# Soil enrichment



## Barbara Turner (15 Oct 2018)

Hi All
I've been running my aquascape for a while and wondering what the best way to help some of the stem plants get more / better nutrients. In particular my ludwigia repens.

I'm running full EI with co2 injection, but wondering what I can do to improve the substrate.  I've changed my mind a few times and moved  the plants arround and they have ended up growing  in fine quartz sand.

what's the best to boost the soil without ripping all the plants out and replacing it..  I haven't yet got to the point where I want to rescape.

Option 1
Buy a bag of ADA Aquasoil Amazonia or similar and sprinkle onto  top, mixing where possible

Option 2
Buy root tabs or I read somewhere you could freeze osmocote pink in too small blocks and insert arround plants.

Option 3
Make up some home made clay ballls from  Montmorillonite Clay and powdered seaweed,  I'm not sure if there available commercially..

Thanks in advance

B


----------



## Edvet (15 Oct 2018)

Barbara Turner said:


> best way to help some of the stem plants get more / better nutrients.


Column dosing. It's easy for plants to take up nutrients through their leaf, substrate nutrients are (only) good if you are inconsistent with column dosing


----------



## Jayefc1 (15 Oct 2018)

Can't just sprinkle ada as it will leach ammonia won't it root tabs are a good option for some extra help as edvet says dosing the water column is best


----------



## micheljq (15 Oct 2018)

Osmocote or similar product, you put the beads in a gel cap and put deep in substrate.  It's slow release.

I did begin using Miracle Gro, shake & feed in gel cap in my area.  I will see how my crypts wendtii respond.

If you can spare the money ADA multi bottom is made especially for this.  I am using it for my crypts balansae and they respond well.

Michel.


----------



## Barbara Turner (15 Oct 2018)

micheljq said:


> ADA multi bottom



 The  Ada multi bottom long do look good, but your right about being expensive.. there over £30 when you include postage.

Does anyone know What's in the Ada multi bottom root tabs.

*Terrestrial plants*

*Osmocote® Smart-Release® Plant Food Plus Outdoor & Indoor Formula*
Total Nitrogen(N)†15%
8.4% Ammoniacal Nitrogen
6.6% Nitrate Nitrogen
Available Phosphate(P205)†9%
Soluble Potash(K20)†12%
Magnesium(Mg)†1.3%
0.9% Water Soluble Magnesium (Mg)
Sulfer(S)†6.0%
Boron(B)†0.02%
Copper(Cu)0.05%
Iron(Fe)†0.05%
0.09% Water Soluble Iron (Fe)
0.01% Chelated Iron (Fe)
Manganese(Mn)†0.06%
Molybdenum(Mo)†0.02%
Zinc(Zn)†0.05%
*
Miracle grow all purpose*
Total Nitrogen (N) (24%),
Ammoniacal Nitrogen (3.5%),
Urea Nitrogen (20.5%),
Available Phosphate (P2O5) (8%),
 Soluble Potash (K2O) (16%),
Boron (B) (0.02%),
Copper (Cu) (0.07%),
Water Soluble Copper (Cu) (0.07%),
Iron (Fe) (0.15%),
Chelated Iron (Fe) (0.15%),
Manganese (Mn) (0.05%),
Chelated Manganese (Mn) (0.05%),
Molybdenum (Mo) (0.0005%),
 Zinc (Zn) (0.06%),
Water Soluble Zinc (Zn) (0.06%).

_*Root tabs*_

*Dennerle PowerTabs*
1.8 % N total nitrogen;
2.5 % K2O total potassium oxide,
1.2 % water-soluble potassium oxide,
2.37 % Fe total iron,
0.0067 % water-soluble iron;
0.023% Mn total manganese
 72 % bentonite
2.06 % K2O total magnesium oxide,
26.6 % organic matter;
 0.21 % P2O5 phosphate
0.0037 % B boron
0.0022 % Cu copper
0.0008 % Mo molybdenum
0.0068 % Zn

*API Root tabs*
Total Nitrogen (N) 3.0%
2.13% water insoluble nitrogen
0.53% other water soluble nitrogen
0.34% urea nitrogen
Available Phosphate (P2O5) 1.0%
Soluble Potash (K2O) 1.0%
Iron (Fe) 5.0%
[5% Chelated Iron (Fe)]


*
Sea Chem flourish tabs Amounts per 1 g*
Total Nitrogen (N) 0.28%
Available Phosphate (P2O5) 0.17%
Soluble Potash (K2O) 0.16%
Calcium (Ca) 14.9%
Magnesium (Mg) 0.06%
Sulfur (S) 12.2%
Boron (B) 0.029%
Chlorine (Cl) 0.55%
Cobalt (Co) 0.001%
Copper (Cu) 0.001%
Iron (Fe) 2.2%
Manganese (Mn) 0.23%
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.0009%
Sodium (Na) 0.14%
Zinc (Zn) 0.0024%


