Please Help Me! All My Fish Are Dying!

[nofishinginmytank]

I have a 35 liter fish tank. It's well established and has been up and running for about three years now. It was stocked with:
1x Guppy (he was the last survivor was about 3 years old, I was planning on buying some more little friends for him)
5x Platies (4 females and 1 male)
1x male swordtail
1x male dwarf gourami
2x Cherry Barbs
 
Everything was going well and I haven't recently changed anything at all. No new  filter, heater, filter pads or fish etc. I don't spray any perfume, air fresher or have scented candles in the room.
 
Well I did my weekly water change this weekend, ever weekend I take out 25-50% of the water with a gravel cleaner and refill it with clean water which has been treated with tapsafe. I've done this every weekend since I've had my fish tank and its also worked fine for us. But on sunday night I noticed that all my platies seemed to be at the top of the water and appeared to be gasping for air (panting). So, I went into the fishy cupboard and found a bottle of disease clear. I worked out the dosage and added it to the tank following the instructions on the bottle for my tank size.
 
On Monday morning they all seemed fine and were swimming around and appeared to be happy although one of my female platies did appear to have a swollen/large white stomach, which at the time I assumed that she was just pregnant and didn't worry about it. However, I went upstairs about midday on Monday and noticed what looked like a orange leaf by the one plant but when I looked closer I realised that it was the same female platy who looked pregnant earlier, so I got her out with the net and buried her in the garden. 
Yesterday all fish seemed fine until I went upstairs again at about lunch time and noticed that another female platy was floating on the surface so I got her out and buried her aswell (can't bring myself to flush them, I get too attached). I did another 25-50% water change but before I did it I got a water sample. I took the water down to my local pet shop who do free water testing. The lovely lady who I always deal with tested the water and showed me the parameters and explained that they were all correct and didn't show up any cause for concern, the one was a slightly yellower colour than it should be but she said it wasn't a dangerous level and was probably the treatment that i had added.
 
Today all the fish were at the water surface again and were gasping for air again. But the little male guppy did have quite a white swollen stomach and one of the male platy also looked very distressed. I didn't know what I could do to help them at all so I decided to take out a few more jugs of water and replaced it just in case their was something in the water. But when I went upstairs about 15 minutes ago the poor little guppy was floating on the top of the water dead.
 
I honestly don't know what I can do. I have tried everything it seems and I don't know what I am doing wrong, however, my younger sister also has a fish tank in her bedroom and her dwarf gourami died this morning as well. So it must be something that we both share. We share the food but neither of us have used hand cream, soap etc. before feeding or sprayed perfume/ air freshner near it or anything like that. We also use the one bucket for cleaning out the fish which is clearly labelled and is never used for anything else and is kept in the office room which is very rarely used and contains no chemicals at all. 
 
We are all baffled and it's getting quite upsetting knowing that all these little lives are ending because of something we are doing/have done or aren't doing. Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Thank you so much in advance. 
 
Oh and the filter is working correctly and the heater is working fine and the temperature is exactly 25 degrees which is perfect according to the thermometer. 
 
Attached are photos of the dead guppy and the fish tank. The guppies tail fin was not shredded like that before his death, the other fish were eating it after he had passed.

 

[gmc1]

Hi.sorry you are having trouble.i wonder if it would be a good idea to remove the ornaments you have.they could be leaching something into water.

 

[Chad]

It's possible that they have a disease, or that something got into the water without you knowing it. It's also possible that the tank is suffering from something called "old tank syndrome". For years this wasn't well understood but research has shown that over time nutrients can build up in the system, especially in the substrate and begin to affect the livestock. What is generally recommended is to remove the fish into a temporary holding tank (this can be a tank or any safe container large enough) which has the filtration, heater, etc. from the main tank put onto it. Then remove all the gravel from the main tank, clean any detritus that remains on the bottom, and replace the gravel with new. Do a good clean on pumps and filters being careful not to mess with the filter media, just take that out and let it float in the water but clean the housing and tubes well. Clean the decorations. Then do a deep water change. Some will do 100% others less. With old tanks I tend to do the 100% myself. if you have treated the filter media well the bacteria on it should still be alive and the cycle only partly messed up.
 
Depending on how ill the fish are you may return them or leave them be for a week. I've done this with several tanks and find through testing that ammonia and nitrite are taken care of by the bacteria on the old filter media so I return my fish right away. After all this I begin to seed a new bit of filter media and toss out the old as soon as the new has had time to mature.  

 

[Akasha72]

if this were me I'd get the water checked again and this time ask the lady to write down the figures so you can post them here. So many times I've read on this forum that people have got their water checked, were told it was 'fine' only to post the actual figures here for us to say 'no way is that fine'
 
Gasping at the surface is usually a sign of ammonia in the water. 
 
Can I just add though, this tank is really over-stocked. I'm sat looking at my 30 litre tank which currently holds 10 new baby harlequins. They are in quarentine at the moment and to be grown on a bit before adding them to my main 4ft tank. I wouldn't add any more nor would I consider keeping them in there long term.

 

[Far_King]

It does sound like the test that's "a little more yellow than usual" is likely to be the ammonia test.  I agree with both Tcamos and Akasha.

