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Re:10 gal algae

> I'm trying to figure out a nutrient deficiency in my 10 gallon aquarium. I
> recently replaced the substrate with "Profile", and replanted the stunted and
> previously neglected plants -- mostly small sword plants.
> 
> The plants started growing well at first, but some of them had distorted and
> yellowish new growth.  Now all of them have stopped growing and the new growth
> (such as it is) is pale and yellow.  I added some pieces of Jobes fern and
> palm sticks deep in the substrate around the base of some of the plants, but
> that just caused a major bloom of green hair algae.  It had no affect at all
> on the sword plants.
> 
> My water is quite hard, and I was adding small amounts of potasium nitrate
> before I tried the Jobes sticks.  Several different algaes had monentarily
> taken over and then died out since I overhauled the aquarium. The green hair
> algae was the current plague, but it was really not that bad. Now it is out of
> control.  BTW, the local water company adds phosphate to control corrosion of
> the pipes.
>

How's the CO2?
Do the old water change, pull out any algae routine, vac etc.
Get the CO2 up. Add small amounts of fertilizer(K+ K2SO4, TMG, kent etc) I
wouldn't add any source of N for awhile besides food for fish. Actually, I
don't add any N source for any 10 gallon that I ever have had. Food was it.
Ca comes to mind with the distorted look though. But the water's hard so
there should be a fair amount in there. You have a broth of nutrients in
there and hard water etc.
I doubt it would a deficiency therefore. You have profile which is high in
CEC and has according to some, a high level of iron. Getting over this
initial hump seems to be an issue with some set ups like this. Keep picking
on the algae, add algae grazers, water changes, keep the CO2 high and wait.
I'd not add anything except a small amount of food for awhile personally.
Plants should be okay as long as there is CO2 and light. Your substrate
should be loaded. Let the plants get it from there. They will die back some,
but should recover. This may be what happened to start with. It was a newly
set up tank? Often swords will die back a little bit then come on strong
once they get their roots established. It a new tank this can take a bit
longer. And you say they have been neglected prior to adding them to this
new tank? Patience then.

> Does this sound like an iron deficiency to you?
Profile should have this.
 
>Or calcium, or magnesium,

You have hard water.

or 
> boron?  Or...?  The leaves are uniformly pale yellow; they do not have dark
> green veins, and some of them look twisted and distorted.
> 
> I wonder if the Profile, which is a fired clay product made out of fullers
> earth, may be adsorbing all the bivalent disolved minerals and releasing
> sodium in their place?  Should I try to overload it with gypsum and epsom
> salts and ferrous sulfate?

No, I would not. 
> 
> I would appreciate any advice.  Thanks.
FWIW, 
Tom Barr