# DIY ROOT TABS



## dean (1 Sep 2015)

Hi all
Hope this is in the right place
I want to try and make some root tabs 
I've ordered the 00 size gel capsules and I've found this fertiliser in the shed
Is it ok to use ?


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## ian_m (1 Sep 2015)

No ammoniacal nitrogen is ammonium nitrate and toxic to fish.

However in small quantities ie Tropica is ok'ish in small quantities and maybe ok under substrate provided you dont expose it majorly when fiddling with your substrate.


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## dean (1 Sep 2015)

Thank you Ian 
Any ideas of a particular brand that can be used


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## flygja (2 Sep 2015)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you need the slow release type terrestrial fertilisers? Else it'd just leach completely into the water column. Don't know if the substrate can lock it in quick enough? Most people seem to use Osmocote Plus, which is a slow release fertiliser with NPK + some micros.


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## ian_m (2 Sep 2015)

flygja said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you need the slow release type terrestrial fertilisers?


Yes and no. Some people put a layer of ferts right under their substrate so it ends being slow release anyway.

To use slow release Osmocote (which does have ammonium in ammonium citrate) freeze some of it with water in ice cube trays and push the frozen cubes under the substrate. Done.


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## zozo (2 Sep 2015)

You could also look in the pond section of the shops for the clay fertilizer balls for pond plants.  They are rather large, but if you keep 'm somewhat wet for a while in a closed canister they get soft, after all it's clay. And than you can roll smaller pills from them and leave them to dry again. Ponds fertilizer in general follow the same content criterium and the sticky clay doesn't fall apart so easily and there for slowly releases the ferts into the soil.


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## dw1305 (2 Sep 2015)

Hi all, 





zozo said:


> the clay fertilizer balls for pond plants


I've used "Growmore" (which Dean already has) in DIY clay root tabs.

Details in this thread <"Best root tabs.....">. If you want harder pellets you can bake the clay balls in an oven.

cheers Darrel


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## dean (2 Sep 2015)

So what's the best way forward 
Use the gel capsules I've got 
Or use the soil or clay ?


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## zozo (2 Sep 2015)

What's the best? Thats always the 1 milion dollar question.  It's a matter of preference and experience. i never used anything else than clay balls the last 25 years i was more into ponds then aquariums. In ponds the clay balls are common practice. I see no issues why they would be bad for aquarium plants.. till now i have no bad experience with them. I would say give it a try, you do not need any extra capsules or what so ever just roll your pills rather small and see the effect before you add more or roll bigger pills the next time..  Actualy cant be more convinient. Only need to be very quick when you use tweezers to place them, because they tend to get sticky in the water. Holding them to long they will stick to the tweezers.. 

I use these
http://www.velda.nl/files/image/products/fot_prods/growth+balls.png


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## dean (2 Sep 2015)

I've not seen these in the UK 
I will search now 
Thank you


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## zozo (2 Sep 2015)

Just hop in to a pond shop, they probably have them.. Used different brands and never realy noticed a big difference.. So it doesn't need to be Velda, it was the first pic i could find.. 

and as Darrel said bake 'm a little. Thats a very good idea.. Than they release even slower..


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## flygja (4 Sep 2015)

ian_m said:


> To use slow release Osmocote (which does have ammonium in ammonium citrate) freeze some of it with water in ice cube trays and push the frozen cubes under the substrate. Done.



I agree that this is easier than using gel caps. Gel caps have a lot of air in them and tend to be floaty and difficult to insert properly, even if you stuff them completely with ferts.


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## Edvet (4 Sep 2015)

I use those calyballs from Velda too now and then. Do these have any macro ferts too? I know swords and lillies like them, but clay helps binding ferts and hase some micronutrients, but macro's?


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## zozo (4 Sep 2015)

Edvet said:


> clay helps binding ferts and hase some micronutrients, but macro's?



The last bucket with 55 Velda clay balls ive bought is a few years ago, still have a few ball left.  The package doesn't realy elaborate on content other then "Blue Clay" of which i do not know the english term and it''s older name is "Calais deposite" (  Hence the name Clay?? lol).. It's an ancient blue clay deposite out of the Atlanticum ocean floor. Velda states it contains natural Trace Elements and Minerals enriched with necessary basic fertilizers. My best guess, the necessary basic ferts probably are the Macros, since its a complete fert for lillies and these are real known Nitrogen slurpers..  As are the irises they sky rocket on these balls..


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## dean (4 Sep 2015)

None in any local shops


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## dean (7 Sep 2015)

Is there an easy way to make my own clay balls ?


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## Edvet (7 Sep 2015)

Just sculptors clay can do, just not sure which varieties you can get. You can get it from the web. It can be bought in powder form too (i used it under my gravel like that). I am sure Darrel knows which are best


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## zozo (7 Sep 2015)

http://www.watergardenplants.co.uk/Super-Growth-Fertiliser-Balls-Pack-Of-10


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## dw1305 (7 Sep 2015)

Hi all, 





dean said:


> Is there an easy way to make my own clay balls


 Any clay will do, like Ed suggest you can get potter's clay ("Red Terracotta Clay") relatively cheaply.

