What lighting do you have for this tank? I can't see nitrates being the problem to be honest. Plants don't need 80ppm to survive, something like 10-20 is where you want it for fish and plants to be happy.

Anacharis won't be fed by root tabs because they are really floating plants (even though they'll survive buried in gravel) and feed from the water column. Those white tipped plants you have to the right of the picture are non-aquatic plants and stand no change of survival in an aquarium. Their scientific name is Dracena sanderiana Also if that's real bamboo, it's won't survive completely submersed and will rot and die eventually.

You may want to try some easy to grow aquatic plants like java fern and moss to begin with, generally it will survive in any environment and since they shouldn't be buried in the gravel, they aren't reliant on nutrient rich gravel. Even some nice vals should do okay in low(er) light conditions/regular gravel.

__________________
29 Gallon Planted
1 Angelfish; 2 German Blue Rams; 11 Rasbora Boraptensis; 3 Khuli Loaches, 1 BN Pleco

20 Gallon Planted
2 German Blue Rams; 5 Corydoras Paleatus; 4 Otocinclus Catfish; Amano Shrimp

5.5 Gallon
Betta, Some plants.