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Beating A Dead Horse Tiny Leaf Issue

Ok, here's an update in case anyone isn't sick of this
topic already.  I have switched over to the Seachem
Equilibrium, but I used too much at first, and I'm
still reducing my GH now.  

My Rotala rotundifolia is doing pretty well now.  Some
small leaves still appear, but those near the lights
are good sized and reddish.  Does light intensity
affect leaf size at all?  
I got some Ludwigia repens from Tom Connors that was
purple.  It quickly grew a whole bunch of shoots, but
the leaves were all tiny.  A bunch of stems have grown
pretty well, but one or two of them have suddenly
grown tiny leaves again.  Many of the shoots have not
grown much at all.  The leaves that have grown are a
coppery color, not purple like the original ones.  The
tiny leaves do not look burned or miscolored in any
way.  I have started adding much smaller amounts of
boron, but it doesn't seem to have changed anything. 

Some "tenellus" leaves are crinkled again, even though
adding N and K has helped in the past.  Other swords
are normal.   

Most other plants are doing ok, although the
Limnophillum seems to have just "quit" awile back.  It
grew well at first, but hasn't grown in a long time.  

Some plants like the stargrass, rubin sword, and
Cryptocoryne retrospiralis continue to grow quickly,
while others are just ho-hum.  I'm afraid to try new
plants because I know they might not do well or get
stunted.  Oddly, this is the SAME problem I had the
last time I had a planted tank, even though I had less
light and a different brand of plant suppliment.

All plants have strong roots, and algae is very
scarce.     

Right now, my ph is about 6.2, KH 3dh, GH 8dh.
That would give me about 57ppm of co2, way more than
enough.  I turned the flow on my Duetto up, so
distribution of co2 and nutrients shouldn't be a
problem.  I've thought about adding the Flourish Excel
just to see if anything happens.  

If I can get my ph up to 6.4, my co2 level will be
near ideal.  Does anyone have experience with the
Seachem alkaline buffer?  Does it interfere with KH
testing?  Suppose I ditched or added small amounts of
co2, added the Excel, and used the Seachem buffers to
control ph?  

I've been adding kno3 every day now because my
nitrates keep getting pulled down to zero, especially
since I put some frogbit in there to shade my Java
ferns.  I add enough to get the nitrates up to about
5ppm.  

Phosphates are usually about .1ppm.  Is this to low?
Even if I go a week without changing the water, they
only go up to about .2ppm.  

I would think that with my GH so high, calcium would
be plentiful.  Could it be that there is way more
calcium than magnesium or vice versa, and a shortage
of one or the other is occuring?  

I continue to add .25 ml each of Flourish and Flourish
iron per day.

Could a lack of light balance be the culprit?  Maybe
more blue? (two vitalights and a Nutragrow)  I'm
getting a Triton soon, and I may be able to get a
metal halide system REALLY cheap.  Might that help?

Sincerely frustrated, Cavan.    

   

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