Personally I just got some clay soil, rolled it into a ball, then flattened it out, put the "growmore" in the middle of the flat circle, folded the sides in, and rolled the ball up again. Once the ball was formed I just left them in the sun for a week or so to dry out, then I used them.  I also  had a go at baking them in the oven. 

Our garden is quite clayey, but calcareous, so I got some mole-hill soil from the road side at <"Spye Park">, our nearest local area of acid soil.

cheers Darrel


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## zozo (7 Sep 2015)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,  Any clay will do, like Ed suggest you can get potter's clay ("Red Terracotta Clay") relatively cheaply.
> 
> Personally I just got some clay soil, rolled it into a ball, then flattened it out, put the "growmore" in the middle of the flat circle, folded the sides in, and rolled the ball up again. Once the ball was formed I just left them in the sun for a week or so to dry out, then I used them.  I also  had a go at baking them in the oven.
> 
> ...



Actualy got me thinking here.  I remember buying me small bag of "special soil for water lillie" in the pond shop. Now i see it's also Velda's.. anyway i remeber it as quite sticky and easily rolled into balls. It contains Peat and Blue clay. No idea actualy how this would work out as fert balls for aquarium with the peat.
http://www.bradshawsdirect.co.uk/velda-lelite-water-lily-soil-10-litres
They sell the whole velda collection even the clay balls by the bucket with 55 balls..
http://www.bradshawsdirect.co.uk/brand/velda/velda-super-plant-growth-balls


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## ian_m (7 Sep 2015)

Be careful as some of these clay ball substitutes do contain ammonium compounds, which may not be a serious issue in large pond but maybe a the much smaller volume of a planted tank.


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## zozo (7 Sep 2015)

Sure ian_m good thing to point that out. Always be causious and also depends on you plant mass and if the like to soil feed.. i got a lilly in the tank and she needs extra.. Enchinodorus, zosterfolia h. and staurogyne r. also likes some.. 

Im using this on my 160 liter pond and in my 42 liter aquarium .. 

In the tank since the dry start added some to the substrate. Regularly check amonia never had issues, tropica PG contains more because the test reacts with a slight color change on that instead.

but i'm still causious like always there fore i'll show you my pill box with Velda Clay Balls..  With a small piece of 6/4mm tube as size comparison, rolled 5 to 8 mm balls, the biggest balls in there go to the lilly or the enchi.. Used about 10 pills from march till now. Thats 5 at the drystart en added 5 more over the months next to the water collum ferts.




 

For me this is a safe size to use, never measure any amonium if i dont use tropica PG..


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## Edvet (7 Sep 2015)

(i just used 5 XXL balls at the base of my nymphaea's yesterday)


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## ian_m (7 Sep 2015)

zozo said:


> Regularly check amonia never had issues


Be careful as most dechlorinators, even after many days, react with ammonia test kits to give zero reading.


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## zozo (7 Sep 2015)

ian_m said:


> Be careful as most dechlorinators, even after many days, react with ammonia test kits to give zero reading.



If we had some in our water i maybe could support your statment.. But we don't as far as i know, so i can only take your word for it..


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## dean (7 Sep 2015)

zozo said:


> If we had some in our water i maybe could support your statment.. But we don't as far as i know, so i can only take your word for it..



Do you have your own water supply ?

Our mains water has all sorts of chemicals in it


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## zozo (7 Sep 2015)

dean said:


> Do you have your own water supply ?
> 
> Our mains water has all sorts of chemicals in it



From the southern part of the Netherlands, nowadays we get our water from the german Eifel, no chlorine nor other chemicals. (Das Deutsche Reinheidsgebot ). Pretty clean and soft, goes straight from the tap in the tank and the fish love it. Like they take a shower in it when i do a WC. Already for years and never an issue what so ever. I feel lucky with that and have lots of respect for you guys having all the hassle with water quality i only knew from 30 years ago when we still had horrible water from beneath a local marl deposite. But we al had very strong bones those days..


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## dan4x4 (22 Jan 2016)

Can I ask if there is some before and after pictures? I recently bought some root tabs from sachem. don't want to have to keep buying these as it would get expensive. Also where i live, the ground has a clay base so I could just dig it out of my garden and see what happens.


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## dean (17 Mar 2016)

I sort of bottled out of making my own 
I bought some of the Dutch balls instead 
Sorry I never took any pics 


Regards
Dean


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## dan4x4 (18 Mar 2016)

I have set up a walstad tank sine this post so no worries 

although I didn't use clay in substrate will consider it if I run into any issues, Im into 3rd or 4th week now though and starting to see good growth so not worry about it all.


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## dean (31 Mar 2016)

Did you use any ferts in the substrate dan4x4


Regards
Dean


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