Is green hair algae all that bad?

[guppypups]

A couple of months ago I got guppy grass and it apparently came with some green hair algae. I didn't even realize it was algae, believing it to be a moss of sort, until yesterday.

Is this alga bad for my tanks? Will it harm my fish or plants???
I tried reading up on it but all I can find is that people remove it because its "ugly"
But I don't find it ugly, it added color to the tank, bunches together with the guppy grass to make a giant fry hiding spot, and my fry and female guppies love hiding in it!

I read that algae aren't bad for your tank and it functions as normal plants by removing harmful chemicals. If that's the case I see no problem in keeping it unless it may harm my other plants.

Thoughts?

 

[seangee]

No problem at all as long as its not spreading or threatening to take over. I have some growing on the driftwood and think it looks good.

 

[Byron]

I concur. Algae has a bad reputation, though there are certainly situations where it can indeed be deadly to other plants at least. Algae is natural and normal, and will be found in any healthy balanced aquarium. The aim is to keep it in check; if it begins overtaking the plant leaves, it can suffocate them and eventally kill the plants. Out of control algae is a sign of a biological imbalance, and this cold lead to serious fish issues.