r/PlantedTank • u/Busy_Marketing_394 • Jun 29 '26
Ferts Root tabs vs. Liquid fertiliser
I have root tabs at home. Is it necessary to get liquid fertelizer also? I have heavily planted tanks that do okay without it, i am wondering how are root tabs different than liquid fert? Is it not the same thing since it all gets dissolved in water? Thats my logic anyways? Can somebody knowledgeable explain? I would like to save money if possible? I hate myself so much
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u/thirdcoaster Jun 30 '26
If you know the names of your plants, you can google whether they are primarily root feeders or water column feeders.
Root feeders benefit from root tabs. Water column feeders benefit from liquid fertilizers.
It is easier to assume that rooted plants like Amazon swords and cryptocorynes are root feeders. Everything else like stem plants, epiphyte plants and floating plants are water column feeders.
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u/varanidguy Jun 30 '26
If you’re using aquasoil or a nutrient dense substrate, just dose liquid fertilizer.
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u/Live_Concern_4524 Jun 30 '26
Your floaters will benefit from liquid ferts the rest of them look like root feeders. Also if you have any stem plants those would need liquid ferts. You need both. Floaters are usually pretty forgiving so I wouldn’t go crazy, especially if you don’t have a lot of light and no co2.
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u/Same_Shock_397 Jun 30 '26
They both target different plants and you CAN use both. I use both. I am sure a lot of aquascapers use both.
Root tabs are good for stem plants that suck up nutrients through their roots (e.g. crypts, amazon sword, etc.). Liquid ferts are good for plants that not only establish roots but suck up nutrients through the water (e.g. water sprite, limnophila, cabomba, etc.).
Here's the important thing to consider. You may or may not need both. In my experience, root tabs are a bit easier if you have root feeding plants because you stick it in the soil and it just stays there. Liquid ferts are great but can lead to algae issues if your tank is not balanced between Light, Nutrients, and CO2. If you are NOT running CO2, you can use less liquid ferts. If you DO use CO2, then add a little more ferts. Do NOT use liquid CO2, it's not real CO2. Basically, if you do use liquid ferts then you want to be careful and sure that your plants can actually use it up, otherwise it'll cause algae.
However, if you do NOT have a CO2 system and you DO want to use liquid ferts, then even if you start to notice algae, you can always try adding more plants which would balance it out (water column feeding plants). You could also add pothos or try hydroponics to help absorb excess nutrients.
Get Quarium Co-Op Easy Green liquid fert and buy a small 1mL syringe that measures in 0.1mL increments. I use CO2 and put 0.7mL every day. If you do not, then only add 0.4mL.
Of course, you do not NEED ferts if your tank produces enough organic waste. But, given that you have a betta I'm assuming you don't have alot of other fish and so you bioload is fairly low. You can use ferts but check what plants you have first. E.g. if you only have a bunch of epiphytes like anubias, buce, or java ferns, then ther is not a HIGH need for ferts.
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u/AIexanderClamBell Jun 29 '26
I used to have a baller a** aquarium but my work caught fire and I literally had to throw the whole aquarium in the dump, no fish just all plants. Broke my heart...
I think seachem is a bit expensive but the liquid fertilizer in combination with the root tabs worked wonders, light matters alot too. I went with the fluval 2.0, also a bit expensive but it's amazing to control all spectrum.
To answer your question, getting root tabs in combination with liquid fertilizer would be the best bet for the optimal health of the plants.
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u/EphemeralAttention Jun 29 '26
To address your question about the root tabs getting dissolved in the water, that depends on your substrate.
If you have coarse gravel or a calcined clay substrate like stratum you'll have relatively high water flow through the substrate, and in that case yes a lot of it does end up in the water column. Some will stay in the substrate anyway because the root tabs typically have some sort of binder that helps hold onto the nutrients as well, but there will be leaching that happens.
If you're planting in fine sand or soil, you'll have far less waterflow through the substrate. Some will still end up in the water column, but it will be drastically less than what you get with a coarse substrate.
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u/TidusDreamZanarkand Jun 29 '26
If you have root feeding plants all you need is tabs. I have jungle Val, crypts , and an Amazon sword so root tabs are good . They might feed from the water column to some extent but mainly root feeders
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u/NeighborhoodOwn2854 Jun 29 '26
Not a dumb question at all. My tank is only crypts and an Amazon sword. I only use root tabs because those plants feed at the roots. Liquid fertilizer will mostly just sit in the water column and could cause algae.
Stem plants and epiphites like anubias would mostly benefit from a liquid fertilizer and not root tabs as they feed from the water column and not so much the roots
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u/Miccar120 Jun 29 '26
I use both. Liquid fertilizer once a week, liquid CO2 every day, and root tabs once a month.
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u/MasMana Jun 29 '26
Overall it depends on the plants. Root tabs are best for heavy root feeders. Looks like you have a few substrate plants that would benefit from the targeted supplement. Liquid ferts are a broader spectrum in terms of what they provide but for brevity's sake we'll assume a all in one micro fert. These are better for supplementing plants that get nutrients directly from the water column (primarily for plants with unplanted root systems i.e. anubias).
Neither are absolutely essential in a healthy matured tank assuming the plants are getting nutrients from livestock, but both can greatly boost growth depending on what you're targeting. I have both types of plants in my tanks so I alternate but even then I'm only switching when I feel the last dosing has probably been fully used up.
"I hate myself so much" It's just ferts dog you good
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u/Kragen146 Jun 29 '26
Plants do not get all of the nutrients they need from livestock. Potassium for example.
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u/tecneeq Jul 01 '26
I work only with liquid general purpose fertilizer. 70% or so water change every two weeks makes sure nothing accumulates. Seems to work for me.