my tank has a kind of film on the glass i'm presuming its the early stages of algae it also has little hairy bits. How do I get rid of this. Please help!!
It is algae or a cyano bloom, get a magnetc cleaner and clean it off, and your skimmer and bio filter should neutralize the little storm you will create.
Julie, a magnetic cleaner is literally just a big magnet in two halves - put one half inside the tank, other half outside the tank and moving the outside half "pulls along" the inside half - hence scraping the algae off the glass. Most LFS sell them for a few quid.
I recommend getting a floating magnetic cleaner because if you have a invertebrates on the bottom or hermit crabs and if you move it to fast or pull the magnet away it can fall and could injure a fosh or invertebrate. A floating magnetic cleaner is a little more expensive but when the magnetic field is broken it will float to the top instead of falling and hurting something.
I took this pics for you, I hope it helps. I have to say it's worth every penny, cleans the algae on the glass like nothing else. I cound't scrub it off with nothing before and this does the job so easy and simple!. Definitly get one