Any ideas would be helpful!

[Sianlouise]

Hi guys! So I have a 55 gallon with
4 angels
2 gourami
6 guppy
2 bolivian rams
1 standard pleco
1 super red bristlenose
Everyone gets along perfectly and was very happy until last week.
We've been struggling with getting plants to stay alive, so we decided to get more gravel so the roots have more to latch onto because we really didn't have a very thick layer down. I spoke to the guys at the aquarium store about laying more gravel with fish in there and they said it would be fine. I got it home, very thoroughly rinsed it with just water and carefully laid it down with a cup on top of the existing gravel.
The next morning I noticed all 4 of my angels sticking very close to the heater and acting weird.
I tested the water and it was completely normal. Only one of my angels has been eating since last week, the other 3 are refusing to eat, and my plecos were also refusing to eat. Last night i lost my beautiful super red.. she hadnt eaten and had barely moved since last sunday. I've done water changes, tested the water daily and it's always perfect.
I'm freaking out and running out of ideas. They're just slowly starving themselves and I cant figure out why. My guppies, gouramis and rams are fine.
Any help is appreciated!

 

[itiwhetu]

What exactly are your water parameters? Have they changed at all since putting the new gravel in the tank?

 

[Sianlouise]

What exactly are your water parameters? Have they changed at all since putting the new gravel in the tank?

I use test strips so I don't have exact numbers, but ammonia, nitrates and nitrites are all 0. My ph is high, but it always has been because of my tap water, that has been the case the whole time I've had my tank. The gravel made absolutely no difference to any levels in my tank, which is why I'm so confused

 

[itiwhetu]

I use test strips so I don't have exact numbers, but ammonia, nitrates and nitrites are all 0. My ph is high, but it always has been because of my tap water, that has been the case the whole time I've had my tank. The gravel made absolutely no difference to any levels in my tank, which is why I'm so confused

When you say your pH is high, how high? How long has this tank been setup for?

 

[Sianlouise]

When you say your pH is high, how high? How long has this tank been setup for?

It's around 8, it's been set up for about 10 months

 

[itiwhetu]

I don't know, maybe a photo of the tank will help. pH of eight is very high for freshwater fish.

 

[Sianlouise]

I don't know, maybe a photo of the tank will help. pH of eight is very high for freshwater fish.

I know, I tried to lower the ph with water treatment before I got any fish but it would fluctuate too much, and I read that was worse for fish than it being high. Plus all the places I get my fish from, also have a high pH water source.

 

[Sianlouise]

Here's my tank. Including the cucumber I just put in, desperately trying to get my pleco to eat

 

[itiwhetu]

Fish in general need to feel like they have protection from the environment around them. May I suggest you get more plants and some larger pieces of driftwood. Try and make your tank like a cozy home for your fish to live in. All those open spaces won't be helping your fish.

 

[Sianlouise]

Fish in general need to feel like they have protection from the environment around them. May I suggest you get more plants and some larger pieces of driftwood. Try and make your tank like a cozy home for your fish to live in. All those open spaces won't be helping your fish.

Yes that's an idea. But my point is that every fish in here has been completely fine and happy and healthy until last week when I put new gravel in. I didn't know If there was anything in new gravel that could harm them suddenly like that

 

[itiwhetu]

What colour was the old gravel?

 

[Sianlouise]

What colour was the old gravel?

Yellowy brown, you can see a little of it on the picture where I vacuumed the gravel to pick up old food

 

[itiwhetu]

Is this new gravel a manmade product or a natural product? Could it have a coating on it that is affecting the water?

 

[Sianlouise]

It's a man made product. That was my concern too, but wouldn't it affect the water levels if that was the case? I also rinsed it very well before putting it in the tank. I did a large water change the day after putting the gravel in because of how awful the fish were acting, i then did a small one 2 days later to clean out all of the uneaten food. Do you think I should do another one?

 

[itiwhetu]

It's a man made product. That was my concern too, but wouldn't it affect the water levels if that was the case? I also rinsed it very well before putting it in the tank. I did a large water change the day after putting the gravel in because of how awful the fish were acting, i then did a small one 2 days later to clean out all of the uneaten food. Do you think I should do another one?

Water changes will never hurt. I really don't like manmade products in aquariums.