Root Tabs- Are they worth using and which ones are the best?

barbarossa4122

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Dec 29, 2009
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herns;55083 said:
Get size 00. 100 pcs for $3.99 free shipping on Ebay.

4.5 lbs of Osmocote plus will make over 1,000 root tabs!

Hi,

Do you think size 000 is too big ? Btw, 11.25 on ebay for 1000.
 

herns

Guru Class Expert
Jul 29, 2007
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it's a tedious work! You need to have a lot of patience. I made 50 tabs in less than an hour.

I made holes on both ends of empty tabs w/ a neddle so it wouldnt float. You can use a soldering gun too.
 

barbarossa4122

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Dec 29, 2009
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herns;55086 said:
it's a tedious work! You need to have a lot of patience. I made 50 tabs in less than an hour.

I made holes on both ends of empty tabs w/ a neddle so it wouldnt float. You can use a soldering gun too.

Yep, I bet it is but, I'll give it a try. I make my own home made cigarettes for $1.80/pack. ( $12.00/pack in NYC ):)
 

chad320

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Jun 1, 2010
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Did you take into consideration the amount of dissolved gelatin in your water? Im not trying to be an idiot about putting them in caps, but ive often wondered if it has any effect on your water? If someone knows or can post a link to the answer id appreciate it. I freeze mine because its faster and im scared to add that much gelatin. I even DE-capped rootmedics completes and refroze them.
 

barbarossa4122

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Dec 29, 2009
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chad320;55499 said:
Did you take into consideration the amount of dissolved gelatin in your water? Im not trying to be an idiot about putting them in caps, but ive often wondered if it has any effect on your water? If someone knows or can post a link to the answer id appreciate it. I freeze mine because its faster and im scared to add that much gelatin. I even DE-capped rootmedics completes and refroze them.

Gelatin in water? Who knows, I never heard anything bad about it. Btw, I made 100 caps Sunday in less than 1/2 an hr and I like doing it. The cost is about $ 0.03 / cap.

This is the info for the caps I bought:

Product Description
Natural capsules designed to fill any kind of medication like herbs, vitamins, and other substances. 100% HIDE GELATIN CAPSULES(100% BSE FREE).

Features
Pharmaceutical grade empty gelatin capsules derived from bovine raw materials sourced from BSE-free countries 100% HIDE gelatin derived from the skin
Kosher certified and inspected.
Halal certified and inspected
 

The Rockster

Guru Class Expert
Aug 10, 2007
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South Florida
Why use gelatin capsules in a planted tank if its not neccessary?

I too, am concerned about using gelatin capsules. Not really sure of the effects on water, would think there would be some effect, if only with the residual gelatin, affecting the TDS of the tank water.

To me its cheap, and easy to freeze Osmocote Plus in tank water. I want to keep the tank as natural as possible.
 

hbosman

Guru Class Expert
Oct 22, 2008
277
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Leesburg VA USA
The Rockster;55552 said:
I too, am concerned about using gelatin capsules. Not really sure of the effects on water, would think there would be some effect, if only with the residual gelatin, affecting the TDS of the tank water.

To me its cheap, and easy to freeze Osmocote Plus in tank water. I want to keep the tank as natural as possible.

If you do weekly water changes, I doubt that a few gelatin capsules will add much to the TDS.
 

The Rockster

Guru Class Expert
Aug 10, 2007
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South Florida
My 2 Cents

You are probably correct.
But why go thru the hassle of getting the capsules, stuffing them, when freezing them in tank water is cheaper, easier and more natural??

From here its a no brainer.
 

hbosman

Guru Class Expert
Oct 22, 2008
277
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18
Leesburg VA USA
The Rockster;55558 said:
You are probably correct.
But why go thru the hassle of getting the capsules, stuffing them, when freezing them in tank water is cheaper, easier and more natural??

From here its a no brainer.

I haven't tried it yet but, I can't imagine shoving an ice cube under a plant would be that easy. :)
 

nipat

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May 23, 2009
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hbosman;55559 said:
I haven't tried it yet but, I can't imagine shoving an ice cube under a plant would be that easy. :)

If you don't have many carpet plants or the ice is thin sheet, it will be easy I think.
But I don't have a suitable ice tray. So I mostly rely on capsules.
Gelatin is natural. It's in fish bone.

Actually, with Osmocote, I just use a straw and a chopstick.
strawstick.jpg
 

hbosman

Guru Class Expert
Oct 22, 2008
277
1
18
Leesburg VA USA
nipat;55560 said:
If you don't have many carpet plants or the ice is thin sheet, it will be easy I think.
But I don't have a suitable ice tray. So I mostly rely on capsules.
Gelatin is natural. It's in fish bone.

Actually, with Osmocote, I just use a straw and a chopstick.
strawstick.jpg


A chopstick, very cool. I thought about using a staw but couldn't think of how prevent the pellets from floating. But all the same, I'll just buy tabs from Rootmedic and call it a day.
 

nipat

Guru Class Expert
May 23, 2009
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The pellets won't float, they sink. So I've to prevent that by cutting the straw to make a kind of lid.
 

