Water Gardening: Pond - goldfish - snails, 1 by orchid923

orchid923 wrote:
I have a small pond - with goldfish that have been in there for 1-1/2 yrs now. It's quite healthy; some algae but clear enough to see the bottom. Lots of arachnis plants, etc. for oxygen; a fountain and a gargoyle spouting (birds love this). Occasionally I see a snail and will scoop it out; or in the filter when I clean it.
Question -- do I leave them ? One pet store says yes; they will clean up the algae - but do I want it that clean ? The other pet store says to get rid of them as soon as you see them; they multiply and are a nuisance. BTW I didn't put any snail(s) in the pond. Wondering how they got in there.....
Any thoughts ? Thanks
E