I keep killing my fish??

Your fish are way too aggressive to be in such a small tank. They will keep killing anything else you put in there with them.

Try and find out the real names of your cichlids so you can decide if they need to be OUT of that tank before you do them permanent damage. Here's a page with a list of Africans; you can click on them to see photos and when you find yours, check out the max size of that species and recommended tank size. --> http://www.aquahobby.com/e_african_cichlids.php

As for your algae problem, those can generally be kept under control with lights and nutrients. Less light per day, don't overfeed, basically. And snails aren't necessarily a bad idea if you get the right kind. Pond snails and trumpet snails breed like rabbits. Mystery snails are just too big, in my opinion. Nerite snails are PERFECT. They don't get much bigger than a quarter, they eat algae like it's going out of style, and they're nearly impossible to breed in captivity.

OK

lets deal with the algae first

I assume you have an Aquarium light

the fish dont need the light

plants need light to photosynthesise just like a houseplant or garden plant the downside is that algae also thrives on light!

try having the light on for less time. the easiest way is to have it on a time switch then you dont forget.

just have it on in the evening when you want to see the fish e.g. 5pm till 10pm

Also when you do your water tests for ammonia and nitrite at the same time test for nitrate and phosphates, these are like fertiliser for algae!

best of all connect a uv clarifier to the return pipe after the filter etc. the uv radiation damages the algae cells and causes them to floculate ( stick together and form little clumps ) which the filtration can remove more easily

A balanced combination of these things will alleviate the algae problem and is MUCH better than using chemicals

If you want another cleaner try a Janitor fish, they are quite hardy.

Try and build a rapport with your fish dealer and ask his advice.

go at a quiet time during the week if possible,

hes not going to spend much time with you on a Saturday with a shop full of customers to serve

Think about joining a club, or a forum, you can learn a lot from others, and as a bonus make new friends who have the same interests as you!

Hope this helps, good luck!

Please read the link I posted below. "Algae eaters" don't really do much to control algae. The article I included below has some suggestions.

First, african cichlids are very aggressive, in general (there are some exceptions). Larger pleco's are typically not bothered by them, though. I would guess that your pleco came infected with internal parasites, that ultimately killed it. Plecos can die seemingly without notice, because they do not show symptoms the same way other fish do.

Anyway, I would try to conquer the algae problem another way.

Well is the pH right for this type of sucker fish and what kind of sucker fish is it that would also help alot if you can tell us what kind it is would help

maybe the condition of the tank doesn't match the required condition of the sucker. try buying janitor fish or plecostomus they are really tough fish which survive on most water conditions.

get snails if your 'sucker" fish was a plecosums commonly sold as alge eaters they need a 75 gallon tank

i've seen them over a foot long

most alge eaters get big i'd stick with mystery snails if i were you

how long have you had the cichlids?

the cichlids might act as if the tank is "their territory" if you had them for a while.

i dont know much about fish, but check this site out for info: http://myfwc.com/fishing/Fishes/suckers.html

^ hope this helps :)