Process for lake fish? Question

[FuryX]

Hi. I have just recently setup my aquarium and is ready for fish. Now I was thinking about getting some sunfish from the lake. What is the process of getting them acclimated/accustomed to the water inside the tank. I'm using api stress coat and it says to also use the droplets when adding new fish to the aquarium. I have a 29 gallon tank so how much drops would I be putting??? Water temp is almost exactly the same to the lake I'm thinking about getting them from too. Thanks!

 

[ystrout]

Sunfish like bluegill or crappie will be far too big for a 29 gallon tank. I'd say the absolute minimum you'd want to keep them in is a 75 gallon, preferably a 6 to 8 foot long tank like a 125 gallon +. They'll die in such a small tank.

But assuming you get a big enough tank, you'd need to cycle the tank before putting fish in. This takes about a month and refers to growing bacteria to process fish waste and keep the water clean. There's plenty of info about fishless cycles on this site if you search.

If you get a big enough tank and then cycle it, you'd acclimate them like any other fish. Put them in a 5 gallon bucket, and drip acclimate them over a few hours. Then plop them in the tank.

If you're planning to catch them with a rod/reel, pinch down the barbs on the hook. It causes long term damage and you their jaw/mouth will always have a nasty scar. Lastly, if you live far from the lake, you need to keep the water you transport them in aerated. Do this by bringing a portable battery and putting a bubble bar in the bucket with them.

But seriously, you need a bigger tank for them. If you can't do that, you may be best catching minnows at the lake or buying tetras/danios from the pet store.