How To Put My Pretty New Fish In The Tank

[barb-e]

Alright. I'm getting my first fish tomorrow (cherry barbs. So excited ) and though i've been researching for months ,I went and got a couple of books to make sure i'm 100% on point (or at least close ). All of the books talked about chosing healthy fish and letting the bag float in the tank to even out the temperature. I understand this but its the next part that seems a little tricky to me. Everyone says "don't dump the old store fish water into your tank." okay...so how do I add the fish without getting the old water into the tank ?

 

[jamespond]

Alright. I'm getting my first fish tomorrow (cherry barbs. So excited ) and though i've been researching for months ,I went and got a couple of books to make sure i'm 100% on point (or at least close ). All of the books talked about chosing healthy fish and letting the bag float in the tank to even out the temperature. I understand this but its the next part that seems a little tricky to me. Everyone says "don't dump the old store fish water into your tank." okay...so how do I add the fish without getting the old water into the tank ?

this is what i do

let the bag sit in the water WITH THE LIGHTS OFF) for 20 mins...then add a cup of tank water to the bag....leave 5 more mins..then NET the fish from the bag into the tank...do this with the bag over the tank, just in case they slip out. once they are in, leave for a while with the lights off until they get use to their new home

don't pour the water in with the fish...its a bad idea

 

[barb-e]

tAnk you very much.



Hope I get it right.

 

[newtotropical]

i dont see the problem with store water. Your new fish has been living in it so if there any nasties the fish has them anyway!!

 

[Irf]

i dont see the problem with store water. Your new fish has been living in it so if there any nasties the fish has them anyway!!

I agree with the logic, but for some reason I also don't put the store water into my tanks.

I do the acclimatisation thing (lights off, floating the bag, adding my tank water, etc.). Then I take the bag out and get a bucket and net. I gently tip the bag out into the net with the bucket underneath, and then put the netted fish into the tank.

Works for me but as already said, possibly little or no logic driving the need for such measures!

Irf.

 

[paul-discus]

I also never put the store water in the tank.

 

[vinylman]

I used to do the bag-floating thingy, but for the last few additions I've changed the method. I ask for an extra bag of water (from the same tank, natch) and add two drops of Protozin to the fish bag before it's tied up in the shop (particularly due to losing my small quarantine tank due to lack of space). When I get home, I empty both bags into a bucket (the extra bag of water makes the fish a little more comfortable to swim about), add a couple more drops of Protozin, then add a plastic cup of tankwater to the bucket every ten minutes or so, but wait until the bucket is nearly full before netting the fish into the tank. This usually takes 60-90 minutes, but is worth it; since I started doing this, I've not lost a new fish and I'm certain the longer acclimatising time is responsible for the lack of problems after new fish are introduced. A bit of Protozin is the next best thing if you don't have a quarantine tank. I don't own shares in Protozin, BTW.

 

[t.ropical_m.istx3]

i dont see the problem with store water. Your new fish has been living in it so if there any nasties the fish has them anyway!!

it gets in with your old fishies and it can mess up the nitrites/nitrates/ammonia/ph ect. it can just mess up your stats.

 

[newtotropical]

i dont see the problem with store water. Your new fish has been living in it so if there any nasties the fish has them anyway!!

it gets in with your old fishies and it can mess up the nitrites/nitrates/ammonia/ph ect. it can just mess up your stats.

Dont really think it will make much differance. Its a tiny amount of water compared to the rest of the tank, even if its a small tank.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah i never worry about it, unless the fish has been in transit in the water for some time, like if it's come through the post then the water isn't gonna be awful, if you get fish from your local fish store then they're pH will probably be reasonably similar to yours anyway.

 

[Rhiannon]

I never add the tank water from the LFS.

I sit my fish in the bag in the water for about 20 mins and every 5 mins pour some of MY tank water into their bag.

After that I scoupe them out and put them in my tank.

 

[thegnu]

i roll the bag down and float the bag and take a sample of the water and test the pH and nitrates, A to see how long i need to acclimate them to my water and B to see which LFS tell the biggest porkies about their water. (i obviously ask them questions on this before i leave the shop. i also tip most of the water down the sink very carefully

 

[xtremefishyfan]

I use the store water but otherwise net them in, make sure you have a net!

 

[DarkEntity]

I just let the temps equalize then dump the store water in the tank, saves stressing the fish by catching in a net lifting out of water then back into water again.

 

[dwarfgourami]

The one reason I can see for not wanting to add store water is if you suspect it may contain ich-parasites in the free swimming stage (in which case your new fish may not yet have caught them). Other than that, any ammonia or nitrites is going to be such a tiny quantity, no worse than a few hours worth of your fish crapping in there and the tank has to deal with that on a daily basis anway. I usually let my fish swim out.