acclimatizing new fish

[climber05]

i read this article on www.planetcatfish.com last night and found it quite interesting

Acclimatization
Getting the fish out of the bag as fast as possible when you get home is the most important thing. Several studies have shown that the stress and brain damage caused by the lack of air and high ammonia levels in a bag are far, far more stressful to a fish than a rapid change in pH, hardness, or temperature. There is never any reason to float a fish in a bag. It does more harm than good. Fish are hardly affected by minor temperature changes. A good rain in the Amazon can drop the temperature several degrees in minutes.

Here is the acclimatization system I use:

Hang a clear plastic specimen container in the quarantine tank and dump in the new arrivals and their original water. If you do not have a specimen container, attach the bag to the aquarium with clothesline clips.
Add about 20 percent of the container's volume using a cup of water from the quarantine tank. Keep adding 20 percent or so every 5 minutes. Let the specimen container overflow back into the quarantine tank.
After about five of these changes over 25-30 minutes, just let the specimen container or bag sink to the bottom of the quarantine tank. The new acquisitions will swim out when they are comfortable.

Never dump a bag containing fish directly into a tank. Over the years I have seen several fish immediately swim full speed into a tank wall or piece of decor and kill themselves. Let them swim out of the bag or specimen container at their own speed. This also gives them time to figure out where the walls and obstacles are.
by Shane Linder
just fthought i might share it with everyone
cheers

[GTR73]

I do similar, I open the bag asap and attach the bag itself to the tank with clothes pegs then immediately add about 20% tank water. Then I keep adding same amount every 5 mins. Finally I carefully release the fish from the bag, and not just just whoosh the bag from under them.
Especially need to get that bag open straight after an auction - fish could have been in there for well over 12 hours.
If I get a fish from a breeder I normally have them in a bucket. I then simply add water from the tank, a little at a time over half an hour, then gently relase them into the tank by slowly tipping the bucket in.
Never lost a fish this way.
Interesting they talk about brain damage.

[Ulysses048]

Beginner fish keeper here - but I have been told by many - that you should never add other tanks (seller's) water to your own tank...
Please clarify this for me -
Thank you

[ashhhh]

[quote:d48bd34fc1="Ulysses048"]Beginner fish keeper here - but I have been told by many - that you should never add other tanks (seller's) water to your own tank...
Please clarify this for me -
Thank you[/quote:d48bd34fc1]

well to put it simply, its to prevent possible infection of your own tank with disease or parasite, but really this is elliminated by quarantining the fish and observing it for a few days in a seperate tank, and treating if necessary.

[GTR73]

[quote:044f6581bb="Ulysses048"]Beginner fish keeper here - but I have been told by many - that you should never add other tanks (seller's) water to your own tank...
Please clarify this for me -
Thank you[/quote:044f6581bb]

You're absolutely right, and I must confess I add the seller's water. I sometimes remove with a net anyway.
I don't worry about the seller's water as I've only brought my stuff off good breeders in recent years and they've probably got better water quality then me!
But you're right, I should take note.  :oops: