[APD] stuned grow

["grega" <gregor_palcnik at guest.arnes.si>]

A month ago I set up 72g plant tank and it has been frustrating me ever since. Plants just won't grow no metter what I do. Well, they grow but it seems more like they are taking a very slowly almost vegetating. In first two weeks everything seemed nice. Cabomba was doing fine, val hade planty of runners, crypts and swords had planty of new leaves . A week ago everything just stopped. Camomba is growing slowly and all the leaves are closed together. Vals have lots of runners and little vals, but their leaves don't grow more than three inches or so. Hygrophila aquatica grew new leaves, bet they are rally really tiny. Crypts are growing new leaves (brown ones) but runners stuned. Leaves on swords are getting yellow and die. The only plant that semms to do OK is ammannia senegalensis. Their new red leaves are twice the size from the LFS. 

Here are some datails: pH - 6.8, kH - 8, temp 79K (26oC), 4x36W tubes 12h/day, DIY C02 (3 yeast bottles), liquid and tablet fertilization once/week . I keep 5 med angelfish, 4 platies, 6 rasboras, 6 tetras, pl*co, 2 ancistrus .

I know I probably did one big mistake at the start, I used washed sand only for substrate. I thought it was Ok, because I did the same thing with all other tank and never had problems growing plant. Vals were allways doing excellent with washed sandand tablet fertilization only.

I have been keeping fish tanks for years and I do know a little something about it, but this situation is killing me. What should I do? Should I set up the tank once again with richer substrate?

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