Overcrowded tank?

Question
Hi,A few days ago I perchased some fish.Yesterday I got some more. I bought: 1 dwarf gourami, 5 neon tetras, 5 blonde tux guppies, 2 black skirt tetras, 2 swordtail, 2 mollies,2 serpae tetras, 1 african dwarf frog, and 3 ghost shrimp. We have a 29 gallon tank. This morning I found the male swordtail and one neon tetra dead. I believe the tank may be too crowded. The gourami seams very stressed. At petsmart I was told that tropical fish should have a heater but as long as the water stayed between 72 and 78 degrees fahreheit they would be fine. Would they have died if the water fell bellow that during the night? I had the water tested before I got the fish and it was fine.One the guppys is floting upside down. He starts swimming then floting then swimming again. Its really weird!Help!!!!!! I've only had them 1-2 days. Petsmat said the problem might be we need aquarium salts.  

Answer
Hey Janelle,

If your tank had been set up for a long time, this setup wouldnt be a problem. The problem lies in your tank's bacteria. There are good bacteria that need to grow in your tank's substrate and filter media that process ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate. These bacteria grow rather slowly, and when we add too many fish too fast, we can actually kill the bacteria!

My recommendation is to immediately change 30% of the water, and take a quick trip to your local petstore. Pick up a bottle of AmQuel+ and add 3-5 capfulls after your 30% change. The next morning add 2-3 more caps. That should completely clear out all the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, chlorine, and any other "rookie" mistake that often stresses, poisons, or otherwise kills your fish.

Next, Get used to feeding your fish a LOT less. A fish's stomach is the size of one of it's eyes. Feed your fish every day, only once a day. Feed them slowly, so they finish all their food before you add more. Only add enough for them to completely finish in 5 minutes. Keep on your AmQuel+ adding about a cap every 4 days for at least a month. This should keep the fish from dying, and keep you from stressing out trying to keep up with things. It's a pretty easy solution to a devistating problem :)

Sorry about the wait, my laptop got sent to the wrong airport after my trip! But I hope this helps. Good luck.