difficult to get them deep under the root of my plants (even with forceps) so that they'll stay there before the tablet casing begins to degrade! It sometimes takes me several minutes to deposit one tablet, and it's a task I really don't look forward to. When folks on this forum a couple weeks ago mentioned a very expensive, unavailable-to-the-US mechanism made just for this purpose, I hit the internets. But there was no way I could have something like this shipped to the US for less than $60! So I started researching the DIY route, and after some trial and error and lots of research, I've come up with this one-handed solution. It can be made for less than $10 in parts from your local Home Depot. In fact, you can make two for about the same cost! It is sized for Aquarium Co-Op Easy Root Tabs. PARTS: So let's dive in. These are the parts I collected together (non-affiliate links) : 1. Straight PEX Pipe: 1/4" ID, 5' length: $1.76 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-4-in-x-5-ft-White-PEX-Pipe-APPW514/301541226 2. Wood dowel: 3/16" diameter, 4' length: $0.70 https://www.homedepot.com/p/3-16-in-x-48-in-Wood-Round-Dowel-HDDH31648/204354369 3. Drawer pull: 1-1/14" birch cabinet knob: $0.98 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Liberty-Rowland-1-1-4-in-32-mm-Birch-Wood-Round-Cabinet-Knob-P10512H-BIR-C/204143998 4. Drawer pull: 1-13/16" birch cabinet knob: $1.88 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Liberty-Classic-1-13-16-in-46-mm-Unfinished-Birch-Wood-Round-Cabinet-Knob-P10515C-BIR-C5/100156480 5. Springs: 6-pack zinc-plated compression springs (used the 3/8" x 1-1/8" x 0.041" spring): $4.22 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-Zinc-Plated-Compression-Spring-6-Pack-16087/202045468 TOTAL: $9.54 TOOLS: 1. Drill and assorted bits 2. Wood glue (or white glue) 3. 5-minute epoxy PREP: The 1/4" PEX pipe does not fit the Easy Root tabs. I made it fit by enlarging the first inch or so of one end of the pipe using a 5/16" drill bit. Now, the smaller end of the Easy Root Tab fits very snugly. If I don't push it in too far, it's a perfect grip! Next, I cut a 12" length of the PEX pipe and a 13" length of the dowel. I don't have very deep tanks, so this is fine for me. But this can be cut to any length you need; just make sure the dowel is always one inch longer than the tube. The wooden knobs already have holes drilled in them, which made it very easy to enlarge them to exactly the diameters I needed. For the smaller knob, I enlarged the hole to 3/16", making sure not to drill all the way through. I glued in my wood dowel with a drop of wood glue to hold it permanently: For the larger knob, I enlarged the hole to 3/8" diameter, this time going all the way through. I made sure to start with a 3/16" bit, and repeatedly went larger and larger until I reached 3/8". This ensured my hole stayed centered and I had a nice clean cut all the way through. I glued in the length of PEX pipe with 5-minute epoxy. This should hold well enough for my purposes. I'm using the shorter, wider spring for this project (3/8" x 1-1/8" x 0.41"). For good measure, I used some 5-minute epoxy to glue the spring to my plunger. This is totally optional, but gives me one less piece I can lose. That's pretty much all there is to do. I just inserted the plunger in the tube and I'm ready to try it out! I placed an Easy Root Tab in the end, just far enough for it to grip, but not so far that it won't push out easily. I inserted the tool with one hand into the tank, pushed the plunger, and voila! A deposited tablet in 5 seconds! But I am over the moon about how this tool turned out. I just placed about 20 tabs in two minutes. Even with coarse gravel, forcing the pill in was no problem. The two pieces come apart for drying, as that wood dowel won't last forever. Now I understand why the professional ones are so expensive. This makes things so much easier. I'm definitely making a longer one for deeper tanks. Hope you find this useful. Thanks for reading! Bill Edited August 10, 2020 by Bill Smith 26 25 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) Wow, wow, wow! From the @Bill Smith Menlo Park R&D think tank comes another great product! And just like always, @Bill Smith has shared all the trade secrets too. It appears to be just the right size for the Aquarium Co-Op Root Tabs, right? The design is so elegant, that is what makes it genius. Be prepared for a deluge of orders on this one! @Randy Here is your prototype, send all royalties to @Bill Smith at the Aquarium Co-Op Forum by way of @Lizzie Block Edited August 9, 2020 by Daniel 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted August 9, 2020 Author Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Daniel said: Wow, wow, wow! From the @Bill Smith Menlo Park R&D think tank comes another great product! And just like always, @Bill Smith has shared all the trade secrets too. It appears to be just the right size for the Aquarium Co-Op Root Tabs, right? The design is so elegant, that is what makes it genius. Be prepared for a deluge of orders on this one! @Randy Here is your prototype, send all royalties to @Bill Smith at the Aquarium Co-Op Forum by way of @Lizzie Block LOL Thanks Daniel. Yes, it is sized for the Aquarium Co-Op root tabs; 5/16" is the perfect hole diameter. I have updated my post above to be more clear about that. I suspect that's a fairly common capsule size. Edited August 9, 2020 by Bill Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickS77 Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Great stuff Bill! Nice work, I may have to make one of these now 🤔 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted August 10, 2020 Administrators Share Posted August 10, 2020 That's a great design. The reason these cost so much is the shipping is absolutely killer. Basically oversized product shipping 😞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted August 10, 2020 Author Share Posted August 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Cory said: That's a great design. The reason these cost so much is the shipping is absolutely killer. Basically oversized product shipping 😞 Thanks! Yeah, totally makes sense. From my internet search, it seemed a couple of these (like the ADA one) were packed in some fairly elaborate packaging, when a short poster tube would have sufficed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ed's Aquatics Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Really cool design, I like the step by step guide too. I got really annoyed that they float so I started squeezing them until they release a little air bubble. I put them in the tweezers and once I get to the bottom, purge the air and put in the gravel. They seem to stay put, not sure if giving them a little squeeze is bad but I haven't seen any ill effects from doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 (edited) 21 hours ago, Bill Smith said: I placed an Easy Root Tab in the end, just far enough for it to grip, but not so far that it won't push out easily. I inserted the tool with one hand into the tank, pushed the plunger, and voila! A deposited tablet in 5 seconds! But I am over the moon about how this tool turned out. I just placed about 20 tabs in two minutes. Even with coarse gravel, forcing the pill in was no problem. The two pieces come apart for drying, as that wood dowel won't last forever. Now I understand why the professional ones are so expensive. This makes things so much easier. I'm definitely making a longer one for deeper tanks. Hope you find this useful. Thanks for reading! Bill Quite possibly the coolest thing I have seen on this forum yet!! Edited August 10, 2020 by Randy 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frost Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 This is fantastic, I'm tempted to make a trip to the hardware store 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S. Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Made two, one for deep tanks and one for my low tanks. This thing is awesome and deserves a bump. So much easier to root tab it up! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share Posted August 31, 2020 1 hour ago, Ryan S. said: Made two, one for deep tanks and one for my low tanks. This thing is awesome and deserves a bump. So much easier to root tab it up! Thanks Ryan, would love to see pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ksant6 Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 I LOVE this! Thank you for sharing the how to. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl P. Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 OMG this is awesome! I had such a hard time getting root tabs to the bottom of my 90 gallon. I'm totally making one of these. Thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChemBob Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 Made one today. Likely now my favorite and possibly least expensive aquarium gadget. Slightly modified, as the hardware store did not have 1/4 inch pipe, but did have 3/8 inch ID flex pipe. It is way more rigid than tubing but more flexible than PVC. I just upsized to the dowel that fit inside, I think it was 5/16" OD. Works great! The Aquarium Coop pills fit snugly in the end. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 On 8/9/2020 at 9:34 PM, Cory said: That's a great design. The reason these cost so much is the shipping is absolutely killer. Basically oversized product shipping 😞 Hi Cory, is there any way to make a collapsible one, like the way a folding travel cane is made? There is an elastic infused fabric rope on the inside that holds the whole thing as one piece, and you pull apart sections to fold into a convenient size. That would solve your shipping size problem, and be convenient for storage, too. If you're so inclined and can make a profit from it. I'd buy one! My big tank is 24" deep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 That is so awesome!!! Getting root tabs to stay cleanly in the substrate is a pain sometimes. I'm amazed how people come up with these brilliant solutions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedcJon Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Thanks for sharing Bill! 👍😁 I bought the materials from my Home Depot last night and installed 20 root tabs today in less than 5 minutes. I used long tweezers before but this is much quicker and cleaner. With the tweezers I would twist the root tabs into the substrate to bury them and would stir up stuff in the water column. This is just a nice push to the bottom of the tank, pinch the plunger, and done. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted February 22, 2021 Author Share Posted February 22, 2021 5 hours ago, CedcJon said: Thanks for sharing Bill! 👍😁 I bought the materials from my Home Depot last night and installed 20 root tabs today in less than 5 minutes. I used long tweezers before but this is much quicker and cleaner. With the tweezers I would twist the root tabs into the substrate to bury them and would stir up stuff in the water column. This is just a nice push to the bottom of the tank, pinch the plunger, and done. Really glad it's working for you! Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 @Bill Smith I just shared this design with someone on this forum, and I realized I never thanked you for your directions. I followed them to build my own, and I LOVE it. It makes adding Root Tabs in the middle of the week effortless. And I was extremely thankful for the detail on what I was looking for at the store. I was able to add everything to a cart and walk around the store to their exact locations and quickly grab the item I needed. This is my favorite post on the whole forum. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted April 1, 2021 Author Share Posted April 1, 2021 (edited) Wow, thank you so much for the kind words, that was very generous of you to say. I'm really happy you were able to use it! I love it when something so simple and inexpensive can make such a difference in the maintenance tasks! Hope it sells more Easy Root Tabs for the Co-Op! I know I wasn't really buying them prior to having an usable tool... Edited April 1, 2021 by Bill Smith 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bert3113 Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Truly epic! found this and made this in the same day! I can’t thank you enough for provide the instructions with pictures and even the links! I placed my order online and had it curbside delivered! Super badass! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARMYVET Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 As far as the best inventions in history ...the order has to be.... @Bill Smith Tab Plunger and then sliced bread. @Bill Smith You sir are genius!! Making multiple sizes of these now....Including a 36" one for my pond. Cant say thank you enough!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griznatch Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 Holy crud @Bill Smith, this is cool! I know it's been said before, but you sir are a genius! I've got to make one of these for my 75. Not a big fan of dunking my armpits in the tank for root tabs. I have discovered an effective way of removing duckweed from my tanks however... just dunk my hairy arms in there. Way faster than using a net. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmw Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 @Bill Smith, just made one of these yesterday and had to tell you that you took possibly my most frustrating task in fishkeeping (they really should take "Easy" out of the name, because getting these super-bouyant suckers to stay under the substrate, particularly in my tank that has the light Fluval volcanic soil, is a major PAIN) and you made it actually easy. It took me longer to find my root tabs then it did to insert them into my tanks. If we ever meet, please allow me to buy you a drink! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted May 29, 2021 Author Share Posted May 29, 2021 Wow, thank you guys, really appreciate the stories and words of encouragement! The greatest payback I could possibly receive is to know that it's working well for you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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