Acclimation of new fish

HI everyone. I read on this forum in several places that, to allow a new fish to slowly get used to its new water, you should gradually replace the water in its transport bag with the aquarium water while the bag floating on top of aquarium so he gets used to temperature.

How do you fill the bag with any water without it just opening? Do you always do this with 2 people, 1 holding the bag and the other filling it?

 

Re-reading my question I feel very silly but I honestly have nooooo practical sense. I am not even trusted to change a light bulb at home. Sorry, I seem to only be able to process totally useless and abtract information...

 

You can't add water without opening the bag, however, you don't have to reseal the bad or anything like that. You just need to keep it up near the top so it doesn't spill out into your tank. I have a hood on my tank with a door at the front. So I just take the end of the back and stick it out the side and close the door. This keeps the bag (which wants to float a bit anyway) from going into the tank. As to filling the bag, unless you only have 1 hand, just use one hand to hold the bag and the other to take a cup with tank water and add it to the bag. It will stay open fairly well on it's own. No need to make things harder then they really are, don't over think it In all honesty, don't be afraid to break things. I always learn more from doing something wrong then I ever learn from doing something right.

 

Thanks, Luniyn. I love your user name, btw. Sounds like an elf's name.

I should have mentioned: with my clumsiness, I may as well have only one hand.

OK, I'll give it a go when I go and buy my white molly! Can't wait. Fish buying trips are the best thing in this hobby.

 

Thanks, Luniyn. I love your user name, btw. Sounds like an elf's name.

Thanks. It's funny you say that... because it is an elf's name, or at least the name of the elf I used to play in the online game Everquest. It's just become the name I use for everything forum related (since most of the forums I belong to are game related). Who knew a fish forum would be the one I visit the most these days compared to any of the gaming ones.

 

Cool. I guess it really sounds unversally elfish, then! Fishlore is what I spent the most time on at the moment, even more than work! ;D

 

even more than work! ;D

Oh yeah... work. I should probably do some of that today.

 

Oh yeah... work. I should probably do some of that today.

Naaah. Way more rewarding to save fish's lives like you keep doing!

 

Thanks, Luniyn. I love your user name, btw. Sounds like an elf's name.

Thanks. It's funny you say that... because it is an elf's name, or at least the name of the elf I used to play in the online game Everquest. It's just become the name I use for everything forum related (since most of the forums I belong to are game related). Who knew a fish forum would be the one I visit the most these days compared to any of the gaming ones.

Wow...another survivor of EQ. I used to play on the Zeb server, then Xegony once they consolidated everyone. Not to throw this off topic or anything.

I usually add a binder clip to hold the bag to the tank side as I'm acclimating, just so that I don't have to work too hard to get the bag, or disturb the tank too much. Honestly, I think the tank is more stressed at the point of acclimation than that fish being acclimated. LOL

 

Wow...another survivor of EQ. I used to play on the Zeb server, then Xegony once they consolidated everyone. Not to throw this off topic or anything.

Mmmm, any prize for guessing where your user name came from? : )

I usually add a binder clip to hold the bag to the tank side as I'm acclimating, just so that I don't have to work too hard to get the bag, or disturb the tank too much. Honestly, I think the tank is more stressed at the point of acclimation than that fish being acclimated. LOL

How clever! Great tip, thanks!

 

we have some plastic cups that we put the fish in and add water to it as it floats in the tank, until the temps are pretty close.

 

we have some plastic cups that we put the fish in and add water to it as it floats in the tank, until the temps are pretty close.

Aaaw, yes. Should've thought of that. Although I don't like the idea of an extra transfer of containers. Really stresses me out when I have to move them. Perhaps I'd like to keep it in its bag and clipping the bag to the sides of the tank.

 

we have some plastic cups that we put the fish in and add water to it as it floats in the tank, until the temps are pretty close.

Aaaw, yes. Should've thought of that. Although I don't like the idea of an extra transfer of containers. Really stresses me out when I have to move them. Perhaps I'd like to keep it in its bag and clipping the bag to the sides of the tank.

You can slip the bag into the cup, folding the top plastic over the cup edges to avoid the extra transfer. The cup just give the bag stability to remove store water and add tank water.

 

Ooooh, you guys think of everything. I have a plastic jar that has a handle that could be attached to the edge of the tank. I could put that jar on the inside of the tank, fill it with tank water, than add the open fish bag to it, with its top clipped the top of the jar. That way, indeed, extra stable.

 

Ooooh, you guys think of everything. I have a plastic jar that has a handle that could be attached to the edge of the tank. I could put that jar on the inside of the tank, fill it with tank water, than add the open fish bag to it, with its top clipped the top of the jar. That way, indeed, extra stable.

yea, that would work perfect. the fish would get acclimated to temp and water and have no moving around either. excellent idea!

 

Found a nice article on fish acclimating:

 

I just let the fish bag float in the tank to get used to the water.

 

The problem with that method is it only gets them used to the temperature of the water, and not pH, salinity and other parameters.