Just needed some advice from any fish/aquarium experts:

Ok so I had 2 goldfish and I bought them this nice lil 5 gallon aquarium.  About a week or so after I set up the tank with the fish, I got one of those "mystery snails" cuz the guy at the petsmart told me they do a better job of cleaning algae than suckerfish.  And he did do a real good job!  Well a couple weeks later one of the fish died (I think he maybe was already sick before I moved him to the new tank) so I got a black moor goldfish (the kind with the bugged-out eyes).  He's kinda frisky and swims real fast all over the place.  I noticed at first that he kept nudging the snail, and I thought it's probably just that he was looking for food and he kept running into him.  But a couple days later I noticed my snail hadn't been moving so I got him out of the tank and sure enough his foot was hanging out the shell and his HEAD WAS MISSING!  I have a feeling the new fish ate him....I guess they do that sometimes.  Well anyway I need to get SOMETHING to eat the algae.  I'd really rather have a snail than a suckerfish but I'm afraid someone might once again dine on escargot....
What should I do?

Ditch the snails & get a sucker fish.  When we had our tank set up, the snails never lasted more than a few days.  But sucker fish are VERY hard to kill, plus they do a much better job at cleaning the tank.

Good luck! :)

Snails are usually good and the ones I had lasted longer than my goldfish. It looks like you're going to have to get a suckerfish though. :P

Thanks guys!  I guess I'll get a suckerfish.  The main reason I don't like them is cuz they're not as cute as the snails, plus I'm gonna miss the little Shakespeare theme I had going:
The black moor I named "Othello."  ;)  The other goldfish I had already named "William", and so I named the snail "Shakey" (as in Shakespeare)

Thanks guys!  I guess I'll get a suckerfish.  The main reason I don't like them is cuz they're not as cute as the snails, plus I'm gonna miss the little Shakespeare theme I had going:
The black moor I named "Othello."  ;)  The other goldfish I had already named "William", and so I named the snail "Shakey" (as in Shakespeare)



You can name the suckerfish, "Bottom" (from A Midsummer Night's Dream")  ;D



Cat

Thanks guys!  I guess I'll get a suckerfish.  The main reason I don't like them is cuz they're not as cute as the snails, plus I'm gonna miss the little Shakespeare theme I had going:
The black moor I named "Othello."  ;)  The other goldfish I had already named "William", and so I named the snail "Shakey" (as in Shakespeare)
;D ;Dcatrfish eat a lot of algae,too,and they come in all different varieties.Cheers!

I would suggest getting a Plecostomus Catfish or "Pleco" for short.  They're not pretty but they do a great job on algae.  They do get big, so I suggest getting a small one to start.


http://www.aquariacentral.com/fishinfo/fresh/pleco.shtml

Okay, since we're on the subject of fish, my son wants fish for his birthday, which we promised him, but haven't gotten yet (his birthday was in April  :-[).  Any suggestions on some easy to care for fish other than goldfish?  He wants the "cool ones" 8) 'cuz "goldfish are boring" (his words, not mine ;D)


How about a Betta (Fighting Fish)?  They are air breathers and don't need a filter.  I saw a cool bowl for a Betta at Wal-mart (don't know if you live near one or not).  It was clear glass and it sat on a black base with a little light that hung from an "arm"  over the top of the bowl.  Bettas are really easy to care for as well, you just need to change the water every now and then and of course feed them. 

Well, we've already got a 10gal tank and he wants 'lots of fishies'.  I DID think of a betta (I used to have one), but can  you put them in with other fish (obviously not another betta, but say, a goldfish?)


I was told (by a pet store employee) that you can put a betta with other fish, never tried it though.  My only concern would be that the other fish might nibble on the long fins.  You could always get a small Oscar, I say small because they can get really big, but for a fish they do have a lot of "personality". 

I'd go with the Plecos "sucker-fish". We have a 30 gallon tank with one Plecos and it is perfectly clean. Plus we have a catfish and it is also a bottom feeder but it eats the waste of the other fish.

Well, we've already got a 10gal tank and he wants 'lots of fishies'.  I DID think of a betta (I used to have one), but can  you put them in with other fish (obviously not another betta, but say, a goldfish?)


We had a Beta & a goldfish together in one tank - the goldfish lasted about a week & he was twice the size of the Beta.

I'm sure of you go to any pet store that sells fish they can tell you which ones are compatible.  There are lots of really cool freshwater fish to choose from. :)

Well, we've already got a 10gal tank and he wants 'lots of fishies'.  I DID think of a betta (I used to have one), but can  you put them in with other fish (obviously not another betta, but say, a goldfish?)


The guy at the petstore told us that if goldfish are aggresive and love to nip the fins of the other fish. So we have tetras, guppies, mollies and platys together and it is working just fine. There are lots of cool tetras and guppies out there.

