Algae eaters

I am looking for something to keep down the algae in my cold water fishtank. I say cold water as its not heated but it does stay around 21c most of the time.
I have been looking into snails, but don't want my tank to be over run with them, there are horror stories about this happening with some sorts.
I only have goldfish, shubinkin, and zebra tetra in it at the moment.
So what should I put in? Snails (what sort) ? Algae eating fish? Something else? I don't want anything that grows too big.
So, any ideas!

i think apple snails lay eggs near surface of tank and you can remove them. i dont know the name of these but there a try of loach i think for cold water it almost looks like a sting ray

Those would be hillstream loaches, which come from very fast flowing rivers all over south east Asia. As such, they usually have very big oxygen requirements and don't tend to last unless those requirements are met. They're often sold as "cold water plecs" or "borneo suckers" or some other generic name and said to be suitable for goldfish tanks, but they're not really. Goldfish like little or no current, hillstream loaches live in waters that move at speeds of up to 1m a second.
Snails are a better alternative. Apple snails are a possibility. They do tend to lay their eggs out of the water, in the hood or just above the waterline. However, there are many different species sold under the single banner of "apple snail" and some prefer plants or algae, so that might be a consideration for you. They can be tricky to tell apart. There are two others to consider; Malaysian trumpet snails or nerite snails.
MTSs are excellent eaters of algae, dead leaves and waste material that leave living plants alone. The are also diggers, so they'll crawl through the substrate and stop anaerobic pockets building up. However, they are sometimes the cause of those awful snail plagues that you read about online. This generally only happens if there is a lot of waste material left in the tank for them to feed on though. And they do tend to disappear during the day and do their work at night (unless you have pea gravel; they find it impossible to bury themselves in it). Some people, like me, swear by them and love them. Many hate them though.
The other alternative is nerite snails. Unlike MTSs, nerites can't reproduce successfully in fresh water. MTSs are parthenogenic so you don't even need a male for them to breed, just a single female. The nerite lifecycle needs brackish or salt water so they'll lay eggs but nothing will ever come of it. The only disadvantage to that is having to pay for each and every snail you need. But at least if you buy six, six is all you'll ever have. They're good algae eaters too.
Johnny.

I have billions of malaysian trumpet snails, they are damned well everywhere, the substrate is heaving with the bastards, if you want a substrate that looks like it's actually alive , go for them, otherwise, stick with nerite, that is, if you can stand your decor covered in sesame like egg cases, they will lay egg cases but they won't hatch as they need saltwater.

Thanks for that info Johnny, I am sort of going off the MTS as I want to be able to control what I have and don't want millions growing out of everywhere like Homers. And I did like the look of the hillstream loach, but my waters not up to river speed! I did read they like to be in groups of 3 or above. Then there is the danger to get given the wrong kind and they keep on growing!!
So, I think I might go down the Nerite snail route. Hopefully the goldfish will eat the empty cases.
Any places anyone seen that do good prices on these snails? Will a place normally post them out to me?
Thanks for the help and advice do far.

Jonlate wrote:

Thanks for that info Johnny, I am sort of going off the MTS as I want to be able to control what I have and don't want millions growing out of everywhere like Homers. And I did like the look of the hillstream loach, but my waters not up to river speed! I did read they like to be in groups of 3 or above. Then there is the danger to get given the wrong kind and they keep on growing!!
So, I think I might go down the Nerite snail route. Hopefully the goldfish will eat the empty cases.
Any places anyone seen that do good prices on these snails? Will a place normally post them out to me?
Thanks for the help and advice do far.

You're probably right. I've had MTSs in a tank by the hundred and hardly saw them, but that was with alot plants, bogwood and rocks. For some reason they love hiding under heavy pieces of decor. I'm not sure but I think nerites usually cost €4-€5 each in most places.