The Planted Tank Forum banner

Best root tabs?

68K views 49 replies 32 participants last post by  Discusluv  
#1 ·
Okay, so I have a sand substrate, and to give my plants an extra boost I wish to give them some root tabs, what's the best in yalls opinion? I've heard of...
Flourish Tabs
DIY Root tabs
Seachmen root tabs
Jungle Val root tabs

Someone told me the Seachmen are the worst and the DIY probably cost more to make than to just go out and buy some. Is this true?:bounce:
 
#3 ·
Seachem tabs and flourish are the same thing... and I have never heard of "jungle val root tabs".... My brand(rootmedic) aside, you missed several others--pfertz, ferka, Tropica, nutrafin, aquariumplants.com, aquariumfertilzer.com, aquabotanic.com...

I won't offer my opinion, as it should seem obvious, but I think you will find that from forum to forum and from person to person, they will have very different opinions. People tend to be passionate only about the things they spend money on...

My recommendation, try some out and see how they work for you.
 
#14 ·
Okay, so I have a sand substrate, and to give my plants an extra boost I wish to give them some root tabs, what's the best in yalls opinion? I've heard of...
Flourish Tabs
DIY Root tabs
Seachmen root tabs
Jungle Val root tabs

Someone told me the Seachmen are the worst and the DIY probably cost more to make than to just go out and buy some. Is this true?:bounce:
i would rather buy it from over_stocked

you can get 75 root tabs for $21 and this will last you for year and half.
 
#16 ·
I like to spread them out more than most. So anything that's in a tablet allows me to break it up in to 3-4 pieces so the nutrients aren't so localized. I have Seachem & Pfertz. In my 90g I'm using some capsules from Ferka that GLA carries and they work great under some hungry plants. Tried those in my 3g and couldn't keep them in the shallow substrate.
 
#18 ·
I have been using Sea Chem for years and have had no complaints at all. Find they work well...I can usually get 40 tabs for roughly $20.00.... give or take a couple bucks. I really only use them for my swords and crypts so I don't really go through that many. When I do use them I find it is only a matter of days and the swords are sending up flower stems.
 
#23 ·
hahaha Dax! The palm formula has been mumbled / whispered about for years.

Last thread I remember reading about 2 weeks after chopping up and placing the spikes the OP did a re-scape moving rooted plants. Without knowing it they uncovered several of these then wondered why they had a parameter spike. Buried deep many have had good results using these with sand too.
 
#25 ·
Okay I will come out of the closet too. I spiked my 180 gallon tank with Jobe's that weren't even the palm food formula 2 months ago and so far no 4 eyed fish or purple algae or anything. Used a whole package broken into 1/3s and they were pushed to the bottom of the tank.
 
#28 ·
i have used rootmedic, Seachem, diy Osmocote plus, to be honest i "feel" they are the same. I myself make diy osmocote plus to use and giving free, it's much better price/performance for long run, one bottle of osmocote can make... "lots" of root tab, and they work as good as any brand name.
i bought osmocote plus bottle around $20, dont remember exactly how much for the gel cap, i would say $10 or $15 for 1000 or so, total cost around $30+, you literally have unlimited access to root tab....