Hello. I am looking into making my own root tabs with Osmocote Plus and 00 gelatin capsules. I was just curious if anyone had any idea how many gel capsules 1 pound of the osmocote will fill?
Making my own root tabs, figuring out how much of what I need to buy.
- Thread starter OliveFish05
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I planned on using the Osmocote Plus Indoor Outdoor Slow/Controlled Release ones. Supposedly, according to the articles and listings I have read, they have high iron and promote the red colors in plants while being completely aquarium safe and used by many. Are we potentially thinking about a different variety of Osmocote? Such as the vegetable ones vs the indoor outdoor one?
In addition to what Byron wrote, gel capsules dissolve pretty quickly in water and release the nutrients in a sudden burst. If you want to use terrestrial plant fertilisers in an aquarium, use them in a pot or plastic container to stop the nutrients leaching into the water.
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GROWING PLANTS IN POTS.
We use to grow plants in 1 or 2 litre plastic icecream containers. You put an inch of gravel in the bottom of the container, then spread a thin layer of granulated garden fertiliser over the gravel. Put a 1/4inch (6mm) thick layer of red/ orange clay over the fertiliser. Dry the clay first and crush it into a powder. Then cover that with more gravel.
You put the plants in the gravel and as they grow, their roots hit the clay and fertiliser and they take off and go nuts. The clay stops the fertiliser leaching into the water.
You can smear silicon on the outside of the buckets and stick gravel or sand to them so it is less conspicuous. Or you can let algae grow on them and the containers turn green.
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GROWING PLANTS IN POTS.
We use to grow plants in 1 or 2 litre plastic icecream containers. You put an inch of gravel in the bottom of the container, then spread a thin layer of granulated garden fertiliser over the gravel. Put a 1/4inch (6mm) thick layer of red/ orange clay over the fertiliser. Dry the clay first and crush it into a powder. Then cover that with more gravel.
You put the plants in the gravel and as they grow, their roots hit the clay and fertiliser and they take off and go nuts. The clay stops the fertiliser leaching into the water.
You can smear silicon on the outside of the buckets and stick gravel or sand to them so it is less conspicuous. Or you can let algae grow on them and the containers turn green.
There is very little difference in the different types of Osmocote slow release garden fertilisers. The main difference is in the amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium in the fertiliser.
The green leafy vegetables get more nitrogen to encourage leaf growth.
Fruit and flowering plants get more potassium to encourage fruit and flowers.
Root vegetables get more phosphorus to encourage root growth.
Indoor plant fertilisers usually have more nitrogen.
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I believe the gel capsule are to contain it so you can get it into the substrate all in one piece. If they are slow release and buried underneath the plants (I use sand) is this an issue? Don’t the plants use up the nutrients and such that the Osmocote releases before it even gets into the water column?
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How to use osmocote for substrate in planted aquarium
Fresh aquasoil such as ADA aquasoil contain high amounts of ammonia. This is very effective for plant growth, however, it does deplete over time. Spiking the substrate with root fertilizers such as osmocote is an easy way to enrich aquasoil with nutrients.
www.2hraquarist.com
I read this article (among others). Does this make any valid points?
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I’ve been using Seachem Flourish Tabs for my Amazon swords but it messes with the color of the sand after a while. They are also not very affordable. Do you have any suggestions for better options?
I bought slow release osmocote to try in my tanks years ago. It was little balls of osmocote in a clear capsule like in picture below. I dont' believe they dissolved. I kept finding the little balls throught my tank for months...at first I though they were eggs. No luck with using it for me.
I know there are varying opinions on most everything, but there is also some scientific basis for many things. Terrestrial plants need a very different proportion of nutrients than aquatic plants. Nitrate is one example. All plants obviously need nitrate, but terrestrial plants use nitrates from the soil exclusively, aquatic plants do not; they use ammonia/ammonium. They will not take up nitrate unless the ammonia/ammonium is exhausted (unlikely in most of our tanks with fish present and organic waste) and then only with adequate nutrients (the other 16) available, and provided light is sufficient intensity to drive photosynthesis. It is a proven fact that using osmocote with its high nitrate (useless to the plants) and high phosphorus (there is more than sufficient from fish foods) can cause issues of problem algae. Plus, all that nitrate is not good for fish.
Another fact...aquatic plants prefer leaf uptake of nitrogen (ammonia/ammonium). They do not take it up via the roots.
Yes, there will be those who use it anyway, and cite YouTube videos posted by half-baked idiots. Facts are facts, whether they deny them or not. Lots of people smoke in spite of the serious risk...that doesn't make them more intelligent than those of us who do not.
Another fact...aquatic plants prefer leaf uptake of nitrogen (ammonia/ammonium). They do not take it up via the roots.
Yes, there will be those who use it anyway, and cite YouTube videos posted by half-baked idiots. Facts are facts, whether they deny them or not. Lots of people smoke in spite of the serious risk...that doesn't make them more intelligent than those of us who do not.
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I have always heard Swords are heavy root feeders. Do you have any recommendations for a different root supplement type fertilizer? There are most likely different products here in the US though.
In a lightly stocked tank (such as a 20 gallon with a single pleco and some Pygmy cories) would this be different as there is not as much ammonia being produced?
I am trying to understand, I don’t want it to seem like i am looking for a loop hole or arguing
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I have heard they are little plastic balls with the fertilizer on them. That is probably what you were findingI bought slow release osmocote to try in my tanks years ago. It was little balls of osmocote in a clear capsule like in picture below. I dont' believe they dissolved. I kept finding the little balls throught my tank for months...at first I though they were eggs. No luck with using it for me.
I guess... and they were a pain to remove
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I bet
I keep a small sifter by my tanks most of the time. Small rocks show up all the time lol.
I have used seachem root tabs in the past. I would break one tablet into 2 or 3 piecs and place them near the base of plants. I only have anubias now so no need for root tabs, just occasionally add seachem comprehensive and seachem trace elements.
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