I'm new to planted aquariums and I'm probably doing something wrong.

[Rudesindo]

Hello friends. I'm having trouble keeping plants in my 120x60x60 aquarium + 70x50x50 sump. I fully cycled the aquarium for 62 days, and after parameters like ammonia and nitrite were zero, I did a 50% partial water change. A week later I introduced the following plants: 6 Microsorum Pteropus in vitro, 2 Echinodorus Amazonicus in vitro, 6 Bucephalandra sp. sintang in vitro, 3 Anubia barteri Nana in vitro, 2 Taxiphyllum barbieri in vitro, and 1 Hygrophila Polysperma Rosanervig in vitro. My light is a Chirihos Universal WRGB, with a 7-hour photoperiod and a Bucephalandra setting. I don't have CO2, and my substrate is Aqua Soil Amazonia Ada covered by a layer of white sand with a not very fine grain. I fertilize every other day with 5ml of potassium and 5ml of micronutrients (Magnesium 0.55%, Manganese 0.04%, Boron 0.007%, Copper 0.0005%, Molybdenum 0.0003%, Zinc 0.002%, Cobalt 0.006%, Phytohormones 0.003%).
All the plants are turning brown and dying, and since this is my first experience with plants, having always had a mbuna aquarium, I'm completely lost.
Does the Bucephalandra setup provide less light than my 60cm deep aquarium needs?
Am I using too much light? Am I fertilizing incorrectly?
Sorry for my Neanderthal English.

 

[Administrator]

1. Reduce lighting intensity.
Try 30-40% intensity and 6h photoperiod.
2. Start dosing a complete fertilizer.
3. Consider adding CO₂ injection.

 

[Rudesindo]

Hello again!
I thought that because they were turning brown, including the Echinodorus Amazonicus, the problem was brown algae and I needed to increase the light output. Luckily, I waited until I spoke to you.
I didn't start macrofertilization because the setup is new, have low-demand plants, and in my mind, rich substrate, food and fish would do the trick.
So, if I understand correctly, even though they are turning brown, do I need to reduce the light, which is already in the bucephalandra profile? Isn't this BUCE profile the weakest? Shouldn't I use this profile or manually adjust all channels to 30%? Should I start with nitrate and phosphate right at the beginning of the setup, with a fertile substrate adding nutrients to the water column and with slow-growing plants? Wouldn't that just make more algae appear? Do in vitro plants also shed all their leaves when they are raised in an immersed environment in the same way as emerged plants when they are placed in an aquarium?
Sorry for the many questions; I want to make as few mistakes as possible.
Thanks for your help, friends!

 

[Rudesindo]

Thanks for the reply! I'll start daily water changes immediately.
My current setup is as shown in the first photo. Should I reduce it to the one in the second photo?
I thought the light was too low because the aquarium has a water depth of 60cm.

 

[Administrator]

Try 30-40% intensity and 6h photoperiod.
You can slightly adjust the WRGB colors.
Add 5% 1-2 weeks for growth.

Monitor for algae but don’t avoid fertilization out of fear.
Accept melting as part of plant adaptation, especially for Buces and in vitro plants.
Be patient — Bucephalandra and slow growers can take weeks to fully establish and start thriving.