have you tried soaking the wood in salt water this is what i done with my bogwood before adding it to the tank
obviously it would need soaking for a day or 2 in clean water after having it soak in salt
im newish to fish keeping also but from the sound of the algae id say lights are either on too long or in too much direct sunlight
air stones add oxygen to the water to help the fish breathe i have also been told that it helps get rid of certain chemicals in the water not sure how true this is...
well im not sure if ive posted on this forum before
but ive been reading through some posts and it seems like a really good place to come for advice and a good chat
at the moment ive got a 48"x12x18 high tank that homes my 3 angels 2 blue gouramis and a dwarf gourami
but have just aqquired...