# Any diy root tabs?



## john6 (23 Mar 2022)

I dont have a soil substrate, just sand so i was told i need root tabs, are there any 'recipes' i can use to make my own? I have empty capsules i can use.


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## Hanuman (23 Mar 2022)

What about using osmocote?


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## john6 (23 Mar 2022)

Hanuman said:


> What about using osmocote?


Never heard of it, i am new to all this planted stuff


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## Hufsa (23 Mar 2022)

Theres no guarantee you need root tabs in my opinion, ive been fairly successful in growing plants in just plain sand.
I would be careful with many of the root tabs of the osmocote and lookalike variety, sometimes they dont work out exactly how we wish them to..


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## ceg4048 (24 Mar 2022)

john6 said:


> I dont have a soil substrate, just sand so i was told i need root tabs, are there any 'recipes' i can use to make my own? I have empty capsules i can use.


I agree with Hufsa, in that no one necessarily "needs" root tabs as long as the water column is being dosed. Of course, it's always better to have nutrition in both the water as well as in the sediment, but as mentioned, root tabs often contains ammonia as their source of nitrogen and if the sediment is disturbed, or if the tab is not properly submerged in the sediment they can leach ammonia into the water.

Cheers,


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## dean (31 Mar 2022)

If you are a complete novice 
Plants can take nutrients out of the water so adding fertilisers inti the water is probably the easiest and most common way of feeding aquatic plants 

It’s completely different to terrestrial plants who mostly get their food from the soil they grow in (there are a few exceptions to this) 
So we a use to seeing fertilisers that you add to the soil (substrate) 

Have a look at getting Ei fertilisers 
There’s lots of threads on here that I’m sure someone can point you towards 

Don’t panic it very simple to do 


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