Are plant-based tablets a healthy alternative?

[Breezeyfans]

I'm thinking of using plant tablets, are they actually worth it? If I do use them, do I still need to fertilise or not?

[littleking]

To clarify your question, Breezeyfans, are you referring to root tabs for plants, specifically for feeding plants in substrate?

Root tabs are indeed beneficial for plants, especially for root-feeding plants such as Cryptocorynes and vallisnerias.

If you're also growing live plants like floating plants, anubias, and java ferns, you can use a liquid fertiliser - usually dosing once a week. These plants don't absorb nutrients through the substrate, instead they feed through their leaves and/or roots, which is why liquid fertiliser is added to the water column to provide necessary nutrients.

However, I'm not familiar with the product '5hem'. Could you please elaborate on what this is?

[Breezeyfans]

I'm using Tropica soil for my substrate, and I've got Amazon swords and Anubias. My Anubias are attached above the substrate, but they've taken root too. If I use root tabs for the Amazon swords, do I still need to fertilise?

[littleking]

Yeah, as long as you're using root tabs for the amazon sword, which can grow quite large by the way, they should be fine as they're heavy root feeders. A good quality root feeder like Seachem Flourish root tabs work well as they won't leach into the water column once they're under the substrate.

While it's not essential to have liquid fertilisers, they can be beneficial in adding a bit of extra nutrients into the water column that may be lacking. And with anubias being slow-growing plants, they do tend to put their roots into the substrate, so they'll likely take advantage of some of the root tabs available.

[Breezeyfans]

When using root tabs, do they actually go right under the roots or can I just pop one in near the plant? Would I need to take the plants out and put the tabs in the substrate or can I just add them in without disturbing the roots?

[Breezeyfans]

I'm thinking if I use the root tabs and stop fertilising, will that help cut down on the algae growth?

[Breezeyfans]

I'm aware of all the factors that contribute to algae growth, and I've got my tank under control in that regard. I don't have much algae to begin with. My question was more about the fertiliser itself, and whether it's worth using if the root tabs are doing their job. I'm concerned that the fertiliser might just end up feeding the algae instead of my plants.