Acclimating LARGE Fish
- Thread starter Miles
- Start date
Ok, so you squirt chemicals into the bag and then immediately net the fish into the tank?
How is this different from just netting the fish straight into the tank? As soon as the fish is in the tank, it's no longer in contact with the ammonia that was in the bag.
How is this different from just netting the fish straight into the tank? As soon as the fish is in the tank, it's no longer in contact with the ammonia that was in the bag.
Since you are so knowledgeable... May I ask a question? I have a 5 year old Oscar, He's about 13" and lives in a 125 gal tank with some tiger barbs and danio's to snack on. I do my weekly water changes and checks. The water seems fine but, my Oscar has been very inactive for the past 2 days. His appetite had diminished and he basically sits at the bottom and does nothing. He leans a little as well. Any suggestions?
My roommate wrote his thesis on temperature threshold of invasive Mayan cichlids from the Everglades. He mentioned that it is physiologically MORE stressful for a fish to acclimate to a higher temperature than a lower temperature, due to the dulling effects of cooler water on the nervous system.
Also, is there any evidence that supports the idea that moving a fish to another container (after removing the ammonia) and then performing drip acclimation is more stressful than dumping a fish in? That seems counter-intuitive because a temperature change is quite stressful (possibly more than pH). I work at a marine laboratory and we put everything on a drip; and I can't recall losing a fish soon-after introduction or during acclimation with the exception of one naso tang which was covered in ich.
Make no mistake, this is a very helpful post; it just raised a couple of questions!
Also, is there any evidence that supports the idea that moving a fish to another container (after removing the ammonia) and then performing drip acclimation is more stressful than dumping a fish in? That seems counter-intuitive because a temperature change is quite stressful (possibly more than pH). I work at a marine laboratory and we put everything on a drip; and I can't recall losing a fish soon-after introduction or during acclimation with the exception of one naso tang which was covered in ich.
Make no mistake, this is a very helpful post; it just raised a couple of questions!
extremely interesting... my LFS guy kind of told me the very oppsite... take time... intermingle the waters... adjust temperatur and other parameters...
and there's nothing about anythin to neutralise the ammonia
i think i might have to read this post again!!
thanks
and there's nothing about anythin to neutralise the ammonia
i think i might have to read this post again!!
thanks
Miles I yield to your experience, as surely it is greater than mine, however your evidence is anecdotal, not scientific.
I have to agree with the others who have mentioned what you have not - you are diluting the ammonia in the bag with "fresh" tank water. Particularly if you have put an ammonia neutralizer in the bag such as amquel, or Prime, there should really be no downside to subsequent drip acclimation. You raise some excellent points on water chemistry but the addition of water conditioner negates all the concerns you have raised. So really what is the harm in a drip acclimation, so long as the appropriate measures are taken to detoxify the ammonia?
I'm chiming in because I'm in the situation where I'm moving my fish (large fish) a long way, but I'm also moving them from soft water to hard water. A PH swing of under 7 to over 8, and a GH of almost nothing to near the top of the chart is just not something I want to risk "netting and dumping" with. However raising the pH and affecting the NH4+ in the water after a long car ride is also a bad thing to be sure. My plan currently is to dose the transport water with Prime and test it for ammonia, re-dosing as necessary, then drip acclimate, and THEN move the fish to their new hardwater tank.
I suppose one major question left to answer would be - how well do water conditioners work? Do they actually remove the ammonia they say they should? How fast? I've noticed before that when I use prime to condition water going back into my tank (a cycling tank, so there's ammonia present) That the tank water still has ammonia in it after a water change and dosing with prime, so what gives? Is it all just advertising?
I have to agree with the others who have mentioned what you have not - you are diluting the ammonia in the bag with "fresh" tank water. Particularly if you have put an ammonia neutralizer in the bag such as amquel, or Prime, there should really be no downside to subsequent drip acclimation. You raise some excellent points on water chemistry but the addition of water conditioner negates all the concerns you have raised. So really what is the harm in a drip acclimation, so long as the appropriate measures are taken to detoxify the ammonia?
I'm chiming in because I'm in the situation where I'm moving my fish (large fish) a long way, but I'm also moving them from soft water to hard water. A PH swing of under 7 to over 8, and a GH of almost nothing to near the top of the chart is just not something I want to risk "netting and dumping" with. However raising the pH and affecting the NH4+ in the water after a long car ride is also a bad thing to be sure. My plan currently is to dose the transport water with Prime and test it for ammonia, re-dosing as necessary, then drip acclimate, and THEN move the fish to their new hardwater tank.
I suppose one major question left to answer would be - how well do water conditioners work? Do they actually remove the ammonia they say they should? How fast? I've noticed before that when I use prime to condition water going back into my tank (a cycling tank, so there's ammonia present) That the tank water still has ammonia in it after a water change and dosing with prime, so what gives? Is it all just advertising?
