Algae out off control!

my skimmer also still kicks out loads off micro bubbles and people keep saying it will bed in but its 4 months now and no change. The skimmer olny seams to work when i do a water change, it kicks out half a cup off dark green for about 2-3 days after the water change then nothing else really after that. Some people say you can tune them so they are more effective but im not to sure how you would do that?.
Also i only have two fish in the tank so surly using ro water and having two filters there should not really be any nitrate as shorly two fish cant produce that much ammonia to create that much nitrate in there?! im not planning on adding anymore fish till i get the nitrate down but i just can really see why they are still at 20? other people on her have told me 10 - 20 isnt that bad and not to get hooked up on the zero nitrate thing as my tank is only 4 months old.
Thanks for all the advice. it all a great help and i do

 

opps pushed the wrong button! as i was saying thanks for all the advice i do take it all on board!
K

 

I would say my substrate is one probably 2 inches deep in most places so could this be adding to the problem?
Thanks K

 

Hey Kiarah I noticed in your pictures it looks like you have some bryopsis growing. It's the fern looking algae. It could be feather calurpa but we would need a good close up picture to be sure. If it is bryopsis you will want to get this stuff out. It can sting corals and fish and will quickly take over your tank.

have you tried doing any water changes to your tank to help clean up the water? This can help quite often.

 

yes its green fern looking ill try and get a close up off it i left it as i thought it was good! can it sting us?
Thanks K

 

it "shouldn't" sting you but you never know. If you have a cut on your hand or alergies who knows. I've pulled the stuff out by hand though if that helps.

 

Also the gas that releast from the cyano will it have any health effects on people? sound silly but i read on your artical that some types produce gas thats not good for humans! and mine is producing loads off gas bubbles
Thanks K

 

I think that part of the article was more directed at ocean reefs where the cyano can get quite massive. It is a bacteria so I wouldn't get it on my skin. The bubbles it is producing (it's in the article) is oxygen. 2" sand bed isn't that deep but adding more crabs and 2-3 Nassarious snails and perhaps a couple Conch will go a long way to clean up the tank.

 

Hopefully this helps

 

The cyano is absorbing as much of your NO3 to grow and is giving you a false reading. Your NO3 is currently 10-20ppm, but if you removed all of the cyano, your readings will jump up to 100ppm as an example until it grows back and lowers the readings again. Lowering your NO3 naturally, as the tank matures and/or using a coil denitrator, will cause the cyano to die off since it no longer has its food source. Add more waterflow in your tank and your cyano problem will be a thing of the past. I use a couple Koralia and Seio pumps in each of my tanks.