# No more osmocote for me



## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

I use a few osmocote plus root tabs 5 inches apart maybe 7 total in a 20g high, and the nitrate jumped from 10ppm to 80ppm overnight. I buried them as far down as I could but something went wrong there. I did the proper water change and threw the the osmocote tabs away. I think I'll just use the seachem root tabs next time. So be cautious when using them.


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## CoffeeLove (Oct 31, 2012)

Don't nitrates jump with any fert? 

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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Wow that's strange. Ive never had any problems and I use a ton of them in my 75. What kind of substrate do you have? I know some types tend to house ammonia and such. Is it possible that you released it by disturbing the sub in the burying process?


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

Hunter,

I love osmocote tabs and they do exactly that. Their job is to provide higher levels of nitrate. Plants need nitrogen. My nitrate is always around 60-80 by the time I do my 50% weekly water change. My fish are fine and my plants are thriving. Reconsider. BTW... I hope you did a water change after you dug them out. The three R's that always require a water change replace, remove, relocate.

Best,

Joe


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

I have eco complete, but I think I know what happened. After I put them yesterday, then I rescaped and few of the pellets floated to the surface, I must've busted the casing. I did 50% water change just this morning as soon I tested the high nitrates. I just now tested again and it's down to 40%, so I'm doing another 50% water change again tomorrow. I would like to have my nitrates around 10ppm. My water change routine is 30% twice a week. I wouldn't mind doing emergency water change, it's just I use 75-25 RO/TAP, so it's a little more work collecting the RO. Anyway, I'm just going to use the seachem root tabs next time to avoid this thing from happening again. 
What tipped me off, all the fish are swimming out of sync, and we all know when something is not right, although the RCS didn't seem to be affected. I normally do my water testing once a month, now I need to do it every few days until I'm sure there's no more leaching out of the tabs.
I didn't realize how fragile are the casings, I'm sure the rest of them are buried deep, that should be good for a month.


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

HUNTER said:


> I have eco complete, but I think I know what happened. After I put them yesterday, then I rescaped and few of the pellets floated to the surface, I must've busted the casing. I did 50% water change just this morning as soon I tested the high nitrates. I just now tested again and it's down to 40%, so I'm doing another 50% water change again tomorrow. I would like to have my nitrates around 10ppm. My water change routine is 30% twice a week. I wouldn't mind doing emergency water change, it's just I use 75-25 RO/TAP, so it's a little more work collecting the RO. Anyway, I'm just going to use the seachem root tabs next time to avoid this thing from happening again.
> What tipped me off, all the fish are swimming out of sync, and we all know when something is not right, although the RCS didn't seem to be affected. I normally do my water testing once a month, now I need to do it every few days until I'm sure there's no more leaching out of the tabs.
> I didn't realize how fragile are the casings, I'm sure the rest of them are buried deep, that should be good for a month.


Osmocote is actually good for three to four months. I always remove, relocate, replace plants and add tabs just before my water change and dose liquids right after. Adding tabs one at a time will give you plenty of time before they break down. Many try to add three or four at a time. While they are adding one, the gel caps on the others are breaking down. Hope this helps. Since I started doing a fifty percent water change, I have stopped testing altogether. One week is not long enough to reach dangerous levels of anything when parenting responsibly. I have 150 plus fish and all kinds of shrimp, snails etc. and no worries.


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

Ok so I shouldn't have to add tabs for that long then, that's good. I didn't realize how potent those little pellets are. I don't even dose Kno3, just K2So4 and Po4, and my nitrates are consistent at 10ppm, I think that's all I need for plants need. 
I wish I can have that many fish.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

I add them 10-12 at a time in my 75, half the time there's a dozen or two unburied balls lying around because I have a strong tendency to rearrange things, and can be quite lazy when it comes to tiding up. Ive never experienced a nitrate spike. I suppose if you popped a few it could happen, still sounds strange to me though.


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

I know I've never had that high of a nitrate. I even did a water change when added them, because I replanted a bit. I got the tabs off eBay, maybe they're little different. They're in the trash now.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Yeah Ive never gotten them from ebay, they could honestly be anything. Ive always made my own from the actual retail version which I bought myself.


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

Oh well, I'll just stick with the regular tabs, only need to replace them once in a while anyway. I just did another 50% water change, was going to wait till tomorrow but I can't stand it not being fixed.


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## xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx (Jul 12, 2011)

Sorry about your bad experience with Osmocote+ root tabs, as I said before never get them from evilbay because there's just no telling if they truly are Osmocote+. What it sounds like is who ever you got them from is actually using Osmocote Pro 20-4-8 with early nitrogen release which means they release nitrogen faster then the other nutrients, which is probably what caused your nitrate spike.

