2.5 gallon mini bow

Question
I got my daughter a 2.5 gallon mini bow for Christmas.  I set it up with gravel and fake plants ect... I let the filled tank w/ filter run for 2 weeks before buying 5 small fish.  I have a peachy collored sucker fish, a fancy tail guppy, a black. squatty gold fish but he has a pot belly and a square kind of mouth, and 2 neons.  The guppy bit the big one today so I had the water tested.  The water PH was way off so they gave me some packets and told me to take out 1/2 gallon of water, mix 1/2 packet in and then put the water back.  I really think that I have too many fish in the tank.  The pet store said that 5 was ok but they don't seem ok.  Also, how do I clean this tank, and how often?  What supplies do I need for cleaning ect....  I don't want the fish to suffer!  HELP!!!!

Answer
Unfortunately, no fish can survive happily in a 2.5 gallon tank. I know it was a Christmas present and it is all set up, but your daughter will just feel disappointed when they just die. Goldfish are coldwater fish, so not suitable for that tank, and need 10 gallons plus per fish. I'm not sure exactly what the sucker fish is, but most plecs, plecostomus etc need 20 gallon plus tanks. Also tetras need to be in a group of 6 plus, so they will not be happy either. I am very sorry your first fishkeeping experience has turned out like this, but what I recommend, is you buy a good 15 gallon tank to get you started, bigger if possible. Ebay is a good place to look if your short of cash just after Christmas! You can get a good bargain there.
A tank needs to be cycled, so that the filter will work effectively, before any fish go in the tank. Here is a little information about cycling a tank to get you started:
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm
http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Cycle.htm

It seems very complicated, but I recommend you join this site:
http://www.tropicalfish.site5.com/tfc/
It is very helpful and you can ask anything you want. It is a friendly community committed to helping everyone in fishkeeping, especially beginners.

Feel free to ask more questions.
Wishing you the best of luck,
Kathryn