*THRIVECAPS  PREMIUM ROOT *
Total Nitrogen(N)...................2.57%
Available Phosphate(P2O5).......1.69%
Soluble Potash(K2O)..................10.1%
Magnesium(Mg)...........................0.40%
Sulfur(S).......................................0.31%
Boron(B)......................................0.014%
Cobalt(Co)...................................0.0006%
Copper(Cu)..................................0.0001%
Iron(Fe)........................................2.47%
Manganese(Mn)..........................0.161%
Molybdenum(Mo)........................0.00029%
Zinc(Zn).......................................0.0055%
Nickel(Ni).....................................0.00035


*TNC Plugs*
Nitrogen (N) .............15%
Phosphate (P2O5).... 9%
Potash( K2O) ...........11%
Magnesium (MgO) ...2%
Iron (Fe) ..................0.45%
Manganese (Mn) ....0.06%
Copper (Cu)........... 0.055%
Boron(B) ................0.02%
Zinc(Zn) .................0.02%
Molybdenum(Mo) ...0.02%


----------



## rebel (16 Oct 2018)

I have used multibottom and osmocote. The osmocote can float to the top and sometimes leave the blue spheres on your sub.

Otherwise results have been similar.

Some plants for example such as Erio shiga really needs root tabs regardless of other ferts but most will be ok without. If you enrich your substrate, you can make your water column more lean more like the ADA approach. Both approaches work fine.


----------



## dw1305 (16 Oct 2018)

Hi all,


Barbara Turner said:


> I'm amazed by how much the competitors vary.


I think it is because they are produced for different markets. The aquatic root tabs don't have much in the way of nutrients in them, so you don't get much bang for your buck, but you are unlikely to poison your fish.


Barbara Turner said:


> *Osmocote® Smart-Release® Plant Food Plus Outdoor & Indoor Formula*
> 
> Total Nitrogen(N)†15%
> 8.4% Ammoniacal Nitrogen
> ...



Because these are intended for pots and baskets, not aquatic use, they have a lot higher nutrient content, including a large proportion of ammoniacal nitrogen. The controlled release is dependent upon moisture and temperature, release rates are fastest under warm, wet conditions. Urea is metabolised to ammonia by plants and micro-organism with the <"urease enzyme">.

As long as you are aware of this you can use them, but with the proviso that you need to add them *very sparingly, *and you need a large plant mass, idealy containing plants with the "aerial advantage".

cheers Darrel


----------



## Barbara Turner (16 Oct 2018)

I agree with your comment


dw1305 said:


> very sparingly



There going to dissolve a lot faster underwater rather than sat in a pot plant, adding large amounts of ammonia might be beneficial for the plants but could be disastrous to the fish/shrimps.
Burying them deep in the substrate is going to slow down the release but you really don't want to add lots at the same time.

(unless you're setting up  a new tank and cycling it, fish free)

You don't get very much for your money with the commercially available root tabs, and these are the companies that declare what is in them. 

The profit margin must be crazy when you think how little we pay for EI salts, mix in + 70% bentonite or Montmorillonite Clay and buy a pill press, a polymer coating might take some research to slow down the release.


----------



## roadmaster (16 Oct 2018)

Have used the Osmocote prills and found that they are best sprinkled on thin layer of soil or sand on very bottom of tank(so prill's don't roll about) ,and then covered with dirt and capped with sand or fine gravel.
A little of the stuff goes a long way.I sprinkled 1/2 measured cup over fine soil  on very bottom of 300 litre tank,covered this with more dirt/clay mix,and capped it all with fine sand like blasting media.
Even buried deep,such as I did,,the stuff does not lend itself to the uprooting or moving about of plants Works best as described rather than trying to insert the stuff mid depth's.
Have frozen the prills in ice tray and pushed em deep near large sword and.crypt plants and tried very hard not to disturb the area any further.


----------



## dw1305 (16 Oct 2018)

Hi all,





Barbara Turner said:


> The profit margin must be crazy when you think how little we pay for EI salts, mix in + 70% bentonite or Montmorillonite Clay and buy a pill press, a polymer coating might take some research to slow down the release.


I think you are right, the clay based tabs will be cheaper to manufacture than the resin coated controlled release fertilisers, but the companies that produce them don't have the same economies of scale as the big fertiliser companies (Fisons, Yara etc.).

We have a few threads about <"DIY fertiliser tabs">.

I'm a pretty shoddy aquarist, so I use the approach detailed here: <"Is this hobby...">

cheers Darrel


----------

