Red wag platy

Now everybody knows the common way of acclimating fish, the floating bag method. and according to fishlore, it works well. But lately i have been reading A-Z Tropical Fish Diseases and Health Problems and according to it, "The only way to avoid chemical shock, if there is a significant difference in water chemistry between that to which the fish is accustomed and that for which they are destined, is slow adjustment over a period of days or weeks." If I'm reading right, I believe that means that if the fish was living in a tank with poor water parameters, then you should keep it in those poor conditions and gradually adjust it. So they want me to provide a tank with the same conditions as the tank the fish came from whether they are good or not? If the fish was in poor water, i would want to move it into clean water, not keep it in there. Won't this do more harm then the stress from using the floating bag method, because pet stores usually don't have ideal water conditions. Is there something i'm missing?

mrsmuffin

I think the only thing you are missing is that the people that wrote that book are crazy!

Devon

I agree... when I bring my fish home and acclimate them in the QT tank, there is a little of the pet store water in with the fresh treated water that I give them... I do daily water changes to keep it clean and dilute the pet store junk, and then when I acclimate them to their permanent tank, I use the floating bag method, net them from the bag once they're ready, plop them in their new tank and dispose of everything they were in before.
Never had a problem.

Butterfly

Floating the bag in the tank allows the temperature in the bag and the tank to be the same so there is no temperature shock. Now put the fish and their water in a bucket, bowl etc. Something they can't flip out of. Gradually add tank(1/2-1 C per 30 min) water until you have added as much tank water as was in the bag. Now pour almost all of the water out and continue adding about 2 c. of water. This allows them to become gradually acclimated to the water chemistry in the tank their going into. after this is done net the fish out and add them to their tank. Never add anybody elses water to your tank(no matter how good it looks).
This is the proper acclimation procedure.
Carol

COBettaCouple

Yea, Carol's right and the book is wacky.