Is this stabilizing?

[The Big Figfetti]

Tank is 3 weeks and 2 days old.
Daily water changes with fish in cycle in planted tank. Last weekend, I was still dealing with daily ammonia between .25 and .50.

I decided to leave it alone and see what happens, and monitor ammonia, instead of doing daily 50% water changes. The first readings were the daily readings I was getting, and the next readings were from yesterday. After leaving it alone this week and letting it try to stabilize.

Am I going in a better or worse direction?

W/daily 50% water changes:
Ammonia - .25 (daily .25-.50)
Iron - 0
Copper - 0
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Hardness - 150
Free chlorine - 0
Alkalinity - 120
Carbonate - 80
pH - 6.8

2/10 (left it alone for a few days)
Ammonia - 0
Iron - 0
Copper - 0
Nitrate - 40
Nitrite - 3
Hardness - 75
Free chlorine - 0
Alkalinity - 80
Carbonate - 80
pH - 6.8

Also, I attached pictures to show you the plants and how they seem to be doing. Some are new to the tank and I’m waiting to see if they’ll take.
In the 5th pic, I’m at a loss to understand why one of the anacharis (back middle left) is translucent and not doing so well, and the one on the right of it is pretty and green. The one not doing well, also has a new growth sprout midway up the stem.
Should I cut the bad part and replant the new growth?

 

[davros]

Some plants behave this way on relocation, shed old growth and start new,-wait it out.

 

[Essjay]

2/10 (left it alone for a few days)

Nitrite - 3

Nitrite really needs to be zero and plants only use nitrite when there's no ammonia left. Nitrite does the same to fish that carbon monoxide does to us, it blocks the oxygen receptors in the blood so the fish effectively suffocates. If you wait for bacteria to grow it has the potential to get a lot higher and harm the fish.
Nitrate at 40 ppm is also a lot higher than the recommended maximum level of 20 ppm.

I realise you want to leave the tank with no daily water changes, but you really need to do them for the fish's sake.

 

[The Big Figfetti]

Nitrite really needs to be zero and plants only use nitrite when there's no ammonia left. Nitrite does the same to fish that carbon monoxide does to us, it blocks the oxygen receptors in the blood so the fish effectively suffocates. If you wait for bacteria to grow it has the potential to get a lot higher and harm the fish.
Nitrate at 40 ppm is also a lot higher than the recommended maximum level of 20 ppm.

I realise you want to leave the tank with no daily water changes, but you really need to do them for the fish's sake.

I’m completely ok with daily water changes, while the tank stabilizes. I was just wondering if it would even itself out, since no matter what I did, the ammonia always stayed between .25 and .50.
Leaving it, the ammonia went away, but now I have nitrate and nitrite. Those have been zero.

I just did another water change. 50%. And I added more plants. Changed things around a bit to add some stones that I’ve had. Also took out the hornwort. Didn’t enjoy looking at it.