Root tabs

[eminor]

I once bought osmocote for aquarium on aliexpress, i've seen no result at all. I recently bought osmocote from a famous brand in my country which use a special kind of osmocote, there is 2 kind of pellets, one kind are covered like regular osmocote i think (yellow color) , other form is faster release form (white color). the white is supposed to deliver nutrients fast, i thinks it's for plant that suffer from deficiency. I have little doubt about osmocote for aquarium because they contain almost nothing, i doubt they would last long

I used some in my nephew tank, in a week ammania gracilis grow 2 inches without co2, the plant is now above the water level, i hope i'll get the same result.

 

[erwin123]

I used some in my nephew tank, in a week ammania gracilis grow 2 inches without co2, the plant is now above the water level, i hope i'll get the same result.

I prefer A. Gracilis and A.Senegalensis to remain small.... I had to remove them because they grew way too big when CO2 is added. 🙂

Looks like the osmocote technology is licensed to various companies in different countries - the exact nutrient ratios they use may not be exactly the same as the US version - to take into account differences in soil conditions and what plants are commonly grown in that country I guess.

I would want to be careful with the Osmocote quick release pellets. If the tank is densely planted, thats fine, otherwise may need to do occasional Ammonia tests to protect the livestock?

 

[sparkyweasel]

Osmocote is the brand, they make several different controlled release ferts, with different NPK ratios and many of them are available with a choice of release rates.

 

[FISHnLAB]

What do you guys think of this? Many different formulations too...

RYNAN Smart Fertilizers Singapore

RYNAN Smart controlled release fertilizers are ecofriendly and specially formulated to grow healthy plants by putting less fertilizers. Better for the environment and easy to use.

rynanfertilizers.sg

 

[eminor]

look's like osmocote rebranded, don't use it if there is micronutrients in it

 

[FISHnLAB]

look's like osmocote rebranded, don't use it if there is micronutrients in it

Similar but, maybe not quite the same? I'm not quite sure. Have a look at their literature...


Trace elements appear to be just Boron and Zinc in the flower formula anyway. It's pretty cheap and seams like a descent alternative to Osmocote brand. They also have several different formulas with different release times and NPK ratios. Maybe a better option to standard Osmocote or Osmocote Plus?

 

[erwin123]

Similar but, maybe not quite the same? I'm not quite sure. Have a look at their literature...


Trace elements appear to be just Boron and Zinc in the flower formula anyway. It's pretty cheap and seams like a descent alternative to Osmocote brand. They also have several different formulas with different release times and NPK ratios. Maybe a better option to standard Osmocote or Osmocote Plus?

In the spirit of experimentation, someone needs to give this a try. 😀
I notice that it also has 'plant hormones' so you could save money by not needing to buy Seachem advance. Given that plant hormones are usually meant to encourage rooting, adding them to the substrate rather than water column seems to be preferable.
If you are only using a small amount, I won't be too anxious about TE. I have Osmocote in both the TE and non-TE formulations and I use a little bit of both.

 

[FISHnLAB]

In the spirit of experimentation, someone needs to give this a try. 😀

I just added it to the thread as another possible option as I found it in my research. I recently bought 180 x NilocG Thrive Caps to try out and still have a few API Root Tabs so I am good for a while lol. That said, I'm definitely going to be testing several different options in the future. If I get the motivation one day I might even do a proper scientific test on a few of the options.

I notice that it also has 'plant hormones' so you could save money by not needing to buy Seachem advance. Given that plant hormones are usually meant to encourage rooting, adding them to the substrate rather than water column seems to be preferable.

I only bought Seachem Advance to use for a few weeks after planting new plants as it was recommended to me by a couple of people on the forums and Cory from Aquarium Co-op uses it in all of his nurseries. I don't plan on using it long term other then when I add or top plants.

Yes, it's kind of cool this product uses plant hormones and it does seam like it would be even more effective when root dosed. That said, people like Cory, who aren't big fans of Seachem, use Advance for a reason... It works great too.

If you are only using a small amount, I won't be too anxious about TE. I have Osmocote in both the TE and non-TE formulations and I use a little bit of both.

Good to know. I will likely transition to making my own root tabs or using an Osmocoteish product long term for the savings. Thanks.