Growth and ozelot sword bloom?

[Robert Chady <aquatic-plants at chady_org>]

I've been spending the last couple weeks working on finding the right
level of nutrients to add to my tank to get things growing well with no
algae.  I've managed to get the 'growing well' part working for some types
of plants (micro chain sword, rotala indica, crypt spiralis, glossostigma,
ozelot sword, and some other sword), while others (crypt wenditti,
jungle/italian/corkscrew val) seem to just barely be holding on.

My question is, does anyone have any pointers as to why my crypt and vals
would not be doing so well, but my other plants are doing great?  I have a
fair amount of hair algae that keeps growing on the tank walls and some
algae growing on my plants, but that seems to be starting to fade away.  

I am curious why something like my micro chain sword is growing so fast it
is starting to take over the tank, while something that is supposed to be
easy to grow, like my vals, are barely making it.  I'll get 1 or 2 stalks
of the val that grow very well (2.5' in length) but most the other stalks
are yellow and die over time.

Also, yesterday I suddenly noticed something strange about my ozelot sword.
Growing from it is a long, tubular shoot that appears to be a bloom.  I was
not aware these plants bloomed, is this what is going on?  Whatever it is,
it is growing quite rapidly (3/4"/day) and is now nearing the surface.

Robert Chady
Chippewa Falls, WI