Acclimation Time

Trying to make my platy / guppy survival rate from the lfs higher since they almost always get sick even if I QT for 3 weeks and drip acclimate them.... my tank is around 7.4-7.6 ph and my lfs is 6.8 and the guppy tank uses salt. How long do you all suggest acclimating them? And I get like 50/50 recommends to QT or not from this website so I’m not sure if I should or not?

 

It can be a controversial subject but many pros use the plop and drop method as opposed to drip acclimation.

How often do you test? What are your test readings? How often do you do water changes and volume?

A QT tank is a firewall between potential diseases from new fish and your established tanks. If you have established fish that you want to protect, a QT tank is necessary. If it's a new tank, there's no need for a QT tank because there are no established fish you're trying to protect.

Why do you use salt in the guppy tank? I know some people say to use salt just because. Personally I don't use salt unless I'm using it for medication. Do you add anything else to the tank?

In most cases being more aggressive with water changes will at least help with aquarium problems, and will often solve them.

 

It can be a controversial subject but many pros use the plop and drop method as opposed to drip acclimation.

How often do you test? What are your test readings? How often do you do water changes and volume?

A QT tank is a firewall between potential diseases from new fish and your established tanks. If you have established fish that you want to protect, a QT tank is necessary. If it's a new tank, there's no need for a QT tank because there are no established fish you're trying to protect.

Why do you use salt in the guppy tank? I know some people say to use salt just because. Personally I don't use salt unless I'm using it for medication. Do you add anything else to the tank?

In most cases being more aggressive with water changes will at least help with aquarium problems, and will often solve them.

Sorry if my post was unclear, I don’t use salt, I don’t see a need for it unless a fish is sick. My LFS uses salt in his guppy tanks, I don’t know why.

Test readings are always 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates and at the highest it gets to 20 nitrates. I do a 30% wc once a week.

I’ll probably stick to QT tank — I don’t want to hurt the fish I have. But I’m at a loss as to why, after 3 weeks of QT and drip acclimation, both my new guppy and platy got sick and died as soon as they went into the main tank.

 

I don't think drip acclimation is necessary 99% of the time with pet shop fish. I ONLY temp acclimate with floating, then do the drop & plop and Ive NEVER lost fish to it.

QT is 100% necessary in my opinion.

 

I don't think drip acclimation is necessary 99% of the time with pet shop fish. I ONLY temp acclimate with floating, then do the drop & plop and Ive NEVER lost fish to it.

QT is 100% necessary in my opinion.

So you float, drop and plop into a qt tank for 3 weeks n then main tank?

 

I always recommend carefully slowly acclimating new fish, I have always used the bag method, adding small amounts of tank water to the bag the fish can in. They need to get use to the ph which is almost always different then the ph in my tank. I take 60-90 minutes to acclimate all new fish, adding a shotglass or 2 of tank water to the bag every 15 minutes.
Your fish - may be from bad stock, you have to wonder why the pet store chose to ad salt.

 

But I’m at a loss as to why, after 3 weeks of QT and drip acclimation, both my new guppy and platy got sick and died as soon as they went into the main tank.

That does seem odd. Are parameters the same in your quarantine tank and main tank, including temperature?

 

That does seem odd. Are parameters the same in your quarantine tank and main tank, including temperature?

yeah, it's the same water, changed the same way. Just no live plants in the QT

I always recommend carefully slowly acclimating new fish, I have always used the bag method, adding small amounts of tank water to the bag the fish can in. They need to get use to the ph which is almost always different then the ph in my tank. I take 60-90 minutes to acclimate all new fish, adding a shotglass or 2 of tank water to the bag every 15 minutes.
Your fish - may be from bad stock, you have to wonder why the pet store chose to ad salt.

Good point on the salt thing! The only other store around here sadly is Petco and the same amount of fish die from them as the LFS.

I've never had trouble with acclimating them to the QT tank... they survive nicely until the main tank... I'll have to test the QT tank with tetra strips and see if the water is THAT different since the main tank also has substrate, driftwood and plants which could possibly cause a different ph. Hmmm

 

So you float, drop and plop into a qt tank for 3 weeks n then main tank?

I float in the QT and dump them right in as long as nobody else is in already since adding their current water to the QT water isn't going to hurt anything. They they stay in QT for 4 weeks.