Fish keep diying

[HHaskell]

I have a 55 gallon fresh water tank we have had it up and running for over a month.
Currently we only have 5 fish in it 3 sword tails, and 2 albino catfish. All other fish we put into it die within a couple days. We have tried putting in placos, rapheal, and fruit salads they all died.
Can someone please help me with why this keeps happening please

 

[CoraJoy]

Have you tested your water? That should always be step one. If you don't have a kit you can bring a sample to your local store to have it looked at. Just be sure to take out about 2 ounces and take it straight to the store.

Chances are your tank hasn't completely cycled or might have experienced a spike from a dead fish.

 

[Thyra]

And when you do get your water tested be sure they give you the numbers and not just "fine". Your goal is zero ammonia and nitrite and about 20ppm nitrates. The presence of nitrates means there are beneficial bacteria in your tank dealing with the ammonia and nitrite.

 

[HHaskell]

I have the test kits. I tested everything. My ammonia level is very high. I just did a 20% water change and put AmQuel plus into in will that fix the problem?

 

[FishDad]

If ammonia is "very high" then thats why they are dying. I personally would do like 70% water changes until I got ammonia down to around .25ppm. Then it is within the realm of control. You just added fish too fast without letting the tank cycle. Don't beat your self up either. I am guilty of that as well. It is the most common mistake in fishkeeping. If you want to learn something from it you need to research the nitrogen cycle and then you will understand what has happened in your tank.

 

[OrangeCones]

I have the test kits.

What test kits do you use?

I tested everything. My ammonia level is very high.

To assist further, please post actual readings for:

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate

I just did a 20% water change and put AmQuel plus into in will that fix the problem?

AmQuel will bind ammonia, which makes it still appear on most test kits.

As stated by FishDad, high ammonia needs water changes (making sure to dechloriniate the new water first, and keep the new water at the same temperature) until readings are at or close to zero.

Good luck!