If you want to keep gold fish then we should try to keep them alive as well as the algae eaters, but if they do die then it would be easiest and best to basically start over imo. (in my opinion) Just use this experience to learn from and it won't be a total waste.
To try to keep the fish you will have to do a pwc (partial water change) possibly every day as a chore for a while to keep your ammonia levels down. you didn't mention whether you had city or well water. if you have city water there is chlorine in the water which i believe kills the bacteria in the water that converts the ammonia to nitrite which in turn gets converted to nitrate as such your tank cycle may never complete and the ammonia that comes from the massive amounts of waste that gold fish produce will always build up. You will need to use a dechlorinater for the city water. Since i have well water i'm not sure about these and what would be the best to get and if what i just said is exactly correct so i hope someone who has more xp then me will correct this info if wrong.
One item that will help is a
python (not the snake) water change system. click the link to see exactly what it is. python is kind of like kleenex though and there are other brand similar systems out there.
You will also have to get some water test kits. The liquid drop tests are more reliable and accurate than the paper strips all though a little more complicated but simple enough to use. the
API master kit is a good start. make sure you get the one for freshwater and not saltwater. you might want to get a test kit for KH and GH (water hardness) but that isnt a necessity right now imo if the budget is tight.
These items are available at petsmart if you don't want to wait for shipping but i would suggest printing out the items online at petsmart.com and taking that to the store since they will match the price on their website instore. not sure if they will match competitors online prices but won't hurt to try so go prepared with big al's prices too. I linked to BigAl's on the items just to show you what they are. i am in no way affiliated with them and would suggest researching other websites for cheaper prices and buyer beware and all that stuff. just remember it's your money. i can say i have ordered from them once (no livestock) and everything was packaged well and they did price match other online competitors, only since i found the prices and asked them to.
When you get the test kit test your tap water and your tank water and then post the results. In the mean time you should find a better local fish store than walmart lol . if you tell us where you're from we might be able to steer you to a decent one or away from a bad one.
is your filter a sponge type or it a box type that hangs on the back of the tank?
