Please note: To ensure the health of existing fish in your established tank and the health of your newly acquired fish, it is strongly recommended that you quarantine any new additions that you plan on adding to your tank for about 4-6 weeks.
What Is Acclimating?
When adding new livestock to your tank, it is very important to properly acclimate your new additions in order to help prevent stress and temperature shock. For the most part, acclimating your fish simply means matching the existing water that the fish is in to the water in your tank. Think of it like this, if you jump into a bathtub full of cold or hot water your body acts in a way that shocks your senses which in turn causes stress. This is no different in fish!
Stress can play a large roll in the immune system of many fish. When stress levels are high, the immune system is weakened. This leaves the fish susceptible to disease and parasite invasions, even in the cleanest tanks.
During acclimation, your fish is slowly adjusted to the temperature difference of your tank and the water your fish was in during transport.
Acclimating Fish In A Bag
1. DO NOT open the bag that your fish was transported in! A fish that is bagged for shipping or sale is usually bagged in tank water that the fish was originally in with oxygen added to help keep the fish alive until it is added into your home aquarium. If the bag is opened and fresh air enters the bag the PH and ammonia levels will rapidly rise resulting in shock or ammonia poisoning.
2. Place the unopened bag into the water of your tank.
3. Allow the bag to float for 20-30 minutes. This should allow ample time for the water in the bag to rise or fall to the same temperature as the water it is floating in.
4. After floating, place a net over the top of a bucket or large bowl. Pour the contents of the bag along with the fish into the net. The bag water will flow through the net into the bucket while safely catching the fish. NEVER add the water from the bag into your tank!
5. Gently place the net into your tank and let the fish swim out of the net on its own. Never drop a fish into the tank. This can damage the swim bladder and can result in death.
Acclimating Fish In A Bucket
In some cases, fish may or may not be transported using the traditional bagging methods. Sometimes fish may be too big to transport in bags or may have sharp spines that can puncture the bag. For this reason, some hobbyist use buckets, large bowls, or Rubbermaid containers to transport fish.
1. If your fish isn't already in a bucket, add some of the water that the fish is originally in to a size appropriate bucket or tub and add the fish.
2. Add to the bucket, 1 or 2 cups of the tank water that you intend to transfer your fish into.
3. Continue adding a few cups of new tank water to the bucket about every 10-15 minutes. Do this until the water volume of the bucket has doubled.
4. Compare the temperature of the bucket to the temperature of the tank. Try to get them as close as possible.
5. After acclimation is complete, gently net your fish and place into the tank. Let your fish swim from the net.
After acclimating and once released into the new tank, your fish may tend to swim toward the bottom of the tank and may set on the substrate for a brief period of time. This is normal, as a new environment is sometimes stressful for a fish. During this time you should keep and eye on your new resident. Turning the tank lights off can sometimes help with this situation.
Do not feed your fish on the first day that they are placed into a new tank. Stress levels can be too high and food may go uneaten causing an ammonia spike.
Disclaimer:
There are various ways to acclimate fish. The techniques above are what have worked for me. You may or may not have different circumstances and/or different results.
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