I've got two goldies and I would like to get something to take care of the algea/slime build up in my tank. I don't have a rediculous amount of crud growing but I think either a snail or a pleco would make a good addition, which leads to my questions. Which would get along better with my goldies and which of the two is less messy?

I've had plecos before and they were sooo messy, I felt bad for my goldies. None the less I have a larger tank now with a good filter so I don't think the mess would be as big of a problem now. I'd really like a snail but I don't know much about them and what would be a good kind to get if a snail would be the better option. Any input would be great, thanks all.

Snails = about twice as messy as your pleco was. Only the brigs really eat algea, too, and with both snails and plecos you still need to feed them fresh veggies.

If you just want something to make the algea go away, get an algea magnet.

If u got plants, then pleco is much better snails eat plants, rite?

People sometimes "assume" that Brigs and other species of Apple Snails,are big algae eater's and they're really not.They much prefer veggies,wafer's,snail cookies,pellets,and anything else before they go for the algae,& when they go for that, it's usually because they're hungry enough too.If you're looking for an "Algae" eater,the best way to go is with a Bristlenose Plec.They stay a really decent size,and work miracles on algae infested tanks. With you having 2 goldies in a five gal. tank,I hope you are researching this for a future time frame,when a bigger tank is in the making. You are going to have a hard enough time just keeping these two alive. Goldies are very messy fish,and although you mentioned that they're small,a five gal. tank just isn't close enough to risk. Good luck,and hopefully you'll be getting that tank sooner than you thought.

Devs sure love her bristles

Also, if you get a pleco you need a chunk of driftwood in there. I have them both and love them both.

Why yes I do! They are by far one of the most perfect little fish.They not only keep your tank clean,they stay small enough to where you don't need a huge tank to house them,and in general,they are normally very peaceful and are a great community fish. Driftwood is a must for some species of Pleco's,but not all of them have the same need. For Bristlenoses,I do have Driftwood in my tank.

How big of a piece of driftwood would I need and where would I find a bristlenose pleco? I'm not going to get one till I get a bigger tank, but I want to have the info on hand so as soon as I get one....

It really depends on a couple of things as to the size. One thing I do need to mention,is that Driftwood has the tendancy to lower your ph somewhat-which may be worrisome if you have low ph to begin with.I have a tank that houses Angelfish/Pleco's,and in that tank I guess the driftwood is about ten inches big.It drops my ph quite a bit,but it actually works out okay because the Angels & Pleco's love the lower PH.In my Snail tank,I have Bristles.,but the PH needs to be alot higher because of the snails,so I'm using a much smaller piece of Driftwood in there,and I also have added the coral to the filter to help keep the ph up somewhat. When you figure out for sure what size tank you're getting/what you'll have in it,etc...we can better figure it out more exactly.Bristlenoses,hmmm.....Sometimes you see them ,sometimes you don't-you just never know.I do know that my local Petsmart gets them,but that they only order a couple here and there.Your best bet would be to call a couple of your LFS's,and ask them if they ever get them in,that way you can find out if they're something that can be ordered for you.

I'd be very very very hesitant to get a snail. I had one once and it brought parasites which killed all of my fish.

Are you 100% sure? As far as I know, the only parasite that can effect fish that a snail can carry is ich, which generally is very treatable. I doubt it was the snail.

Yes, I am very sure because I hadn't brought anything esle into the tank and the parasites were big things and one of them was sucking on my pleco when I found it. Also, I grew up in a third world country and have seen for my self that they can carry parasites that can harm humans and fish.

The lower Ph caused by adding driftwood would be very welcome, the Ph out of the tap here is usually around 7.8, ridiculously high. If the drift wood would lower my Ph enough I might get a peice to put in my tank now, I hate usuing all thise chemicals to keep it under control. Could I buy driftwood at my local pet store?

and not to sound dumb but is LFS? I see it posted all over the place, is it just a generic name for pet store?

LFS = Local fish store, or pet store.

7.8 is not a high pH at all, my old pH was 8.6

The most important thing is that it is stable. Chemicals do more harm than good, 90% of the time.

Geeez, I thought 7.8 was bad but 8.6 my gosh. I guess I just got used to my water at home which was around 7 or 7.1, nearly perfect. Now that I'm at college I look at the water test and my eyes get huge, it's sooo awful. I definatly prefer well water to city water.

Hey i have a 45 gallon tank. In the tanks I have 11 comet gold fish 3 of the long fined ones i forget there names and 2 fat ones forget there names too. I also have 2 common plecos about 3 or 4 inches long and 4 black mystery snails there perfectly fine in my tank but if you have a 5g i think that would be a diffrent story. Good luck.