Description
Item: 1 x 00 sized root tab. Made from an imported osmocote not found in New Zealand. This particular type is used on international plant forums by top aquascapers and hobbyists overseas. It is different to the osmocote you will find in Bunnings, Mitre 10 or any garden shop in New Zealand due to fact it contains the aqueous soluble version of iron known as Iron chelate, as opposed to the insoluble form of iron present in normal terrestrial garden osmocote. It is aquarium safe and tested by many. A cheaper alternative to Seachem or API root tabs.
Directions: Place one under directly under or next to every root feeding plant. Be sure to place them deep into the substrate so they don’t leach into the water column. Will not harm any fish or aquatic life but will create a little unwanted algae if the root ball substance clouds up the water column with excess nutrients. They are for the roots only so it’s a good idea if your substrate is between 5-10cm deep.
Benefits: Your crypts, swords, lotus and all other heavy root feeding plants will grow much faster, bigger and become healthier. If sufficient nutrients is not provided for these types of plants they will often stay small unless sufficient nutrients is provided from other sources.
It is recommended that you give your swords, crypts, lotus, and any other plant that produces large root systems a root tab about once a year unless your substrate is nutrient rich like daltons aquatic mix for example. But even that will need “recharging” after about a year as it does get exhausted of nutrients as the plants feed off the substrate.
We also recommend using root balls or tabs when using substrates like Seachem Flourite or Eco-Complete, as even though these substrates are designed for use with plants, they do not come rich in nutrients from the shop, therefore, need to be “charged up”, as the reason they are made for plants is due to their ability to store nutrients for the plants to absorb slowly. Daltons aquatic mix can also “store” nutrients as it is a clay based substrate and clay along with many other volcanic substrates has a relatively high CEC rating. Substrates such as silica sand do not have the ability to store nutrients, therefore we don’t recommend silica as a substrate unless it is coarse grade silica, like a river sand for example, which is not very fine, but more like a small rounded pebble. It is important that the substrate can “breath” in order to let aerobic bacteria thrive hence why fine silica is not the best choice although that does not mean you cannot use it of course.
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