I think that hydra is not a problem unless its really really a lot, – and maybe it could depend on what type of hydra. Normally hydra will come because the tank is fed with lots of live small food, such as artemia. But they dont cause any problems for bigger fish in my opinion.
But I would not count on any gouramies to take them, nor in a reliable way 🙂 .. if theres other food, they will skip the hydra I am sure.
Back to the Sphaerichthys and numbers, – I think again, pairs are not a good idea. Again I havent got any personal experience, – but my friend found that keeping them in a smaller school really is very beneficial and even if you dont think breeding is possible with more numbers on the contrary it is then that they breed. I think they are mouthbreeders as well as the other chocolate gouramies which means you can then seperate the breeding parent when it comes close to releasing the fry.
But breeding chocolates or spaerichthys is kind of difficult 🙂
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