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Acclimatising fish

Heagney

Member
Joined
29 Jan 2016
Messages
219
Location
Dunfermline
Sox....should be getting some fish at the weekend, either neons guppies or endler guppies (which would you suggest to get 1st?) do you have any personal tips/preferences when acclimatising new fish to your tank?
 
I do 90 minutes with a drip .
Usually because my soft water compared to that of local shop water.
 
I use the TMC Acclimation kit and drip acclimate the fish for at least 30 minutes before transferring to the tank with a net so the shop water never goes near the tank. I'm sure you can create your own drip system using airline without spending a tenner, but this does the job well and gives you really good control of the flow rate, so I figured it was worth the expense.
 
Do you pour your fish and shop water into a container and then add the drip rather than keeping them in the bag and floating within the tank?
I don't have another tank to keep them in and keep an eye on them for a couple weeks...hope they don't come infected!!
 
For my last lot I poured the fish shop water (and fish!) into a plastic 'tupperware' pot floating in my tank. I then added 100ml of my tank water in every 10 mins for around 3hrs until the water parameters matched and then netted them out.

I added 0.25ml of prime to the pot at the beginning to avoid any issued with ammonia whilst they acclimated.
 
Thanks guys. Think I'll add bit by bit at the mo and look at buying the drip.
TNC complete and liquid carbon are top of my list at the mo though haha
 
Airline costs about 50p a metre.
Little airline clamps are about £3 for 2.
Just tighten a clamp around the airline, using the screw to adjust flow rate .

That's all you need.
 
Perfect buddy I'll have a wee look for some.
What kind of fish are you keeping at the moment?
 
Very nice! Where did you purchase your Boraras brigittae??
I was hoping to get some galaxy and Chillis
 
Very nice! Where did you purchase your Boraras brigittae??
I was hoping to get some galaxy and Chillis

I had to contact Maidenhead aquatics head office, they found me the last ones at the Havant shop.
Haven't seen any local to me for over a year.
They Spent 30 days in my quarantine, then went in with my older group at the weekend.
And immediately settled in.
 
Galaxies were £4 each out of there and didn't have chillis..how much were your borasas if you don't mind me asking?
Found chillies online but it was and eBay seller...
 
Well...

I had to pay £30 for the 9 they had left.

But in the past I've payed £1 each.

It varies wildly for chilies.

My local have cpds for £9.50 each!!!!

But expect to pay from £2.50 to £4 for them.
 
Cpds vary in quality.

Have a good look for deformities before buying any.
A lot are tank bred now, and its easy to find lots with bent spines and dull colouration.

Maidenhead in Havant had some, probably the best colours I've seen on cpds.
Really dark brown with orange fins.
Lovely.
 
I don't do long drips or bag floats in tank - both situations are stressful to fish re the confined space, vibrations etc (there's published reports re increased cortisol levels (stress hormone) & rapidly increasing external parasite counts (taken from skin & gills) when fish are kept in these conditions ... in fish, stress significantly depresses the immune system)

If you prefer to acclimate over hours, water should have some gentle current (air driven sponge (cycled from main tank) is best, airstone at least).


I transfer fish to a hang on tank container (no possibility of bag collapse or dumping into the tank)
- allow ~10 min for temp adjustment
- then add ~ 50% volume tank water (ie double the water level in container)
- at ~20 min I'll pour off half the water in the container, then refill with tank water (this should now be ~ 75% tank water)
- at ~30 min I pour fish & water into a net in small container such that fish are "swimming" within the net in this container, then transfer to tank with minimal air time
I hold/place net in tank so that fish can swim out when ready

If I don't already know shop water conditions, I'll check bag water with one of those 5in1 test strips (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, GH, KH) at the start - I'll often cut the test strip in half so as to use same strip for both tank & shop water.
If fish have travelled any distance, I'll add a 5-10X dose of Prime into the shop water BUT if travel (bag) water is "bad", the best course of action is just to net fish & place in clean water as quickly as possible, nevermind a slow acclimation process
Generally the main problem with shipping water is ammonia, fish may arrive with burnt/melted fins, body lesions, significant gill damage - it's best to place these fish separately in a hospital tank & keep them in dimly lit, highly oxygenated water (cooler water holds more oxygen so always choose the lower end of fish comfort range); don't feed for 12 - 24 hours & then only small amounts (fish digestive system may also be compromised)
If the shop water shows high nitrates, just carry on with the usual acclimation process.