Because if they had been actual Osmocote Plus root tabs you wouldn't get the nitrate spike, because I go through quite a bit in my 45 gallon tank because my giant Amazon Sword, and crypts and I've never experienced a nitrate spike like that.

It's always best to get Osmocote Plus root tabs from people on this forum because you know you're actually getting Osmocote Plus in the tabs and not something else.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

I just tested the water. Two days after a 95% WC, NO3=80ppm. I added a lot of O+ to the substrate a couple of months ago, I just poured a bunch of the granules and covered it with up with Floramax and it's still leeching like crazy.

Now I know why I can't grow anything terrestrially in sand with O+; I've been overdosing EVERYTHING! Every plant I've tried to grow has died within a couple of days. Now I know why.

Lesson to be learned: Use Osmocote+ sparingly. A little goes an incredibly long way.


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

That's serious leaching, 95% water change and nitrate still that high? I'm going to test mine everyday now for few days, make sure no surprises.
I always order my stuff from other members whenever I can, little impatient on my part and ordered of eBay instead.


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## CoffeeLove (Oct 31, 2012)

The bummer thing is, they stopped making osmocote plus. I think it was because it offered too much bang for the buck. They'd rather separate the macro from the micro so you end up buying two products. 

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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

the fact is root tabs don't work like the way people think, IME root tabs slowly charge the substrate and leach into the water at very slow rate, the good growth of plants is mostly from the leached root tabs and not from the roots of the plants. think about it this way, if i stop dosing the water and start depending on the substrate then nothing happen to plants, once start adding the liquid ferts plants start to grow again. 

the reason you have such a high NO3 is because root tabs are leaching too fast and you have too many for the plants to uptake, the best thing to do in your case is get fast growing stems and floaters and they will start using the excess NO3, until then do some water changes to keep it down. i had the same experience with root tabs because i added too many. good luck


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

HUNTER said:


> That's serious leaching, 95% water change and nitrate still that high? I'm going to test mine everyday now for few days, make sure no surprises.
> I always order my stuff from other members whenever I can, little impatient on my part and ordered of eBay instead.


I assume that it's so high just through leeching but it could also be the remainder from the 95% WC. I won't know until I test again. If it's gone significantly up, then it's from the leeching. The O+ is about 3 months old in the tank so it's been a while.


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

I would think that if the osmocote are in the tank that long, it shouldn't leach that much anymore. With my experience with them, I will not use them again. I just find them unstable, especially if the substrate is disturb very often.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

I should mention that it wasn't even planted. I was just waiting for the wood to soak and leech tannins before I planted. So whatever leeched from the O+ is what was in the water.


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

I think that if your tank is heavily planted, you would never need to worry about water quality. Almost any fertz that you add into your tank can alter your nitrates/nitrites. Like said above, any movement can stir up waste material with water and cause things to raise. Osmo was made for a reason and any tank is never stable at crisp testings all the time. You may be watching your tank before you go to bed and the nitrates can raise a little bit because you've fed your fish but in the morning it stabilizes. With water as much as only 20 gallons, anything and I do mean anything that you add or do to the inside of your tank can surely stir up something. If you are always worried about your nitrates/nitrites then you will never be able to see what other fertilizers can do for you tank. If you was to switch over to ADA soil, you'll be amazed at what your test strips/tube will read. Even though its considered one of the best if not, the best soil/substrate for planted aquariums going from 40-80 dollars a bag. I've had major success with my current tank without any testing of any sort. If you got the plants, you have it made from the very beginning.


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> I assume that it's so high just through leeching but it could also be the remainder from the 95% WC. I won't know until I test again. If it's gone significantly up, then it's from the leeching. The O+ is about 3 months old in the tank so it's been a while.


 
Well this can depend highly on how you do your water changes. Nitrates mainly builds up from waste material, sometimes your test results can read low for one day and the next it can skyrocket just because that's the moment where the dead plant matter dissolve altogether. If you only change the water, that won't make much difference as the nitrates are ascending from the waste. Gravel vacuum is a must. If you was to vacuum your gravel and see barely any changes a few days later then it can't be the osmo, it should be your filter not doing its job. Your filter is suppose to break down things like these. Believe it or not, filters have up to 95% to do with water quality. Just unplug it for a month and see. If I had to do a 95% water change on my tank, I may not need to do another water change for 2 weeks.


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## Aquadawg (Aug 18, 2012)

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> I just tested the water. Two days after a 95% WC, NO3=80ppm. I added a lot of O+ to the substrate a couple of months ago, I just poured a bunch of the granules and covered it with up with Floramax and it's still leeching like crazy.
> 
> Now I know why I can't grow anything terrestrially in sand with O+; I've been overdosing EVERYTHING! Every plant I've tried to grow has died within a couple of days. Now I know why.
> 
> Lesson to be learned: Use Osmocote+ sparingly. A little goes an incredibly long way.


