How long do u acclimate new fish? & SAD story to follow.

[bulletsworld]

Wondering how long do you acclimate your new fish for? Not inverts, JUST FISH.... As inverts it depends on invert.


Ever since I've known you float new bag in tank to equalize temperature in the bag with the temperature in your tank. Also to turn off the tank lights while the fish are floating to ease stress. Then open the bag, clipping to side of tank, while dripping water from my tank into the bag to accustom the new arrival to the pH and salinity of your main tank. I do this for the next 45mins to an hour. Depending how off the salinity & PH is in the bag.

What procedure do you do?


Tell you why I'm asking.... Bought a Powder Brown Tang. Looked healthy although really shy. Bought it off a guy that runs a basement saltwater business here in Edmonton (no names) So I buy this PBT, drive it right home, float the bag, turn off the lights. I notice this tang is breathing really hard so I open the bag clip to tank, added a small air stone to help oxygenate the water for its breathing. Then tested the bag water with rafractometer...YIKS..Salinity was 1.016...very low compared to my reef tank sitting at 1.026. So I start dripping tank water despite the tang wanting to get outta the bag, flipping around, still breathing heavy and then as I'm dripping my tank water in the bag, I notice...the tang going on its side. Confused thinking is it like my regal where it seems to do that when it tries to hide? I checked the salinity it gone up only to 1.018 in bag. I watched the tang as it starts to slow down breathing and you'll never guess what! The tang died! Right before it died it went into a convulse on its side & died! WHAT? HUH? This has NEVER happened to ME in all my reefer years!
It hadn't even been an hour time that the bag floating in the tank! O.k so VERY confused!

Even though I barely dripped any of my tank water in the bag, I grabbed a sample of the bag water & my reef tank & tested for Ammonia, Nitrates & PH. My tank PH was 8.3, no ammonia & undetected nitrates. Also tested the bag water same time. The ammonia was high 1.6 & the PH was really low 7.7 not to mention the nitrates were through the roof! HUH? Can a fish create an ammonia spike immediately after it dies?

So I tell this guy I bought it off of. Just so devastated by the loss of this beautiful fish... Guess what the guy says to me. It’s my fault that I acclimated the fish. Yup, he says that it stresses the fish out way to much, stating he NEVER acclimates the fish. When they come in from the Caribbean he just take them outta their bags right away and dumps them in his tanks. YIKS! HUH? But I told him the salinity is way off the average reef. He says nope that doesn't mater. He says, had I of not acclimated my fish & just dumped it in as soon as I got home the fish would still be alive today.

So I'm wondering.... Has anyone tried this? I just can't see that being right? I know inverts wouldn’t make it if you just dump them in. But am I wrong to do my steps above? Or is this something that completely stresses the fish out to DEATH? Can't a fish go into Osmotic shock if the temps, water PH & salinity are WAY off? What do you think killed the fish before even getting the chance to enter my tank? Since this guy claims there is no way he got high ammonia in the tank water his tanks? Or is a Powder brown tang just hard to acclimate? I'm confused.

Looking for any thoughts? And how do you acclimate your fish?

Thanks a bunch in advance everyone

[Reef_kid]

Every pet store i have ever been at or worked at has used acclimation procedures like that of JL AQUATICS.
i would never risk dumping any fish right into any tank
expecialy a PBT. so it may work for the guy you got it from? unless he stated this to you to specificaly do befor you left
its just general knowlage that you do what you did with your new fish
i would be back at his doorstep wanting a new fish!!

dave

[muck]

Originally Posted by bulletsworld

So I tell this guy I bought it off of. Just so devastated by the loss of this beautiful fish... Guess what the guy says to me. It’s my fault that I acclimated the fish. Yup, he says that it stresses the fish out way to much, stating he NEVER acclimates the fish. When they come in from the Caribbean he just take them outta their bags right away and dumps them in his tanks. YIKS! HUH? But I told him the salinity is way off the average reef. He says nope that doesn't mater. He says, had I of not acclimated my fish & just dumped it in as soon as I got home the fish would still be alive today.

Lee, sorry to hear about your loss.

If that is the type of advise you got from this "basement LFS" I would rather spend my money elsewhere. I guess now I know why I have heard comments from multiple sources advising me not to purchase fish there. I would definately be banging on his door wanting my money back!!

I have always done the same acclimation procedure as you have with a few slight differences. I never bother to turn the lights off. (Although I usually float them in the sump where there is no direct lighting over head.) I also don't drip tank water into the bag. I add a half cup to a cup of water every 20 minutes or so. Then when I feel it is properly acclimatized I carefully place the fish in the tank.

[bulletsworld]

No the guy told me he runs copper in his tanks after I asked him it he treats any chemicals in his tanks...then he told me. I even tested later his copper concentration from the fish bag to see if it was high, knowing I could not let bag water get in my reef. But copper was very small amount 0.25 if that.

Yup, I did go back to him and the Nope, the guy refused a exchange for a new fish & not even a discount for the other PBT he had in another tank all because I acclimated the fish & claiming he can't be held responsible. Just crushed & didn't even get to see the beauty PBT in my tank. That's a royal FLUSH of money & left with a broken heart. Guess its my lesson not to trust a basement saltwater business? or Was it something I could have done wrong?

Still left wondering though what happened to the fish? Stress? Or was the test right after the fish died right, high in ammonia.

Any idea's?

Lee

[rodsboys]

Sounds like you did everything right Lee. That basement store is hit and miss.I have had some bad luck with purchaces from that place. No matter what is will always be your fault in that place. I took it as a "I should have know better" lesson.

[Willow]

sounds like you should expose the shits on the vendor fourm so the rest edmonton dosnt do business with this guy.

[AndyL]

Well... There is some theory behind the "Grab and plop" method for acclimatizing.

It's a commonly accepted practice at least in the discus world to "Acclimatize" fish that have been in shipping for longish periods of time. The theory being, once the bag is opened there are some radical changes in the water chemistry due to the sudden influx of oxygen. It is felt that the stress of the "Grab and plop" into a good environment, is better than to be left stewing in ones filth in radically changing conditions.

Now that said, they're talking Discus in bags for 12-36 hours... Not exactly Fish coming home from the pet store.

Personally I'm a lazy SOB and I've gotten accustomed to the grab n plop - but I still drip acclimatize any fish I feel are sensitive or are worth enough that I feel the urge to take care of

There ya have it grab n plop in a nutshell... I'll just shaddup about Saltwater fantasies; as some people apparently really like him.

Andy

[StirCrazy]

I float the bags for tewmp, then I drain the fish into a plastic strainer and run to the tank and plop them in.. never lost a fish this way.

Steve

[Bob I]

I more or less use Steve's method. I usually just equalise the temperature. Then I pour the water through a fishnet to get rid of it. Then into the tank the fish goes. I usually don't worry about salinity, as tha smallish difference won't hurt the fish. I have never experienced a problem.

[EmilyB]

IME, you can't keep the oxygen up enough in a bag that has been opened, especially with a large fish.

I usually float the closed bag for a few mintues to temp, then dump the bag and fish in a bucket. Add a couple scoops of water over ten minutes or so, net the fish and put it in.

No problems for me with the fish I purchase.