Daily water changes badly affecting plants. What to do?

Hello, All.
I am currently half-way through a fish-in cycle.
Once Ammonia started spiking, I had to start doing big daily water changes (anywhere from 40 to 80%). That happened almost three weeks after plants were added to the tank. Now my nitrites are through the roof, so I gotta keep doing the WCs.
I have Seachem Flourish Tabs in substrate (sand) and apply Seachem Flourish Comprehensive once a week.
With the constant water changes, most of the liquid fertilizer I ad gets dumped within 24h, and the plants pretty much starve until the next week.
They were thriving until WCs began. Before and After pics included.
I ended up "rescaping" last night, because dead leaves and stems were all over the place. Never mind my 3 filters going at once... I put them in a couple of days ago, trying to add aeration for the darn cycle.
The floating water sprites and rotala in the "After" picture were added a couple of days ago (and will probably just die with the rest of them eventually, unless the darn thing finishes cycling once and for all)!
Should I add half (or a quarter) dose of Flourish Comprehensive with every water change, instead of just one full dose once a week until tank is cycled?

 

I'll start off by saying that the plants are dying because of the constant water changes, along with Ammonia being present in the water. You're water changing all the nitrates out (at least I'm assuming since you're doing them so often and only have a Betta), so the plants have no fuel. Along with the plants being exposed to Ammonia, which in high quantities essentially burn the plants. If your tank isn't cycled, adding in the Flourish Comprehensive won't do too much because your tank won't process the nitrates and it'll just turn into more Ammonia. Personally, I'd stop with the fertilizer and let your system digest the waste your Betta produces. As long as the plants have some nitrates, they'll rebound and be happy. Just feed lightly, even every other day, and keep that Ammonia down is what I recommend.

 

I'll start off by saying that the plants are dying because of the constant water changes, along with Ammonia being present in the water. You're water changing all the nitrates out (at least I'm assuming since you're doing them so often and only have a Betta), so the plants have no fuel. Along with the plants being exposed to Ammonia, which in high quantities essentially burn the plants. If your tank isn't cycled, adding in the Flourish Comprehensive won't do too much because your tank won't process the nitrates and it'll just turn into more Ammonia. Personally, I'd stop with the fertilizer and let your system digest the waste your Betta produces. As long as the plants have some nitrates, they'll rebound and be happy. Just feed lightly, even every other day, and keep that Ammonia down is what I recommend.

Hi, thank you for your reply!

I am aware that the water changes are doing it, which is why I was looking for a workaround for it (such as adding more nutrients with every change).
Just the fact that the water level goes down very low-very high, sometimes uprooting plants as well...
Not to mention the fact that my Rasboras thought it was lots of fun to rip leaves off my Ludwigia Arcuata and carry them in their mouths.
There is no ammonia in the water currently. As I mentioned, I'm half-way through the cycle (ammonia controlled, nitrites spiking). Apparently, nitrobacter take longer to establish a good enough colony than nitrosomonas.
My ammonia spike (never more than 2 ppm) only lasted a few days and I've been at 0-0.25ppm for the past 11 days. Nitrites have been a sore thumb since then. Nitrates usually at 5-20 ppm.
Anyway, I recently ordered some Thrive C and, when cycling is over, I'll start on that.
Thank you.

Edit: Some of it might also be plant melting, since they were new, plants shipped just before I set the tank up, and some of them were not being grown fully submersed.

 

Ah okay, thank you for clarifying. Either way though, when you add any sort of fertilizer (most have nitrates), it's going to turn into those nitrites and you're going to be changing water more often to get them out. If they don't have nitrates, then dose away for sure!

And I totally agree it could just be them melting from being new. Once things get stabilized, I'd really recommend you dosing extremely light, and watching parameters. Start slow and ramp-up to the level you need, as instructions on the bottles are merely speculations and impossible to calculate with everyone's respective setups.

Also, I wouldn't be too worried about compensating with a fertilizer, just because you do have traceable nitrates in your system and as long as you have those, your plants should be happy in the meanwhile. Just note, as I said, the less you feed the quicker your system will process those nitrites into nitrates and a happy aquarium! And once they do, I'd slowly ramp up to what you'd like to feed at, instead of jumping right to it.

 

I am doubtful your water changes are the cause of your troubles. It is standard practice to do daily water changes in new planted tanks, if you're cycling with the plants inside. My bet is that the transition to the new tank coupled with the cycle itself is what is stressing your plants. So, in my opinion, you definitely need to keep up with the water changes during this cycling phase for the sake of your plants and fish, and to prevent too much algae taking hold. Regarding fertilizers during this time, a typical solution would be to provide a rich substrate. To my knowledge, Flourish Tabs don't have N or P. I would add something that has these, like Osmocote or something. Unfortunately, sometimes new plants don't yet have the root structure to fully take advantage of a rich substrate. So, adding small daily doses of liquid fertilizers might be helpful.

 

How many hours do you leave the lights on? Plants feed on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, but only with lights on. Less than 8h? It's summer, 12+h do not hurt.

When new plants establish, they first get shocked from uprooting, handling and planting. They stop growing and try to recover.

I would stop using fertilizer and do waterchanges only 30% every other day or less. The waterchange is mechanical stress for your floating plants.

It just takes time, sit down and relax.

 

I would blame it more on typical melt than anything else. Ammonia isn't going to harm the plant's. It's their preferred food. The ony issue with cycing with live plants is they can use up the ammonia faster than the bacteria you're trying to grow causing the cycle to stall or take longer. I wouldn't add any liquid fert until after the cycle is complete, but the root tabs should do well to keep everything fed. And again for those in the back.... AMMONIA IS PLANT FOOD

 

I would blame it more on typical melt than anything else. Ammonia isn't going to harm the plant's. It's their preferred food. The ony issue with cycing with live plants is they can use up the ammonia faster than the bacteria you're trying to grow causing the cycle to stall or take longer. I wouldn't add any liquid fert until after the cycle is complete, but the root tabs should do well to keep everything fed. And again for those in the back.... AMMONIA IS PLANT FOOD

But is that necessarily a bad thing? Is it a problem to have plants using up the ammonia instead of bacteria converting it?

To put it another way, if your plants are using up the ammonia do you really need the bacteria?

 

But is that necessarily a bad thing? Is it a problem to have plants using up the ammonia instead of bacteria converting it?

To put it another way, if your plants are using up the ammonia do you really need the bacteria?

Well, I personally don't think so. I like my filters staying clean. The bacteria can handle stock fluctuations better than plants and such tho. And if you're not very good in taking care of plants, the bacteria can act as a buffer.

 

Just so no misinformation gets out there, Ammonia is plant food 100%, of course. Although, unfiltered Ammonia that doesn't turn into nitrates at very high concentrates does turn toxic for plants as well. Once plants get past that 3-4 ppm stage, it's scientifically proven that the majority will melt.