Acclimating questions

[Rocky998]

So I have questions on how to acclimate fish and plants... So, please correct me if I'm wrong but this is what I think youre supposed to do when acclimating a fish:

1- let the bag float on the water to acclimate the fish to the temp for 15 mins
2- open the bag and empty some of the water and add some water from your tank into the bag
3- after waiting 15 mins get the fish with a net and our them into the aquarium

But I have no idea how to acclimate plants... And I may be completely wrong with acclimating the fish...

 

[carligraceee]

So I have questions on how to acclimate fish and plants... So, please correct me if I'm wrong but this is what I think youre supposed to do when acclimating a fish:

1- let the bag float on the water to acclimate the fish to the temp for 15 mins
2- open the bag and empty some of the water and add some water from your tank into the bag
3- after waiting 15 mins get the fish with a net and our them into the aquarium

But I have no idea how to acclimate plants... And I may be completely wrong with acclimating the fish...

Hey! Thanks for asking before doing!

How I acclimate fish:

Let the bag sit in the tank for 30 minutes
Pour out most of old water and put some new tank water in; let sit for 5 minutes.
Pour the fish in the tank gently and monitor behavior for the next 3 days.

I have never acclimated plants and have had no problems so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Guyb93]

If your buying fish within a few miles of your home you only need to match temperature really as the water source is most likely the same as yours as for plants iv always just threw them in lol

 

[Jadzir]

My LFS is only one street away so we have the same water source.
I float the bag to match temp then net and release.
For plants I just check them over then in they go.

 

[Colin_T]

Float bag for 15 minutes.
After that add 1/2 to 1 cup of tank water to bag every 5 minutes for 3 or 4 times.
Then either pour bag into tank or pour bag into a bucket and scoop fish out. Or pour bag of water into a fish net that is held over a bucket, and add fish to tank after the water has been poured into the bucket.

Plants get rinsed under tap water. Checked for snails, snail eggs and other parasites. Then plants get put in tank.

 

[Ichthys]

To acclimate fish properly you need to test the water in the bag. That’s the only way to know how long to take. If the pH and hardness are similar, put them straight in. If they’re different, mix them gradually as above. The time it takes depends on the water differences.
Equalising temperatures by floating the bag takes about two minutes at most.

 

[Slaphppy7]

NEVER add water from an LFS into your tanks.

Rinse the closed bag in tap water, dry with a rag. Let float in the tank for 15 minutes.

Pour the bag water and fish into a large net over a bucket, then lower the net with the fish into the tank, and let them swim out of the net.

You don't need to acclimate plants, but you may (should) treat them for hitch hikers (usually snails) before placing in your tank.

 

[Naughts]

One problem with acclimating fish, particularly when they have travelled significantly, is that it can cause the ammonia in the bag become toxic.
With a pH below 7 the ammonia is less harmful. If you then mix in some of your water with a higher pH that raises it beyond 7, the ammonia is then toxic to the fish.
To avoid this, follow Slaphppy's method.
Any gradual adjustment to a different pH, GH and KH would take much longer than acclimating methods allow (weeks not minutes) so it is futile anyway. In fact, 'acclimating' in the bag increases the stress on the fish.

Check where your plants are coming from to see if they are likely to be infested with snails, insect larvae etc. Also check if they have been treated with an insecticide which can be harmful to some aquarium inhabitants such as shrimp. Plants that are grown from tissue cultures in vitro won't have either problem and can be put straight in the tank.

 

[Rocky998]

Hey! Thanks for asking before doing!

How I acclimate fish:

Let the bag sit in the tank for 30 minutes
Pour out most of old water and put some new tank water in; let sit for 5 minutes.
Pour the fish in the tank gently and monitor behavior for the next 3 days.

I have never acclimated plants and have had no problems so I wouldn't worry about it.

Ok, thank you! I'm super worried that I'll do the teeniest little thing that'll kill all my fish... So ive been asking so many things here that ive lost count

 

[Rocky998]

One problem with acclimating fish, particularly when they have travelled significantly, is that it can cause the ammonia in the bag become toxic.
With a pH below 7 the ammonia is less harmful. If you then mix in some of your water with a higher pH that raises it beyond 7, the ammonia is then toxic to the fish.
To avoid this, follow Slaphppy's method.
Any gradual adjustment to a different pH, GH and KH would take much longer than acclimating methods allow (weeks not minutes) so it is futile anyway. In fact, 'acclimating' in the bag increases the stress on the fish.

Check where your plants are coming from to see if they are likely to be infested with snails, insect larvae etc. Also check if they have been treated with an insecticide which can be harmful to some aquarium inhabitants such as shrimp. Plants that are grown from tissue cultures in vitro won't have either problem and can be put straight in the tank.

I cant have another tank to acclimate for weeks...

 

[Rocky998]

Thank you all! I will definitely think about how I'm going all this... Thanks again!

 

[Byron]

The info in posts 7 and 8 is accurate. Fish cannot "acclimate" in days or even a few weeks, don't bother; so temperature is the main concern. A sudden change of several degrees can be fatal. But other than this, get the fish out of the bag water ASAP. And never let any of the bag water enter your tank.

"I cant have another tank to acclimate for weeks..."

This would not do any good anyway so far as acclimation is concerned (though a quarantine tank would be beneficial).

 

[Rocky998]

The info in posts 7 and 8 is accurate. Fish cannot "acclimate" in days or even a few weeks, don't bother; so temperature is the main concern. A sudden change of several degrees can be fatal. But other than this, get the fish out of the bag water ASAP. And never let any of the bag water enter your tank.

"I cant have another tank to acclimate for weeks..."

This would not do any good anyway so far as acclimation is concerned (though a quarantine tank would be beneficial).

Yes... If I could do a quarantine tank I would... But I don't have the money nor the space more importantly to have a quarantine tank. I will be adding all the fish at once (on the same day) and treat this aquarium like qt tank by keeping a close eye out on them for a month. I will test all the bag water and test mine again to see the differences and if need be I will acclimate them to the water

 

[Slaphppy7]

There's no need to test the LFS water, just follow the directions I gave above.

 

[Rocky998]

There's no need to test the LFS water, just follow the directions I gave above.

I might test it just for my own amusement