Singtoh

Prolific Poster
Sep 12, 2009
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Bangkok,Thailand
The Rockster;55552 said:
I too, am concerned about using gelatin capsules. Not really sure of the effects on water, would think there would be some effect, if only with the residual gelatin, affecting the TDS of the tank water.

To me its cheap, and easy to freeze Osmocote Plus in tank water. I want to keep the tank as natural as possible.

For what it's worth, I just purchased 2kg of Osmocote Plus 16-8-12+2% Mg0 for $4.00. What I do is measure 1 gram of Osmocote, put it in a short length of 1/4" pvc or smaller, long enough to kee my hands dry, plugged on one end(not to tight) with a small rubber stopper with fishing line attached, then take another piece of pvc that just fits into the other pvc about 3 inches longer or so, shove that to the bottom of the substrate, push out the plug and wiggle the pvc and rubber plug out a bit and you pull up and repeat wherever you like and it's all good, works a charm for me. Plants are loving the osmocote(it appears) and no other problems observed. I went with 1 gram per plug because the #00 gel caps hold approx. this much in powder(as stated by a company that I goggled), so I thought it was a place to start, but I stayed with the 5 grams per square foot idea.

Cheers ,

Singtoh
 

Noledoc

Prolific Poster
Mar 8, 2011
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Gentle mountains of NE TN
Big syringe method of delivery!!

herns;55086 said:
it's a tedious work! You need to have a lot of patience. I made 50 tabs in less than an hour.

I made holes on both ends of empty tabs w/ a neddle so it wouldnt float. You can use a soldering gun too.

I have recently purchased a 150 ml syringe. With this I can load up osmocoat or a liquid fert, put a tube on it and inject as much Ferts into substrate as I want. This beats tedious filling of capsules. Might be as easy as ice cubes!?
 

steve001

Junior Poster
May 10, 2011
10
0
1
Another option or two to the gelcaps might be agar agar, pectin. A variety of other vegetable gels might also work.
Here's one source that I know of that sells a large variety. http://www.ticgums.com/products.html

I just thought of another material that might work Methyl cellulose a food thickener. Cold water is used to make it. What I don't know is if will dissolve over time.
 
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Tom Barr

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Jan 23, 2005
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over_stocked;52580 said:
Sorry, I missed this as I don't come around here as much as I like. Seems as though you have a dead set opinion about me and my product--which is fine. You are entitled to think what you want.

What you don't understand is really how little money there is to be made at a hobbyist level and the amount of time spent to make that little bit of money. I have almost recouped my INITIAL cost, but my ongoing expenses make it so that actually taking home any significant amount of money is not part of the game, right now. Think of 3 or 4 product prototypes made by an actual fertilizer producer, a few test runs through a capsule filler, quality testing, analysis testing, becoming incorporated,, website, shipping, printing, packaging, etc, etc, etc.

I sell to aquariumfertilizer.com to help make it worth my while at all. Just the energy consumed in packing and shipping product is a lot--especially considering I am a paramedic who works nights and has a young family.

The amount of time I spend answering messages and emails about things completely unrelated to to RootMedic is pretty large. 1-2 hours a day is spent responding to emails, messages, forum posts, etc. I have to double check quality of a producer on a daily basis, since they seem to have some consistency problems. When USPS screws up, I reship--at a loss--no questions asked(which, BTW, seems to be a lot lately... ugh).

I do all of this as a service, rather than a way to make a QUICK buck. I can bet YOU wouldn't do this much work for the few bucks I take home at the end of the month. I started making fertilizer and expirimenting with the options and choices(see there are like 4 new products at rootmedic.net) because I wanted to give something that worked--but at a better price than the big names. I just can't stomach 8 or 9 bucks for 10 tabs. I also wanted to make something superior, which on some fronts I believe I did. I got into this because I was sick of paying those prices. 9/10 of my sales comes during one of my almost constant sales. I keep the price down because I personally have a hard time justifying the higher price, despite the fact that people have willingly paid it.

I appreciate Tom's comments. Not because Tom is the holy grail of aquarium plants, but because he understands this "business". I am a hobbyist. Sure, I'd LOVE to make money in this hobby, but we all know businesses like this come and go. IF it was an easy buck Greg wouldn't have sold. Tom charges here, but I imagine his real job pays a bit better than the amount of time he spends responding to messages on 3 or 4 forums. If I wanted to make a quick buck, I'd pick up a shift at work--for time and a half plus 13 bucks an hour(we're in a shortage right now and they are desperate) I would make a hell of a lot more money than I am doing this and would spend less time doing it.

As an INDIVIDUAL, making money doing this is just nuts.

Yep, pretty sums it up for me too.
I think I pay myself about 1.20$ an hour:)

For the $, this ain't, but I like doing it.