Plants struggling in new set up

[pudclarke]

Hello
My tank has been set up for just over a week now. We put some plants in 8 days ago and some more last Friday. However they are turning brown and seem to be dying off - see photos.
We initially gave them a dose of Flourish when we planted the initial ones and then when we put some more in on Friday we gave them a dose of TNC Complete and TNC Carbon. Also gave another dose of Flourish. Since then we have been dosing daily with the recommended amount of liquid carbon. We had the lights on for 11 hours from initial set up to last Friday but have since reduced this down to 7 hours. Water testing is showing slightly high ammonia which is coming down each day. Nitrate and Nitrite levels are normal. We did have quite a large bacteria bloom which turned the water cloudy for about 5 days but 2 partial water changes (about 20%) has made the water clear again. The tank is a Rio 180 led. Does anyone have any suggestions why they are struggling and what we can do to resolve it and get them growing into healthy plants please?
Many thanks

 

[Irksome]

Some plants, particularly your vallis (third picture that looks a bit like eel grass) die if you add liquid carbon.

 

[Metalhead88]

For most low tech tanks, flourish and some root tabs will be more than efficient. Adding numerous things to the tank usually just makes things worse.

What plants are all of these? I recognize a few.

Is the 2nd picture anubias? If so, it will die as is no matter what you do. The rhizome cannot be planted or it will rot and die.
3rd picture - Jungle Val? Jungle Val seems to die down a lot when it is first planted. It'll come back and send runners in the right conditions
4th Looks like hornwort.... hornwort is very easy to grow and can be planted or float.

I'm not familiar with the light that the tank comes with, but after briefly checking it out, I'd assume it would be fine for most plants.

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

There is a lot to deal with when it comes to plants. The primary issue is always light. Intensity and spectrum drive photosynthesis, and these cannot be compensated for by the duration. Any data on the light would help. I wold leave the duration at 7 hoours for the present; any more and you will likely see problem algae. Once the system is stable the duration could be extended, but there isnothing wrong with seven hours. My tanks are all on for 7 hours now, and it has avoided any algae issues.

This is a new tank so naturally-occurring nutrients will be scarce until fish are present. Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium is a superb basic supplement (I have been using this for over 10 years now). The liquid "carbon" additives are more harm than good and certainly should never be added to a tank with fish. TNC Complete I am not famiiar with, but looking it up just now it seems to be nitrate and phosphorus, neither of which should ever be needed in low-tech or natural planted set-ups. The Flourish Comp is your best additive, but use it sparingly once fish are present.

Most plants will show signs of being moved to a new environment. It may take a few days to a few weeks before they show signs of growth. And not all plants will do as well in every tank.

 

[utahfish]

Id like to add that plants take in nutrients two ways, through their roots and through their leaves in the water column. If one has a bunch of rooted plants and are fertlizing with just liquid fertilizer then the root feeding plants arent getting what they need. Where as if one has water column feeders and is only dosing fertilizer tabs in the substrate those water column feeder are going to suffer. So know the ways your plants feed and act accordingly. Also some plants require more or less of certain nutrients than others. For instance Vals like more calcium than some plants so if ones water is very soft then vals will struggle. Best course of action is to provide a comprehensive liquid fert and a comprehensive root tab.