Thread/Hair Algae
Remember, this is my website and my views based on my circumstances. It's been my experience that if I have too much iron in my tank that this is the algae most likely to become a problem. Most Thread/Hair algaes grow extremely fast. You can manually remove handfuls every couple of days. While it's likely that excess iron by itself isn't a problem, if excess iron is combined with high levels of dissolved organics and/or other nutrient levels out of balance, then Hair/Thread algae is extremely likely. So, the approach to eliminating Hair/Thread algae is fairly straightforward too. Manually removed as much algae as possible. Do a 50-70% water change. Dose nitrate, phosphate, and traces to the needed amounts. Insure that CO2 is in the 15-30ppm range...consistently. Repeat the manual removal, water change, and redosing of nutrients on a weekly basis. Adding an algae eating crew will help eliminate and keep this algae in check. Personally I have great success with SAE's, Rosy Barbs, American-Flag Fish, Amano Shrimp, and Bristlenose Plecos.