I need some helping diagnosing what I'm missing. My "hardy" plants never really took off and my newer, more sensitive plants, are just rotting away. I'm extremely frustrated and need your expert opinions before I shell out more $ test kits, additives, or break the tank down.

The leaves yellow or become transparent starting from tip and fall off. Holes sometimes appear as well. Old leaves are most effected. New growth is slow. Potted, rooted in substrated, and floating plants are equally effected.

Tank: 20g tall
Substrate: generic petco 5mm-10mm river rock.
Light: Odyssea 2x 6700K 24W T5HO 10 hours/day. Tried running with 1 and 2 bulbs, the only difference was algae growth.
CO2: 2ml Fourish Excel daily. Saw no difference after starting the regiment. DIY CO2 in progress.
Additives: Fourish 1.5ml once or twice a week.
pH/KH/GH: 7.4/3dH/10dH
Ammonia/Nitrites/Nitrates: 0/0/20+
Potassium and Phosphates not tested yet.
Flora: Old (1year): anubias nana, java fern, amazon sword, borneo sword - surviving but far from thriving (slow growth, holes in leaves)
New (1 month): pogostemon erectus, cyperus helferi, hygrophelia compact, and golden lloydiella - 25%-50% of leaves are yellowing or fell off already.
Algae Control: 2 SAEs

maybe try api leaf zone? seems like you might have alot of light with 2 ho's

You are going to need a more comprehensive fertilizer routine. the Florish I am guessing your using is Comprehensive? That contains only trace elements, you need the macro elements too with that much light, as well as good stable co2. Take a look here for a well used fert. routine. https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fe...-regimes_.html

sounds difficult, but it is easy as pie. I would suspect you have a lack of co2 and nitrogen. the holes could be characteristic of a lack of potassium

Yeah, I say cut back on light and dose more completely (make sure to cover nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and traces)

Your substrate sucks, get one that's more appropriate for growing plants. ADA Aqua Soil, Flourite, Eco-Complete. Switch it out and you're good.

I would not go to that extreme, you can grow plants in almost any substrate, given you give the proper fertilizers. for heavy root feeders might require the use of root tabs which are easily found, and cheap.

it is combination of methods for healthy growth, I think a good substrate is one of the essentials, don't understand the word "extreme".

It is an extreme measure to tell someone to tear down the tank and replace the substrate. While normal aquarium gravel might not be optimal for plant growth, I would hardly tear the tank down to change it out with another choice two of which were given as an option contain very little to no nutrients to begin with. The person I was quoting was only referring to the substrate, I believe my earlier post to the original poster covered the other areas.

I agree that this is a far extreme. But I do agree that a proper balance is a needed must. So a good substrate is important. But like myself I use a very very fine gravel. Not as small as sand but its a natural blasting media. I started it off with mixing Osmocote plus with it and with my root feeders I do continue to add Osmocote root tabs under them. I also follow a dry fert program with EI dosing but not to a full extreme. Its modified. In the past My plants have grown very well without Co2 and I just switched to pressurized Co2 about 2 weeks ago. Anyhow With your mix of lights and all your missing all the good stuff fertilizers should provide. You could do Dry ferts as they cost less and keep longer and are easier to dose. Or you could get more complete liquid ferts to dose.

Also with your substrate Dont gravel vacuum it either. Let the detritus and stuff build up in the gravel. Doing so also helps make your substrate a better performer then what it is.

How old is this tank setup? Very often new plants die off due to being grown immersed at the nursery and need adjustment time being submersed when you put them in your tank. Could it be that?

Getting the right balance of light, CO2 and fertilizers is always tricky. But most plants will survive, but just grow slower or show a growth pattern smaller than the original size.

My "guess" is the whole system is new and going through the new-plant adjustment process. How could all the plants start melting at the same time if they were put in the tank at all different times, I mean months apart not days or a few weeks. I've had plants that melted suddenly appear well after a year of not being seen in the tank, but on the opposite side of the tank from the original planting site.

One thing needed with a plant tank is patience. Trim off the dead or yellow leaves and just wait it out, although that is easier said than done. We all want a tank just like in the books, well I DO anyway, lol.

From looking at deficiency descriptions I think I'm short on Phospherus and possibly Potassium. I should have DIY CO2 up and running next week and stop using Excel.

Are P and K treatments universally recommended? From what I've gathered they're only needed in special situations when they aren't available in the water supply.

The progostemon and hygrophila (potted) have already lost 50% of their leaves and don't seem to be recovering.

Yes, I'm using Flourish Comprehensive (and Excel). I've been told by several LFSs that adding macro elements is not needed...they don't do it and have good growth using tap water.

I've cut back to a single 24W bulb and no change in plant health. Only less algae growth.

I've considered it, but only as a very last resort. Many of my plants aren't root feeders so substrate shouldn't be much of an issue (I think).

I did a big gravel cleaning just before planting the new batch, but there's still plenty of crud in there.

1 year old. Java fern, Anubias, Wisteria, and Swords were planted then...Wisteria died fast, the rest keep limping on. The other plants are 1 month old and were shipped cross country (arrived in great condition) so maybe you're right that they need to adjust.

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While I've seen what your talking about happen to some plants. Especially ones that come from growers with much different water conditions ie: soft vs hard water, temp difference, and substrate differences. I dont see this being an issue for all the plants. I agree with otherd here that have stated fert lacking issue. It's all about balance of what the plants need. A lot of light and not enough nutrients can do what issues he has. Besides it doesn't look like melting issue. But that's what i see.

Just because your lfs told you that you don't need those nutrients doesn't mean its true. Personally unless you have an accurate test for it you don't know what the values are.

Still sounds to me like you are lacking something fert wise. But the plants your getting may be raised in much different conditions then yours. But even at that I wouldn't think all your plants had issues.

Start back at the basics. How hard is your kh/dh? What is your temp? Are you giving any root tabs to root feeders? And get a more complete fert program going. I bet it makes all the difference. The plants look like difficent in things not melting.

No root feeders. Temp is 78. pH is 7.2-7.4. kh/gh are 4/10 dH. I might make a trip tomorrow to a store that can test my water (most local places can't).

I'm fine to start dosing with extra ferts, but which ones? Flourish Potassium? Flourish Phospherus? anything else?

I'm using activated carbon (hagen) in my Aquaclear filter. I've been reading that activated carbon may introduce large quantities of phospherus...should I remove it?

You do have root feeders in your tanks. Your swords are both root feeders and need ferts drawn from the substrate you have others that need it as well. So you should be feeding root tabs under those in the substrate.

Instead of worrying about which extra ferts, just do a complete of macro and micro. You can save a ton of money by switching to dry ferts. I've used seachems liquid in the past but for the price and doseage its hard to beat dry. There are other brands of ferts. Anyhow just do both fully and don't try and guess. Any excess of anything won't harm anything and gets diluted with water changes. As well as gets used.

If your using carbon in your filter then your sucking up your ferts and being counter productive. Remove the carbon and keep it out. I don't know any people that use activated carbon in planted tanks personally for that reason.

It would make sense why you have deficency. Not dosing full spectrum needs and what is in there is being sucked up by carbon in the filter.