 

[nofishinginmytank]

I took another water sample to be tested and it turns out that this sample showed up my pH as being 4.9
She tested it again and got the same results!
I am appalled to find out that water companies/suppliers don't have to inform you to any water changes! They have added something to the water to increase the pH which has killed 7 fish!
Maybe they are just fish to some people but they are still tiny little loves that have been taken! We are paying for the water and we don't even know what's in it most of the time! I am disgusted and from now on I will be buying bottles water only for myself to drink and for my fish tank! I think it's absolutely disgusting how we aren't informed of any changes to the water we are paying for. Surely some people must have medical conditions which could be affected by the sudden change in pH etc.
I will be writing a snotty email to both my water company and the my MP!

 

[Akasha72]

Here in Yorkshire we have very soft water. It comes out of my tap at 7.4 but falls in my tank to 6.5. I really doubt your water is 4.9, if fact there isn't a test that goes that low that I'm aware of.
 
Here's what I would do. I would go to Amazon and buy yourself a quality test kit. I'd recommend the API masterkit or the JBL kit - I've used both and both are accurate and easy to use. These test kits are liquid drop tests and are the best. Don't waste your money on dip strips as they're horribly inaccurate. 
 
Once you've got your kit, test the tank for pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate and then test your tap water for the same. 
 
Our water here has very high levels of Phosphate. It's so high that it's caused a whole host of problems in my tank. It's harmed my fish and it's blanketed my entire tank in black beard algae.
I too sent a snotty email to Yorkshire water and got an email back telling me that the water is perfectly safe to drink and they don't provide water suitable for fish tanks but for human consumption. Believe me, that snotty letter will be a waste of time. Save your energy and your blood pressure! lol

 

[nofishinginmytank]

Sorry, that's was a typing error. It was actually 5.9 so sorry.
Ha-ha thank you. I've sent letter but I'm sure it too will be a complete waste off time. Thank you so much for your advice and I'll definitely be investing in my own testing kit, thank you.

 

[Akasha72]

I think we're getting down to the reason you lost your fish - the guppies especially now. With a pH of 5.9 (I did wonder if it was a typing error or if the lfs were trying to make a monkey out of you) you've clearly got soft water and guppies don't do well at all in soft water, they are hard water fish 
 
What fish have you got in this little tank now?

 

[nofishinginmytank]

All that's left now is 3 female platies, 1 male swordtail and 1 male dwarf gourami.
We've had no more deaths since I treated the water with the pH salt crystals treatment I was sold. You have dissolve them in water before pouring the water into the tank, they neutralize the water I believe. Two of the platies are still at the water surface and gasping but the other fish have calmed down a lot and are swimming and acting normally now. I'm going to take another sample down to the lfs again tomorrow to get it tested again to see if they need to be treated again.

 

[Akasha72]

okay. I'm getting the gist of things now. I've also had a brief look at your new thread but thought I'd reply to you here so I don't get confused ... my memory is rubbish and I comment on so many threads that I loose track.
 
Right, so what you have is a small tank which isn't good for the fish you've got (and that's not your fault, we've all made mistakes along the way, myself included) You've also got a low pH which generally points to soft water. The only fish you have that is good in soft water is the gourami. 
 
The next thing that's jumped out is that you've added something to adjust the pH. This isn't something we ever recommend as it can lead to wild pH swings which will kill your fish quickly. Always remember it is best to accept the pH that comes out of your tap and stock your fish tank with fish that like what you have. A stable pH is good even if it's a low pH. Wild pH swings are not good and that's what can happen with these products
 
So right now I would leave things alone. Don't add anymore pH adjuster - just dechlorinate fresh water each week and do your water changes. At some point your gonna lose the platies and the swordtail, whether that be to old age or because their lives have been shortened by being kept in soft water. It's a hard fact but it's better that I'm honest with you right?
 
I suspect that you will finish up with just the gourami left. With such a small tank I wouldn't add anything any bigger than about 2cm so maybe look at dwarf rasboras 
 
Alternatively if you have the space in your home and your up for it you could upgrade to a larger tank of around 60 litres which gives you a few more options on fish species.
 
Hope that helps you

 

[Byron]

The other thread is the same issue, right Akasha.  And Zoe, I explained therein what is likely occurring.  We need to know the GH and KH of the tap water, preferably from the water authority (their website, or direct call) and when we have those numbers, I expect we will see the issue.
 
The other thread is here
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/440618-stocking-im-in-such-a-mess/
and it is always a good idea to keep an issue confined to just one thread, so everyone sees all that has been said and it avoids something being missed and members running in more than one direction to help you.
 
And from earlier in this present thread, Akasha is absolutely correct about stores testing water...always insist they give you the number, and for what test obviously.  What is "fine" for some employee may not be fine at all to us.  And without test numbers, we are largely guessing.  This is just a general comment.
 
Byron.

 

[nofishinginmytank]

Thank you both. So would small rasboras be ok in soft water in the future?

 

[Akasha72]

in this 34 litre tank? Yes, rasboras are fine in soft water and they're not fast swimmers so I'd say they'd be okay but I'd look to the dwarf species such as the kubotai
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/boraras-maculatus/
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/microrasbora-rubescens/
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/rasbosoma-spilocerca/
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/microdevario-kubotai/
 
The little Kubotai is my favourite and I'd have a very large shoal of these myself if I didn't have a pair of angelfish that would just eat them alive