Wonder-Gro plant tab fertilizer test

[Kayakbabe]

I bought into the first batch of wonder-gro root tabs and have finally gotten myself into a state where I will be home for a few months, no traveling, no business trips. So, I'm going to do the hobbiest test that I planned on in the first place. I am going to compare the well touted Wonder-gro root tabs to the ones I normally have been using. Now honestly I'm really just interested in what performs better in my tank. I don't even remember what brand of root tabs I've been buying (the plastic cylinder on the right are the ones I've been using). The last time I acutualy purchased was about a year ago. So if anyone recognizes the packaging I would be glad if you would tell me. I bought the tabs a Aquatek in Austin, TX but I don't remember what they were, the cardboard around it melted months ago.

I wanted to do an experiment to see what root tabs worked better, the ones I've been using or the ones I bought on this forum called wonder-gro.

Today, I took almost equally sized echinodorus ozeolot babies, snipped them off the mother plant and stuck them in the subtrate. I put about equal sized root tabs approximately 1 and a 1/2 inches from the stem of the plant.

I'm posting pictures so you can see what I did.

I have an encindorus ozelot which sent up flowering stems and formed baby plants. I took 2 almost the same size plants and planted them in the foreground of my tank. The wonder-gro tablets were very large, so I cut them in quarters into approximately the same size as the tablets I have been using. I pushed the 1/4 wonder gro tablets into the substrate at the same distance I pushed 2 of my normal tablets into the substrate from the baby plant.

I purposely didn't weight or measure the bits of fertilizer root tabs because I felt under everyday circumstances as a planted tank enthusiast I wouldn't do it. I also chose to use the wonder-gro on the slightly smaller plantlet as I felt that if the Wondergro was all it is supposed to be.. that it would exceed the growth on the slightly bigger plantlet (if it was a 'better' fertilizer than what I have been using).

I realize this experiment has its faults. But it is a lay experiment to compare two fertilizers in what would be my real life usage situation.

So we will see how the two root tab feritilizers compare. I plan on taking weekly pictures and posting them here.

[Kayakbabe]

A little more info...l

I will take pictures at one week intervals from the same distance so i can compare the growth of the two plantlets. The one of the left has the wonder-gro tablets, the one on the right has the tablets that I have been using. The picture posted with this message, shows the location of the camera, the camera will take a picture of the two ozelot swords in the foreground of my tank.

If anyone recognizes the container and will share the brandname, I would greatly appreciate it.

[epicfish]

Interesting test....keep us posted!

[medicineman]

Those are quite some sizeable plantlets ready to grow.

Usually the initial growth would be slow. Once they are settled with rooting system establishing, growth will start to really pick up.

Size per size comparison the fert products appears to be a fair comparison, though in the future it might actually be more economical on either side in actual due to price difference while retaining the quality expected.

Waiting patiently and eagerly for next weekly update.
Thanks for trying

[Orlando]

Hows the progress on this?

[Kayakbabe]

Sorry, I haven't posted anything on 1/27 because I've been ill. I will tell what I observed so far though and I"ll try to take pics tomorrow. On 1/27, it appeared that the plant on the unidentified root tabs had actually grown some, no new leaves, but the existing leaves got bigger. The wonder-gro plant didn't increase in size but I did notice that the wonder-gro side had 2 new small very red colored and mottled (pretty) leaves starting to grow in the center.
Today, both plants are larger and hte wonder-gro plant is catching up to the unidentified root tab plant. I wish I'd have taken pics on the schedule I planned. I'll have to take a picture tomorrow and show you.

[jinx©]

Looks like a fair test, and thanks for the update.

Hope you're feeling better.

[Orlando]

Sounds nice and fair. Are you dosing ferts into the water column as well? And lastly what method of co2 diffusion are you using in the tank. Thanks and hope you feel well.

[mrkookm]

The tabs work very well IME and yes you still dose via the water column but at reduced rate. This rate depends on how well your plants are growing in response to the amount of tabs used. The difference will be very clear to see when it kicks in so you definitely will not have to search for it . The plant response will also depend on how well our tank was before adding tabs , if you were experiencing issues before the tabs then using them will not mean the issues will go away. Tabs will not work the same for everyone because of this so don't expect a miracle.

BTW prior to Wonder-Gro, I used Ferka Stemma & Rosetta which are also very good. The plant growth is not as dramatic as Wonder-Gro's growth results but I still use both.

[Orlando]

Thanks mrkookm. I just wanted to see if there were any variables in his test. I have some of my own WG tabs. And IME they are great. I split a tank down the middle and there is a fair bit of difference from left to right. I have not dosed any fert in the water at all, as well as no co2. These things are working very well for me.

[Kayakbabe]

I've kept everything the same in my tank. About weekly I check my kH,gH,NO3,PO4, etc. and do water changes when the phosphates go over 1.5 (I like to keep it about 1.0 in my tank.. over 1.5 and I start to see algae). that ends up to a water change maybe every 3 weeks. I think it's the food I"m feeding (for the fish) that increases the phosphate (or it could be the teensy bit in the Flourish) as I top off with RO water. I keep my NO3 at 30. So I just add enough KNO3 to bring it back to about 30 ppm. When I do a water change I also toss in some Epsom salts.. for the magnesium and sulfate. I dose 1 ml daily with Flourish. I"ve been thinking about bumping this up to 2 ml as this tank is starting to look filled in with more plant growth, but not going to do so until about 3 more months go by as I wanted to keep it all the same and just compare these root tabs. My normal routine has always been to put root tabs in the substrate about 1 inch from the base of root feeding type plants about once every 3 months. They have always made a difference/improvement in the plant's growth. So, this experiment is asking the question "if I do everything the same as I normally do and just use this new root tab instead.. will it increase growth better than the old root tabs or same as the old root tabs?"
Pics coming in next post.

[Orlando]

Thanks, this will be nice to see.

[Kayakbabe]

wonder gro tab----unknown root tab

I use a ph controller to inject CO2 around the clock. In the pic you can see the bottom of a Tunze CO2 'reactor'. It uses counter cross current flow method to get the co2 dissolved.

[Orlando]

Updates?

[Robert H]

There is a much easier way to compare. A guaranteed analysis.. every mineral, nutrient, macro and minor. Does this "Wonder tablet" (I can't believe its actually named that) provide a guaranteed analysis? Seachem does. Aquarium pharm. does. Then all you have to do is compare one analysis to another. X provides 3% iron while XX provides 6% iron. X provides 8% nitrogen while XX provides 0% nitrogen. Thats the only comparison that matters. There is no magic bullets. Fertilizer is fertilizer. How else do you know what is lacking if you do not know whats in it?

Tom Barr has been saying this for years. Its the only thing I agree with him on.

I used Ferka Stemma & Rosetta which are also very good.

Another Asian product that is all hype, that gives no information about its contents. I know the company that makes it. They have sent me samples. Guaranteed analysis is a very simple scientific test. It doesn't cost much for a business to get one.