HOW TO ACLIMITIZE YOUR NEW FISH...AND WHY!

[ecotank]

Most fish deaths occur shortly after purchase, most people feel that they bought bad fish or are simply unlucky with fish and give up on the hobby. Actually more fish deaths are caused by the owner not properly acclimatizing their fish than any other reason.

There are several methods available for transferring fish from shipping bag to tank; Dumping fish straight from bag into tank is probably the worst method; floating the bag in the water for 15 minutes then releasing the fish into the tank, water and all; netting the fish out of the shipping bag and putting it into the tank; and dosing where you use a dose of AmQuel and NovAqua (a capful per ten gallons or ten drops of each per gallon) added to the receiving tank and a small squirt of each is added to the shipping bag as soon as it is opened, the net method is used from that point. The use of a quarantine tank is highly recommended, especially for established aquariums.

Here are a few important things to consider when adding new fish:

It is important to make sure the water in your aquarium has the proper water chemistry for the fish you are purchasing.

Go straight home after purchasing fish. Extended delays can cause excessive temperature changes in the bag for the fish. If stops are made on the way home, bring the fish inside with you, an 85-degree day can push your inside car temperature to well over 100 in no time at all.

Keep frozen foods away from the bag on the way home. Frozen food can chill the fish.

Leave the fish in the bag on the way home. Bright light on the way home can cause additional stress on newly purchased fish.

If your established fish are aggressive to your newly added fish you can: leave the lights out, rearrange the decorations in the aquarium to help stop territorialism, lightly feed the tank to distract the established fish.

Monitor the water chemistry and the fish in your aquarium closely the first week after adding new fish.

It is common for newly added fish to take a few days to start eating normally.

A new $2.00 fish can kill an established $200 fish by bringing parasites or disease into your tank. Always use a quarantine tank if available. New fish should be kept in quarantine for two weeks or more.

Here are the step-by-step instructions for the most common way to acclimatize your new treasures:

1. The first step is to float the sealed bag for 15 minutes.

It is recommended that you turn your lights off especially if the heat given off by the lights may affect the bag.
The bag should remain sealed to retain the oxygen that was added at the time of purchase.

If the floating bags will overflow your aquarium remove some of the water prior to floating the bags. Save some water to replace when done acclimating your fish.

2. Open the bag and add a small amount of aquarium water to the bag, let sit five minutes and repeat this process 2 to 3 times.

When adding the aquarium water to the bag approximately an amount equal to 1/4 the total amount of water in the bag. (e.g. if the bag has 1 cup of water in it add approximately a quarter cup of aquarium water each time you add water)

3. Finally, put the fish into the aquarium without the bag water.

It is a good idea not to add the water from the bag to the aquarium. The water in the bag may be fouled by fish waste produced in the bag or include unwanted guests.

The fish may be gently scooped or poured into a net over a bucket and put into the aquarium immediately.

It should be noted that some fish have fins and gill plates that may become caught in the netting material. If the fish becomes caught in the net, it is recommended that you cut the net so the fish is released. The netting will fall off of the fish at point in time, then remove the netting piece from the aquarium.