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Ammonia2007-11-24 23:09:32

You also have fish that aren't a good mix. Rams are very sensitive to water quality, so that's why they were among the first to die. Bala sharks will grow to 12-14 inches and require a lot more space than a 55 gallon to keep. I think the swordtail koi you're talking about are swordtails with orange and white coloring, not actual koi (which get to around 3 feet long), so these would be okay, but like to have a little salt added to their water - about 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. Danios are schooling fish and should be in larger groups (5+). The suckers could be plecostomous (will get 18" if the common pleco, but there are varieties like rubbernose and bristlenose that only get to around 5"). You might be able to keep one pleco in the tank, but the adults are territorial, so you should only have one. If it's an otocinclus, these are small (only about 1 1/2 inches as an adult), but should be in groups of 3+. They're also sensitive to water quality, and shouldn't be added for about 6 months after starting your tank. If these are Chinese algae eaters, these will grow to around 10", and only eat algae as juveniles. As adults, they're aggressive, and they eat the slime coat off other fish in the tank, leaving them open to infections or killing them from the stress. IMO, these shouldn't be in any tank!

For now, I would recommend returning any survivors other than the danios. You'll probably need another 25-50% water change tomorrow, and 25% changes for the next few days until you can get the ammonia level under 1 (0.5 is where fish begin to be stressed). Keep these in the tank to provide the ammonia for the bacteria to establish. Once the water tests show zero ammonia and nitrites, you can add 2-3 fish per week until you have the tank stocked again.