Okay, since we're on the subject of fish, my son wants fish for his birthday, which we promised him, but haven't gotten yet (his birthday was in April  :-[).  Any suggestions on some easy to care for fish other than goldfish?  He wants the "cool ones" 8) 'cuz "goldfish are boring" (his words, not mine ;D)


There are different varieties of goldfish to chose from, they're not all just "gold."  There are calico goldfish.  My "Othello" is a real neat type: black moor goldfish.  They are all black and their eye sockets.  (Pictured below)
I'm pretty new to fish care myself so I'm not familiar with all the kinds you can get.  I do know that angelfish are another popular pet.

Since you asked for advice I hope you won't be offended by what I am going to post.  If it isn't a typo and you are really saying that you purchased a 5 gallon tank to accommodate your 2 goldfish, your tank is way to small.   Goldfish are very messy fish (they poop a lot) and with a 5 gallon you will basically have to change the water daily and have a very powerful filter (which I don't think they even make for 5 gallon tanks) running at the same time just to keep it from  becoming dangerously toxic for your fish.  Adding another fish or even a snail, (especially a pleco, which do get quite big) would not be a good idea.  More living creatures, more poop.   My suggestion to keep the algae away is to clean it by hand rather then putting in something to remove it.  I am assuming your fish are fairly small, so maybe you might have some time to save up for a larger tank.  One goldfish needs at the bare minimum 10 gallons.  Since you have 2 you will need a 20 gallon with no tank mates.  Goldfish are not small fish, they can grow to about 6 to 8 inches ---other types much larger---and because they are messy they need more water per inch.  Maybe you might want to trade in your fish and get some minnows, small tetras, or guppy's instead.  But remember a 5 gallon can not hold very many of those either....I would say 3 to be on the safe side.  Small tanks are not very forgiving so water changes and basic maintenance is needed more often than with large tanks.  I have a 50 gallon tank running with 4 fish and I clean it once a week. 

Thanks for the advice, guys.  I'd rather steer clear from goldfish as NbC said cuz they're so dirty.  My friend used to have silver-somethings that were pretty cool.  Anyone know what they're called?


We used to have some silver sharks.  Is that what you were thinking of?  They are silver and black with a shark-like top fin.  I like the way they look but the can be quite shy and hide in the plants a lot.

Or perhaps you mean silver mollies?  They're silver all over and can be very sociable.

Since you asked for advice I hope you won't be offended by what I am going to post.  If it isn't a typo and you are really saying that you purchased a 5 gallon tank to accommodate your 2 goldfish, your tank is way to small.   Goldfish are very messy fish (they poop a lot) and with a 5 gallon you will basically have to change the water daily and have a very powerful filter (which I don't think they even make for 5 gallon tanks) running at the same time just to keep it from  becoming dangerously toxic for your fish.  Adding another fish or even a snail, (especially a pleco, which do get quite big) would not be a good idea.  More living creatures, more poop.   My suggestion to keep the algae away is to clean it by hand rather then putting in something to remove it.  I am assuming your fish are fairly small, so maybe you might have some time to save up for a larger tank.  One goldfish needs at the bare minimum 10 gallons.  Since you have 2 you will need a 20 gallon with no tank mates.  Goldfish are not small fish, they can grow to about 6 to 8 inches ---other types much larger---and because they are messy they need more water per inch.  Maybe you might want to trade in your fish and get some minnows, small tetras, or guppy's instead.  But remember a 5 gallon can not hold very many of those either....I would say 3 to be on the safe side.  Small tanks are not very forgiving so water changes and basic maintenance is needed more often than with large tanks.  I have a 50 gallon tank running with 4 fish and I clean it once a week. 


My tank does have a power filter, but I'm afraid I don't have any room for a bigger tank.  :(

I've had fish on and off for years. The biggest tank was about 60 gallons.
For kids, Goldie's suggestions are best. The simple fish seem to last longer. Also add some neon, they're very cool looking. Buy them in groups because they like to "school".The goldfish we all got from carnivals are different from the pretty fancy goldfish people keep in aquariums. I did one tank of only fancy goldfish once. Never again. They can be really sensitve about their water temp., the chemical balance, etc. Oscars are very aggressive. I had a tiny baby one literally destroy a shark that was 3 times longer than him.
The silver fish that Cheer is talking about might be a Bala Shark or a Tin Foil Barb. Tin Foils are another good one for a kids tank. My first one was the size of a quarter when I bought him, He outlived everyone and had the tank to himself until he died, years later. He was so big I could've made a meal of him.
Good luck.

I have 3 Silver Dollars in my tank.  They are great fish....get to be about 5 to 6 inches and are very non-aggressive.  If I didn't already have one large Gold Severum (semi-aggressive) in there I would be able to keep small fish alone with the Silvers.  They do best as a school and if kept alone will be very shy.  They kind of resemble Pirahna's.   

I have always wanted an Oscar for their personalities but they get way to large and grow very quickly.  They are actually quite mild tempered compared to other cichlids.  A petshop sold me 2 years ago to put into a 10 gallon tank....told me that they will grow with the tank.  They forgot to mention that the reason they grow with the tank is because their growth is stunted.  They tend to tell you half truths just to sell you their stuff, which makes me so angry.  Anyway, I took them back to the petshop and complained.  They eventually took them back.