can someone help me help my tank?!

[Lilfishies05]

Hello to all--I am new here,well newly registered,I have been lurking and reading a while now!
I am praying someone can give me some "fresh" advice on my tank.
It is a 55 gallon,2 years old..temp 78,nitrites and ammonia 0,ph goes back and forth between 6.8 and 7.0. Water changes every 10 days. Everything was going well until this past July-when the tank caught ick.I treated it and did not lose any fish..but a few weeks later they got a bacterial infection...lost three fish then.
Since then,nothing has been quite right--all the readings are right,everyone is eating fine...but I have several who hide all the time now,several who are flicking,a couple that have one white spot-like thing on their mouths,one that has a red spot on him-almost looks like a parasite but it is red....
I have treated the tank so many times now,trying different meds on advice of my local fish-shop whom I trust completely.Treated for bacterial,parasites and ick. But nothing ever clears things up 100%.
I am getting sooo frustrated by now,and feel helpless as what to do next,no I do not have a hospital tank as a couple aggressive fish took it over;but it is obviously in the whole tank now. I hate watching them seemingly suffer-and I have now lost a total of 8 in 6 months-more than I have ever lost at all!!
Does any one have any advice to give me--I feel like all I do is try different meds which don't work and add up fast. The fish store actually suggested flushing all those who showed signs of being sick and start over--but one I cannot do that,and two wouldn't it still be in the tank??
Thank you for letting me ramble--it's been a while and I am worried.
** have used two ick meds,a copper treatment,clout,the maracide ones that match whet the tank had-can't remember names off the top of my head,and those jungle buddies fizzy ones. Also have tried adding a medicine booster,salt and raising the temp.
Also-there are only 9 fish left,plus a pleco,two catfish and one clown loach. none of these listed seem affected-except the loach who is hiding-but she lost her mate last week which might be part of it..... Please help us!!!!!

 

[breezer40]

You seem to have quite alot going on in the tank and although you have given the nitrite and ammonia test results I would be interested in what the Nitrate levels are.

If you are performing water changes on a 10 day basis rather than a couple of times a week (which for a 55 gallon tank I would reccomend) this will allow Nitrates to build up and this may be the problem.

Have a look at this link and especially the the section entitled "What effect will high nitrate levels have on my fish?".

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...hp?article_id=7

 

[Lilfishies05]

Oh my goodness--that sounds a lot like my tank!! I honestly completley forgot about the nitrates--feel like an idiot now ) (in my defense I have three kids and two jobs!!) I will go out today and get a new nitrates kit and see...any other advice-anyone??


thanks already!