One capsule every 6 inches. 3-4 months apart. Powerful stuff. Fantastic if used in the correct dosage.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

Aquadawg said:


> One capsule every 6 inches. 3-4 months apart. Powerful stuff. Fantastic if used in the correct dosage.


I think the equivalent that I poured in is like 2 capsules every inch.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

I started this little 20 gal couple months ago, just as a grow out/experimental tank. Substrate is 100% inert blasting sand and diy co2.

I wanted to try an HC carpet. What I did was put down about 2" of sand, then a heavy layer of Osmocote+ (just loose balls, no capsules or anything), and topped it off with about 3/4" of more sand. For reference, probably around 15 balls per golf ball size circle of area, so, a pretty large amount.

Plants absolutely exploded, no spikes or negative effects of any sort. Here are some pics of the timeline - 

First planting, 5/03










5/10, one week later










5/15









6/08










Everything continues to thrive today. Im always taking things out and sticking new stuff in, cuttings and such. Needless to say Im a big fan of osmocote+


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## Krispyplants (Apr 15, 2014)

burr740 said:


> I started this little 20 gal couple months ago, just as a grow out/experimental tank. Substrate is 100% inert blasting sand and diy co2.
> 
> I wanted to try an HC carpet. What I did was put down about 2" of sand, then a heavy layer of Osmocote+ (just loose balls, no capsules or anything), and topped it off with about 3/4" of more sand. For reference, probably around 15 balls per golf ball size circle of area, so, a pretty large amount.
> 
> ...


That grow out tank looks awesome :thumbsup:


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Thanks. It has brought me many hours of enjoyment and taught me so much in the process.


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## Pandanke (Jun 13, 2014)

Hey, since I saw it mentioned earlier, while they did discontinue Osmocote+ for awhile, it is definitely available again! I just bought a container last week and began making my own with size 0 gel capsules. 

I haven't seen any crazy spikes like mentioned with these, but I am seeing growth I never experienced before... so I am going with the idea that possibly yours were a different type of osmocote like someone else suggested.

I've been making them myself and it's really pretty cheap and not hard at all. I'd be happy to send a few out to anyone who wants to test them and see how they work because I am way pleased. I don't know anything about fertilising being a planted tank noob, this is all I do, but I am impressed.


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

The O+ doesn't contain Ca. The old one contained everything plants needed.


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## Pandanke (Jun 13, 2014)

Is that all it is missing? I really don't know much about the changes they made. I add cuttlebone for my snails, do you think that'll make up for it?


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

Yes. Tap water also contains Ca, though how much depends on the source.


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## Pandanke (Jun 13, 2014)

Oh, great. Thanks, sorry for derailing this. I actually have super hard water already, but I add in a chunk of cuttlebone just incase, so it sounds like these will work fine for me still. I'll keep on top of my water testing in tanks that I have them in just in case.


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## mrkookm (Apr 4, 2007)

burr740 said:


> I started this little 20 gal couple months ago, just as a grow out/experimental tank. Substrate is 100% inert blasting sand and diy co2.
> 
> I wanted to try an HC carpet. What I did was put down about 2" of sand, then a heavy layer of Osmocote+ (just loose balls, no capsules or anything), and topped it off with about 3/4" of more sand. For reference, probably around 15 balls per golf ball size circle of area, so, a pretty large amount.
> 
> ...



That explains your plants current health issues. 

Osmocote is very potent stuff as one member accurately puts it and a little goes a far way. I know this from experience because I too fell into that trap long before it was known or became the popular root tab of choice as it is now, and I suffered from it. It was so bad I had wash my substrate and hand pick as much of it as I could and even after my tank was never the same.

Sure it can/will do a damn fine job of making plants grow, but it's all fine and dandy until it really starts pumping stuff into the root zone faster than your plant mass can handle. Compound that by you uprooting a plant or 2 and your plants health starts to go downhill fast! 

You've gotta respect the rootabs equally as you do liquid dosing and especially so when using the 2 together. Pump stuff in your water and after a certain point your plants will look like crap. It's all about ratio and balance to get optimal plant growth and color, not excess.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Well if you have hard water,then the cuttlebone is prolly not needed assuming some calcium content from the water and foods,,The shrimp /fishes can get what they need.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

mrkookm said:


> That explains your plants current health issues.
> 
> Osmocote is very potent stuff as one member accurately puts it and a little goes a far way. I know this from experience because I too fell into that trap long before it was known or became the popular root tab of choice as it is now, and I suffered from it. It was so bad I had wash my substrate and hand pick as much of it as I could and even after my tank was never the same.
> 
> ...


The plant issues are in my 75, and have to do with a deficiency, either of nutrients or Co2. Before I started EI nitrates and phosphates were perpetually zero. Not saying you're wrong because you do make a valid point, but I seriously doubt it's anything to do with too much O+


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