# Success with just root tabs?



## maustin2346 (Jan 9, 2017)

To be honest I had my plants growing fine in gravel with a big enough bio load to "feed" them for a while with no issues, nice and healthy just didn't grow very fast, I just wasn't getting the growth I wanted so I just started using seachem root tabs and am now starting to see noticeable growth in all 10 species of plants even the Anubis and single leaves of java fern that I glued to rocks are now even growing extra leaves from the base, they were always healthy just not growing very fast. Hope this helps a little

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk


----------



## smellsfishy0 (Oct 26, 2004)

I'm pretty happy with the vals already, I got them pretty tall. I just don't want to lose them. Looking for more healthy than speedy growth. So maybe root tAbs alone will be the ticket.


----------



## PEdwards (Oct 31, 2016)

smellsfishy0,

I'd recommend against root tabs with PFS. The fine structure of the sand doesn't let much in the way of oxygen diffuse into the root zone and below so adding anything in the way of nutrients will cause the area around the tab to go really anaerobic, really fast. 

You get your water from the Suckabanana River, right? I used to live an hour or so NE from the 'Burg up in coal country. We got our water from the river too and it was fairly soft. My best recommendation for supplementation would be Seachem's Equilibrium and Flourish (plain ol' flourish) to give Ca, Mg, Fe, and traces. I'm doing pretty much exactly the same thing in a tank at work, the only differences are I'm using a plant specific substrate, have an airstone running pretty high, and add Excel in addition to the Ca, Mg, K, and Fe (I use separate chemicals) mix. The val's grow well and are healthy. 

If you're set on using tabs, go with Flourish Tabs rather than osmocote or other things used for terrestrial gardening as they're rich in ammonia. 

Regards,
Phil


----------



## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

Pool filter sand and Osmocote root tabs only. Been running this tank like that for years doing 40% WC once a week.


----------



## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

goodbytes said:


> Pool filter sand and Osmocote root tabs only. Been running this tank like that for years doing 40% WC once a week.


that's a really nice swordplant,how old is it?


----------



## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

I've gotten good growth from a number of different plants in several tanks over the years, using nothing but root tab ferts in pool filter sand substrate - it's no problem.

Here's evidence:


----------



## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

MtAnimals said:


> that's a really nice swordplant,how old is it?


That's at least 2 and a half years old--that's when I bought it fully-grown from another member on this forum. It gets 2 root tabs to itself every three months. Did a massive trim recently to get rid of some of those older leaves and its been putting up new growth very quickly for low tech. The crown has split into three separate plants at the base so I'll probably break it up at some point.


----------



## jcordar2 (Mar 19, 2017)

That is beautiful! I am setting up a new tank and was thinking of using BDBS but I really like the look of your PFS! Could you tell me the names of your plants?


----------



## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

PEdwards said:


> smellsfishy0,
> 
> I'd recommend against root tabs with PFS. The fine structure of the sand doesn't let much in the way of oxygen diffuse into the root zone and below so adding anything in the way of nutrients will cause the area around the tab to go really anaerobic, really fast.
> 
> ...


 Plant's have the ability to take in oxygen and transport the O2 within the plant to the root area's around the plant's so anaerobic condition's are not easily realized in heavily planted tank.
Even without plant's and deep substrates,the Hydrogen sulphide gas that folks tremble in fear of, is rendered harmless once it makes contact with O2 in the water. 
If you can maintain good oxygen levels and or exchange at the surface through filtration/water movement, there is really not much to fear with deeper sand or gravel.Plant's also have the ability to readily take up ammonia from fish waste,fish food,and or product's like osmocote within reason.
The plant's are said to prefer ammonia over nitrogen, but the fishes cannot handle much in the way of ammonia.


----------



## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

jcordar2 said:


> That is beautiful! I am setting up a new tank and was thinking of using BDBS but I really like the look of your PFS! Could you tell me the names of your plants?



