# Root tabs how long before they work ?



## vinniemabuna (Oct 20, 2006)

Hi, I bought root tabs from a vendor on here, I have them in about a week, I dont see any positive changes in my plants yet. I put a few osmocote plus tabs in about a month ago I saw that these vendor tabs are very good but I dont see much improvement in my plants. does it sometimes take a while before they work ?


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## Jorge_Burrito (Nov 10, 2010)

Definitely give it some time, I would say a month or so. Also you need to be realistic about what you expect to see. Most aquatic plants once damaged can't repair themselves. Instead you should be looking to see healthier, more frequent, new growth. This will take awhile to show up. Also root tabs will predominately only help with heavy root feeders like crypts and swords, most of your stem plants and such they have no effect on.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

They're not magic... It takes time and it also depends on the entire gammut of features in your tank: light, co2, other fertlizers, water params. IF you don't have enough light, have too much light, or too little co2, you can add all the root tabs in the world and they won't change anything. 

Not knowing what plants you have means we have no idea what kind of reaction they might have. 

As for root tabs only helping "heavy root feeders".... This is nonsense. All plants have roots and anything in the substrate will benefit from a nutrient rich substrate of any kind, be it RootCaps, ADA, or other nutrient rich soils like MTS.


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## Jorge_Burrito (Nov 10, 2010)

OverStocked said:


> As for root tabs only helping "heavy root feeders".... This is nonsense. All plants have roots and anything in the substrate will benefit from a nutrient rich substrate of any kind, be it RootCaps, ADA, or other nutrient rich soils like MTS.


If you are talking about plants that feed primarily from the water column (and if you are dosing the water column), I personally have not seen a difference in these plants from adding root tabs. Maybe if you are not dosing the water column it will be more apparent. Certainly you would agree that if you are looking for improvements in your plants as a result of adding root tabs it will be far more apparent in root feeders.


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## HolyAngel (Oct 18, 2010)

Woah, definitely not a month or so, the tabs/capsules will start breaking down as soon as they're in the water and start leeching nutrients around them within 24hrs. It should only take about a week for the plant roots to reach and use them and for sure for you to notice that theyre working. they should last a good two to three months depending on how heavy a root feeder you have on top of them.


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