restarting new tank#

Question
I,ve got a 55gal tank set up since Xmas and its my first. It contains 5 male guppies 7 neon tetras and 3 bristlenose catfish about 2 inch long. The main problem is that we,ve got a major snail infestation and we also have a bad algae problem. What we would like to now is if we removed everything from the tank and restarted it, but put the whole internal filter in a bucket containing snail killer would it be ok to put the fish back in the tank the same day or would we need to recycle the tank. We don't want to put snail killer in the tank in case it harms the fish so would rather do it this way. What are your thoughts on this, is there another way around this without getting any loaches.If we restart the tank it will be all new except the filter sponges

Answer
Hi Martin
It's usually never recommended to break down and clean the tank like that.  There's a bunch of beneficial bacteria living in the gravel, decorations, filter, filter media.  Not to mention, it's a pain....I wouldn't do it.

For the snails, before trying the meds, (which I've heard from lots of people don't work, and I can't say for sure, I've never been able to breed snails.  I have a puffer and would love to have your problem lol)try floating a piece or two of lettuce in the tank.  Snails love it, and they'll flock to it.  The next day, just pluck it out and dispose of it in the trash.  Put more lettuce in.  Just repeat this, it's gonna take awhile, until there's no more snails.  Just be sure to remove the lettuce everyday so it doesn't mess with the water quality.  Look on the water line, and you can see where they lay their eggs.  Take a paper towel and wipe it out.  

As for the algae, the common questions first, is the tank near a window getting sunlight?  How long is the light left on for?  Usually it's recommended no longer then 8 hours.  If that's the case, turn the light off more.  Also what you can try to do is called a total blackout.  Cover the tank completely with a blanket so no light can get in.  Leave it that way for 3-4 days, no peeking and don't feed the fish(they'll be fine).  That's supposed to kill the algae off.  Also, what kind of filtration do you have or rather how much?  For a 55 gallon tank, you'll a want a filter or filters that will put out a minimum of 550 gallons per hour, I usually recommend going over that, especially with large stocks of fish.  You mention you have an internal filter, I'm not real familiar with those if it's what I think it is, is that one of those that's under the water?  And if so, is there anything agitating the water surface?

Christy