Don't know if you're speaking of my tank, Jane, but if you are, here's a list of the plants:


- 3 species of Echinodorus - Swords
- Crypts
- Anubias
- Jumbo Grasses
- Ludwigia
- Hygrophila
- Nymphaea - Red Tiger Lotus
- Corkscrew Vals
I think that's it.


----------



## smellsfishy0 (Oct 26, 2004)

Update, the vals are shooting off runners and baby plants very well. The Amazon swords are growing but maybe no as fast as the vals. Using root tabs only is working pretty good. Considering flourish excel in small doses for now being I have the jungle Val.


----------



## herns (May 6, 2008)

discuspaul said:


> I've gotten good growth from a number of different plants in several tanks over the years, using nothing but root tab ferts in pool filter sand substrate - it's no problem.
> 
> Here's evidence:


 nice tank. 
are those LED lights?

Bump:


smellsfishy0 said:


> Anyone just using root tabs with success? As of now a have a decent size jungle Val wall, and a few amazon swords. More plants once I find THAT piece of driftwood I have in my head I want. Anyways I'm using straight PFS and root tabs, being I have vals i haven't dosed anything else. Can using use the root tabs in PFS keep my plants happy? Thanks in advance.


 
Rootabs make significant growth on planted tank.
I have been using rootabs O+, but often time too lazy to put them.


----------



## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

herns said:


> nice tank.
> are those LED lights?
> 
> Bump:
> ...



No, haven't tried LED lights yet, but I will sometime.
Meantime, I get very satisfactory low tech plant growth with 2 X 39w T5HO lights in that 75 gal tank.


----------



## Tnalp (Mar 25, 2017)

My low tech tank is being lit my a kessil A80. Only had it for a few days but I can already notice my plants have perked up/ color change. I've been dosing seachem potassium and iron. I'm on gravel, so far so good. I just ordered some seachem tabs. I'll check back in with results


----------



## redavalanche (Dec 7, 2014)

Root tabs are just micros?


----------



## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

redavalanche said:


> Root tabs are just micros?


 Yes mostly, unless the root tab's are made from product like osmocote + which is micro's + macronutrient's.
Believe a member here sell's them.
Would resist the urge to place too much of anything in the substrate but a root tab or two near nutrient hog's like Echinodorus or larger crypt's every couple three month's work's well for lower energy tank's I favor.


----------



## jcordar2 (Mar 19, 2017)

discuspaul said:


> Don't know if you're speaking of my tank, Jane, but if you are, here's a list of the plants:
> 
> 
> - 3 species of Echinodorus - Swords
> ...



Thank you! Your tank looks awesome!


----------



## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

I don't think root tabs alone are enough, but having said that, dosing ferts can be quite reduced from conventional recommendations. There can be significant nutrients in the water from fish food and fish waste.

Root tabs are great for heavy root feeders, but not so much for stem plants and plants like Anubis, Java Fern, Java Moss.... that get their nutrients from the water column. For these, modest ferts in the water are the ticket.

Now here again, we get into the 'mystery' of fertilization balance relative to light and CO2...as in low tech (less light and little/no CO2) plants require little ferts, but don't grow as fast. And in many ways, healthy, but slow growing plants are nice in that little maintenance is required to keep a nice looking aquascape. I migrated to a somewhat 'medium tech' by adding DIY CO2, and a bit more light and ferts...but I find I have to get in there about every other week and do trimming and/or replanting.

I've attached a photo of my 60g (silica [pool filter] sand substrate) that uses both Flourish Root Tabs as well as modest fert dosing (Easy Green [2 pumps] and Flourish Comp [1 capful] weekly). But I also have [way too] many fish as this inadvertently became a grow out tank for several broods of fish all born here. So, there is a large bio load 'feeding' the system.


----------



## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

He's right about picking the right kinds of plants. If you're committed to using just Osmocote root tabs and pfs some experimentation with different plants will be required. Crypts, swords, wisteria, vals, and water sprite handle this setup well IME.


----------

