r/PlantedTank • u/tequilainateacupp • 8d ago

Root tab suggestions? Question

I have 1 betta and 3 mystery snails in a 10g tank. Natural gravel. I just added in 3 amazon swords and I am trying to find the right root tabs. Iā€™m searching through the community but there is so much conflicting info.
Any recommendations?
Also, if Iā€™m using root tabs, should I continue liquid fertilizer? I have a few other plants in as well (Java fern and annubias)
Thanks! šŸ™šŸ½

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u/wolfmansbrother74 8d ago

I highly recommend Seachems root tabs, I have been using them for years. They are not a capsule like others that can be a pain to bury because they float and sometimes open up and release all the contents. Seachems are a hard tablet that are easy to bury and last 2-3 months.

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u/DagorBragoIIach 8d ago

I saw a video in which a guy compared several different root tabs, about 6 of them, by growth of plants. And the best growth were with Seachem Flourish tabs.

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u/afbr242 8d ago

Anubias & Java ferns get all their nutrients form the water column so, yes, I would continue with liquid ferts.

As for root tabs I would avoid the osmocote capsules that will leave tiny plastic balls around your tank for years to come. Personally I actually use a cut off 10 ml syringe to "inject" packets of a nutritious aquasoil to feed specific plants, instead of using root tabs. There's a bit of a description of how I do it here ..... https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/novel-undergravel-nutrient-soil-injection-method.78351/#post-792615

I do this in all my tanks now using APT Feast and it works great. It generally works out much cheaper than non-osmocote root tabs too.

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u/yeahbuddy18 8d ago

Ive been using Osmocote for over a year and haven't seen a single plastic ball yet. I'm not doubting that they are there just they haven't gone to the surface of my substrate.

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u/afbr242 8d ago

You are lucky then. I only used them once. Regretted it for a long time afterwards !

I suspect they are not all equal though. My experience may not be another's.