Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
Ok i just thought i might write down some tips for getting your new fish home, feel free to add anything if you like 
;
a. When you buy the fish try to ask the lfs staff to put as few fish per bag as posible as the fish will be less stressed that way. When choosing your fish make sure you have chosen all the ones you want before you get them bagged so you don't keep the fish or the lfs staff waiting on you. And try to stay away from impulse buys on fish you havn't personally researched properly or heavily pregnant fish.
b. when the lfs staff is packaging your fish ask them to put newspaper or some other material around the bags as the darkness will help keep stress levels low for the fish and it will also help the water from cooling down too much in the bag if it is a cold day- you can also bring your own towel or newspaper if you like for this too.
If you are buying any particually expensive or large fish ask the lfs staff if you can get them put in a water proof box with padding between the bags or at least as large and sturdy transport bag as posible- always get a receipt for your fish and never buy fish from tanks with sick or deseased fish in.
c. If the fish need to go in the car back home try to put them in a place in the car where they won't get jostled around too much or get too hot- temperature fluctuations and being jostled around too much in the bag can cause septicemia in some cases or even death.
If you can bring a carboard box or somthing similar to put the fish bags in too to stop the bags from moving about in the car that helps too. Also try not to be tempted to take the fish out of the shopping bag to look at them on the way home as it'll stress them out.
d. Try to get the fish home as soon as posible, if you have other things to do in the day do them first before you get the fish so you are not carrying the fish around lots or leaving them in the car while you do your errands. If you have to walk home make sure you don't bounce the bag around if you can help it.
e. If you are buying fish from a fairly distant lfs, ask them what their PH is in their tanks as PH can vary alot from town to town and if it varys enough and you don't extra acclimatise your fish enough to the PH difference they can get PH shock and die.
f. Acclimatising your fish for as long as posible in any case is important- acclimatising your fish is simply a process of leaving the fish in their bag in your tank and slowly letting in small quantitys of tank water into the bag every 5-10mins for the fish to adjust to, you should aim to acclimatise your fish for at least 30mins+ especially if the bag got hotter/colder during the transportation or the PH differed from your tank and the lfs.
g. If you need to do any water changes or any other tank maintanence, try to do it before you buy your fish as this will stress them out alot on thier first day in the tank and buying new fish is stressful enough for them so you want to keep the experience as stress-free as posible is the main aim.
i.Try to make sure water quality is as good as posible before you buy your new fish but don't buy any new fish at all if you are dealing with sick fish in your tank or have only recently treated a desease like whitespot as it has a habit of coming back and you don't want to infect you new fish. The same goes if your tank is overstocked tank or doing a cycle with fish or you have problem fish in the tank i.e agressive fish that needs to be rehomed. Try not to buy too many fish at once(i.e preferably no more than 3 unless they under 1inch each etc) if you have just done a cycle with fish or running your tank normally as the new bioload can be too much for the filter bacteria to adjust too in a day and you run the risk of an ammonia or nitrite spike.
h. Try to turn the tank lights off for the rest of their first day in your tank as this will help lower stress levels for all the fish and help them settle in better.
j. Feeding your fish on their first day is a tricky issue i suppose- if you have agressive or nippy fish in your tank that are compatable with your new fish but you are worried about, feeding your fish shortly after they have been let into the tank will help distract the other fish while they settle in- try to stay away from high protein foods though.
I find with fish like livebearers or tetras or other similar small fish though its best not to feed them for their first day in the tank, if you have to feed them only give them a light meal of flakes or dried fry food .
If anyone has any comments or anything they'd like to add feel free too
EDIT: for spelling
)
;a. When you buy the fish try to ask the lfs staff to put as few fish per bag as posible as the fish will be less stressed that way. When choosing your fish make sure you have chosen all the ones you want before you get them bagged so you don't keep the fish or the lfs staff waiting on you. And try to stay away from impulse buys on fish you havn't personally researched properly or heavily pregnant fish.
b. when the lfs staff is packaging your fish ask them to put newspaper or some other material around the bags as the darkness will help keep stress levels low for the fish and it will also help the water from cooling down too much in the bag if it is a cold day- you can also bring your own towel or newspaper if you like for this too.
If you are buying any particually expensive or large fish ask the lfs staff if you can get them put in a water proof box with padding between the bags or at least as large and sturdy transport bag as posible- always get a receipt for your fish and never buy fish from tanks with sick or deseased fish in.
c. If the fish need to go in the car back home try to put them in a place in the car where they won't get jostled around too much or get too hot- temperature fluctuations and being jostled around too much in the bag can cause septicemia in some cases or even death.
If you can bring a carboard box or somthing similar to put the fish bags in too to stop the bags from moving about in the car that helps too. Also try not to be tempted to take the fish out of the shopping bag to look at them on the way home as it'll stress them out.
d. Try to get the fish home as soon as posible, if you have other things to do in the day do them first before you get the fish so you are not carrying the fish around lots or leaving them in the car while you do your errands. If you have to walk home make sure you don't bounce the bag around if you can help it.
e. If you are buying fish from a fairly distant lfs, ask them what their PH is in their tanks as PH can vary alot from town to town and if it varys enough and you don't extra acclimatise your fish enough to the PH difference they can get PH shock and die.
f. Acclimatising your fish for as long as posible in any case is important- acclimatising your fish is simply a process of leaving the fish in their bag in your tank and slowly letting in small quantitys of tank water into the bag every 5-10mins for the fish to adjust to, you should aim to acclimatise your fish for at least 30mins+ especially if the bag got hotter/colder during the transportation or the PH differed from your tank and the lfs.
g. If you need to do any water changes or any other tank maintanence, try to do it before you buy your fish as this will stress them out alot on thier first day in the tank and buying new fish is stressful enough for them so you want to keep the experience as stress-free as posible is the main aim.
i.Try to make sure water quality is as good as posible before you buy your new fish but don't buy any new fish at all if you are dealing with sick fish in your tank or have only recently treated a desease like whitespot as it has a habit of coming back and you don't want to infect you new fish. The same goes if your tank is overstocked tank or doing a cycle with fish or you have problem fish in the tank i.e agressive fish that needs to be rehomed. Try not to buy too many fish at once(i.e preferably no more than 3 unless they under 1inch each etc) if you have just done a cycle with fish or running your tank normally as the new bioload can be too much for the filter bacteria to adjust too in a day and you run the risk of an ammonia or nitrite spike.
h. Try to turn the tank lights off for the rest of their first day in your tank as this will help lower stress levels for all the fish and help them settle in better.
j. Feeding your fish on their first day is a tricky issue i suppose- if you have agressive or nippy fish in your tank that are compatable with your new fish but you are worried about, feeding your fish shortly after they have been let into the tank will help distract the other fish while they settle in- try to stay away from high protein foods though.
I find with fish like livebearers or tetras or other similar small fish though its best not to feed them for their first day in the tank, if you have to feed them only give them a light meal of flakes or dried fry food
.If anyone has any comments or anything they'd like to add feel free too
EDIT: for spelling
)
