Fiend1981

I have what I think is an issue with Black Beard Algae starting in my tank and I'm hoping the community can help me resolve this. I've attached a couple photos to help diagnose the algae. Sorry that the picture quality is a bit rough. The tank is a 15 gallons. I currently have 4 Honey Gourami, 1 Julii Coryoras, a couple Otocinclus, 4 Amano shrimp, a couple snails, and a Siamese Algae Eater. I added the Siamese Algae Eater in hopes that he would help resolve this issue. He doesn't seem interested at all in working on this problem. He just swims around occasionally interacting with a plant or two but mostly just stays active in the water column or rests on a leaf. Can anyone confirm if this is Black Beard Algae? Any thoughts on why the SAE doesn't seem to want to eat it? Alternate solutions? I've looked into chemical methods but would prefer to avoid that if possible. Thanks in advance for your help!

Nice looking tank Josh G. I appreciate the advice. The Honey Gourami is definitely what I am leaning toward. Just want these hydra gone though. I think they contributed to some baby Otocinclus dying. I've read they can sting and cause harm to baby fish. The baby Otocinclus had been visible for about 2 weeks and as soon as I noticed the hydra I never saw a baby Otocinclus again.

I appreciate the responses from both of you. I had watched the video that Guppysnail posted which got me looking into Gourami as a solution to this. As Hannah Parker mentioned I'm also not sure if the Honey Gourami would be voracious enough to go after them. I love how the Honey Gourami looks but I might settle for the Sparkling Gourami as an alternative. It sounds like the Sparkling Gourami would definitely do the job. I'd prefer the Honey Gourami. Anyone that has personal experience with them as a solution for Hydra would make my day.

I've recently noticed a pest called Hydra in my 15g planted tank. They are visible on the glass, some of the plants, and the hardscape. I've done some research and it seems that many of the Gourami family are often recommended as a good removal source. I've seen 3 Spot/Blue, Sparkling, and Paradise as helpful for this issue. I am wondering if anyone has experience with Honey Gourami working for this as well. The Honey Gourami is a more timid fish than some of the others that have been mentioned and I don't know if they will hunt and remove the Hydra. I want to get rid of them but would prefer to avoid chemical removal to avoid hurting the plants and invertebrates. My tank currently has 3 Julii Corydoras, 4 Otocinclus, and 4 Amano shrimp. Any suggestions and/or personal experience with this would be appreciated. Thanks