Pond Care

API Pond Aquatic Plant Food Tablets

PondPlant food

API Pond Aquatic Plant Food Tablets feed pond plants through the soil in their baskets, where lilies and marginals take up most of their nutrients. The tablets carry the essential nutrients and trace elements pond plants need, with iron for lush green foliage and boron to promote flower formation — which is what keeps water lilies blooming through the season rather than putting out leaves alone. Use one tablet for every 3.8 litres of soil, pushed about 8 cm from the crown and 8 to 15 cm deep. Feed monthly in cooler water, twice a month once it passes 21 °C, and stop below 16 °C. The pack holds 25 tablets.

View at Jungle Aquatics

Live pricing and stock on jungleaquatics.com — purchase through Jungle Aquatics, with delivery across South Africa.

Dosage calculator

Enter your soil volume and the calculator works out how much API Pond Aquatic Plant Food Tablets to use for each rate on the pack.

Soil volume

Measured in

Use the soil in the planting basket, not the pond.

Tablets per basket1 tablets per 3 8 litres
Enter a volumeMonthly below 21 °C, twice a month above 21 °C, stop below 16 °C

Push each tablet about 8 cm from the crown and 8 – 15 cm deep into the basket soil.

A guide only — always follow the dosing instructions printed on the pack, and measure with the bottle's cap or a syringe rather than by eye.

Technical details

Product type	Aquatic plant food tablets
Pack size	25 tablets
Dose	1 tablet per 3.8 litres of soil
Placement	About 8 cm from the crown, 8 – 15 cm deep in the soil
How often	Monthly below 21 °C; twice a month above 21 °C; stop below 16 °C
Key nutrients	Iron for foliage, boron for flower formation, plus trace elements
Suitable for	Water lilies, hardy and tropical pond plants, marginal and bog plants; also aquariums
Made by	Mars Fishcare, USA

How many tablets does a water lily need?

Work from the soil volume in the basket, not the size of the plant: one tablet per 3.8 litres of soil. A standard 25 cm lily basket holds roughly 8 litres of soil and takes about two tablets; a large 35 cm basket takes three or four. Push each one into the soil about 8 cm from the crown and 8 to 15 cm deep so it releases at the roots — API notes the tablets also work simply dropped in the water, but burying them is what gets the best results. Feed monthly through spring, twice a month once the water is above 21 °C, and stop when it drops below 16 °C.

Iron for leaves, boron for flowers

Iron drives the deep green of healthy lily pads and marginal foliage; boron is the trace element behind flower formation. Together with the tablets’ other nutrients they keep hardy and tropical lilies, marginals and bog plants both growing and blooming rather than one at the expense of the other.

Fed into the soil, where the roots are

Pond plants are heavy root feeders, and liquid fertiliser in open pond water mostly feeds algae. Pushing a tablet into the basket soil — about 8 cm from the crown, 8 to 15 cm down — puts the nutrients where the roots can reach them and the algae cannot.

Feed to the water temperature

Plant growth follows temperature. Feed once a month while the water is cooler, step up to twice a month once it climbs past about 21 °C in high summer, and stop altogether when it falls below about 16 °C — in a Highveld winter that means putting the tablets away until spring.

Also usable in an aquarium

The tablets are not pond-only: API confirms they may be used in an aquarium as well, which makes them an option for a large planted tank with heavy root feeders alongside the aquarium Root Tabs.

Frequently asked questions

Do the tablets have to be pushed into the soil?

They work either way — API says they can be dropped into the water or inserted into the soil — but pressing them into the basket soil gives the best results and keeps the nutrients away from algae.

When should I stop feeding for winter?

Stop when the water temperature falls below about 16 °C. Resume monthly feeding in spring as it warms, and go to twice a month once it passes about 21 °C.

Can I use them in an aquarium?

Yes. API confirms the tablets may be used in an aquarium as well as a pond.

Will feeding my lilies cause algae in the pond?

Buried in the basket soil, the nutrients go to the roots rather than into open water. Feeding well-rooted plants generally helps, because healthy plants compete with algae for light and nutrients.

Are API Pond Aquatic Plant Food Tablets available in South Africa?

Yes — the 25-tablet pack is available from Jungle Aquatics in Fourways, Johannesburg, with delivery nationwide; live pricing and stock are on jungleaquatics.com.

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South Africa's leading pet and aquarium store since 2007 — with the API range on the floor in Fourways, advice from people who test water every day, and easy ordering from anywhere in the country.

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