I don't add "sensitive" fish species to new tank setups, there is much more to an established tank than just the presence of nitrates rather than ammonia or nitrites.

Much more conservative to add a "tough" species to new tanks
neons guppies or endler guppies
depending on the source, all of these maybe more/less sensitive - look for fish that are active & outgoing in the shop & have been in for at least 2 weeks (some shops run quarantine tanks/areas but none in my area do, I quarantine all new fish for at least 2 weeks before adding to an established tank)
Note, if your shop has no quarantine process or separate systems for incoming fish, avoid fish that have been in for 2 weeks IF new fish have been added to system tanks the day before - instead wait a few days for any diseases to manifest

(it's best to phrase your questions casually, did any new fish arrive? rather than I want fish that have been in the shop for 2 weeks ;) )


When planning/adding new fish, I always perform a large water change the day before, then do ~25% daily water changes for a few days - if fish are slightly under the weather, lots of fresh, clean water is the best medicine (cheapest AND most effective ;))

If shop is new to you, you might take in a sample of your tank water & ask them to compare this to shop conditions - note that some shops will keep various fish in different waters (especially guppies, mollies, platies may be in slightly to heavily salted water)

If possible, check shop water conditions some days before purchase, then you can plan acclimation (or even alter your tank to shop)

A quarantine or hospital tank really is a good investment if you like to add/change fish, or find a shop that quarantines fish, or keeps fish in individually filtered tanks, or runs UV and ultra-filtration on banked systems.
Healthy fish are very able to adapt to new situations.
 
We all have different experience and ideas about it.
Years back, I used to float the bag after opening it first, dropping some tank water every 5min or so and in 30 minutes scoop the fish out. I remember the last time I did it that way, 2 of the corys in the bag started losing balance while I was acclimating. One died. I'll never float fish again, adding water to the bag. If you hang the bag awkwardly, due to lack of surface area, you can suffocate the fish.

Since then I always drip acclimate in a 5G dark bucket. I often shop in a petshop that keeps their fish in extremely soft water. Mine is hard. Transported or not, I drip acclimate until I equalize the bucket water to the tank. It takes anything between 1.5 to 2.5 hrs. I try to never go over that time. I use an airline and I just tie knots to control the flow of water from the tank. I set it up fast enough so the initial water doubles in 30min max. As the bucket fills, I remove water from it and top up the tank with fresh dechlorinated water. I use a TDS meter to check where I am at. In the last 30min to an hour depending on the TDS reading in both bucket and tank, I speed up the drip to properly equalize the temperature too if not equal yet.
I cover the bucket with a towel to keep the fish in the dark and don't disturb them. I just keep an eye on the water level in the bucket. Normally, when the fish arrive, they are pale and huddle together at the bottom of the bucket. By the time I've finished drip acclimating, they regain their colour in the bucket and start swimming around. It happens every single time if you take a peek inside quietly. That way I know it's done right. When I eventually net them to the tank, no fish darts to corners hiding. They used to before when I floated the bag. In fact, I feed the new fish and none ever refused food after the long journey. I reckon they need it to keep their immune system strong. Even ottos immediately start polishing the tank.

I make sure the tank lights are off and the original inhabitants were fed just prior, plus that the weekly water change is done so you don't have to stress the new fish additionally for another week. Since I started drip acclimating, no new fish died on me, neither did I ever had a disease outbreak. I could have just been lucky.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys definitely loads of pointers. I'm gonna need to sort out another tank to acclimatise my future fish it's just trying to find a spot in the house. Do you have the tank with a bare bottom, say to speak :p
 
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