Neon Tetra Acclimation

Hi Fishlore,
I am on my way home from the fish store and was wondering how long you think I should drip acclimate my neon tetras into a tank with a pH of 8. Thanks for the help!


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Yikes, good luck. I'd say at least an hour or more because neons like quite acidic water...Also they enjoy slightly lower temperatures, usually below 74 is what I normally see, so make sure the water isn't too warm. Of course, the neons from the store may be used to irregular conditions because they are probably not wild caught.

 

You could test thewaterin the bag with a strip and see how close it is to yours.

 

Test strips aren't that accurate, if you have a liquid test kit I would check the store water to see if it's similar to yours. Neons are known to be a little sensitive so a drip acclimation of 1-2 hours should be good. That's how long I drip acclimate my fish for.


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I have good success with all my other neons. I just wanted to pump up my stock! I will probably just stick to my old ways! Thanks anyways!


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I'd go with a 2 hour drip acclimation. Of course, that depends on the parameters of the water in the bag though. If the pH in the bag is 7.9 and your tank's pH is 8.0 You could probably acclimate them a bit faster.

 

In this case they would be fine. They just need to see if they are gettin similar readings betweenthe 2. Exact measurements are less important.

Thats wh at i was recomending they check.

 

Do you buy from a LFS or chain? I heard that the chain neons are mass produced and are very weak, maybe you have a good LFS lol

 

Does the fish store use the same type of water as you? If so, then you don't need to acclimate them as long as you might think. I have had them in an 8 pH and they are fine, before....

 

Exactly what we just said.

 

Ph strips or liquid isn't good enough imo. Invest in a decent .01 accurate ph meter with auto temp calibration.

 

Drip acclimation method IMO is the best way to introduce a new fish to a tank for about 1-3 hours depending on the sensitivity of the fish. In your case I would drip for 2-3 hours as others have said.

 

Dude... They're neons. They're sensitive, but they're not that sensitive...
Not saying your fancy meter is a bad idea, but I've gone 23 successful years in this hobby without equipment like that. Liquid is fine for 99.99% of fishkeepers.

 

I know peopèl dont like strips, but most of the time they do their job too. I'd like to add that many of these fish come from active rivers where the water is in constant flux, so adding a point zero 1 or even a standard .2 to a ph is not going to make alot of difference.