Can anyone help me with a black beard algae problem?

I have been doing a lot of research on BBA and came across a few solutions I would like to try. I have read that SAEs will get rid of it but I have one and his is fat and lazy so I dont want to travel down that road again. I have also read that dosing with Seachem flourish excel will kill it. For the excel I was wondering if it will kill moss balls, and clams. I also have some well developed swords, cryps, and java fern and would like to spot treat the algae with excel but I don't want to uproot the plants. I want an answer from someone who has used excel, WITH SUCCESS, and not just something plajurized off a web site.

Can anyone help me with a black beard algae problem?
I've tried it. Don't do it with loaches, I lost a lot of good fish that way. :\ The plants obviously weren't hurt and the stuff still haunted me until I finally just tore them out through anger. You might have to remove your fish while trying this out.





Did you stifle any potential iron in your tank as well, by the way?





Also, did you try flag fish as well? There's a lot of false siamensis, as you read above , and the true ones will pick on java moss and even do some damage on the balls.
Reply:the only thing i can tell you is maybe you don't have a sae there are like 4 or 5 fish ranging from Chinese algae eater and the flying fox and maybe i think the false sae are all fish that wont eat the black beard algae so maybe go to a pet store you really trust i usually don't recommend the petsmarts petcos and stuff like that because when you buy there fish you never know what your going to get so maybe try buying another sae from a smaller mom and pop store also everything I've read about chemicals that kill algae snails and whatever else you don't want can harm plants so i wouldn't use it. one solution I've read is highering your pH some just for awhile and you'll see the algae die back but yeah i wouldn't use chemicals to do that either maybe several water changes using harder water (usually from i sink in some parts of the world) for the next couple of weeks or so until you notice some changes in the algae growth in the mean time break off leaves with the algae on it and siphon and clean anything with it sorry for not being that helpful.