"Squirt and Dump"- Acclimation

[12 Volt Man]

you have to be careful using that method with certain silver scaled fish like bala sharks and scaleless catfishes that can be sensitive to methyl blue.

I would not use this on the tigrinis cat in this topic for example.

after working at a LFS for several years, I was never sold on the whole 'pre medicate' philosophy of new fish.

mainly because, you are medicating for something that you haven't identified, so you don't even know what you are actually trying to treat.

which often can do more harm than good depending on the meds used.

 

[aclockworkorange]

I use it on a lot of scales sensitive fish and haven't found any sensitivity at all PERSONALLY--loaches, elephant nose, black ghost knife, etc.
Where are you getting your info about the sensitivity? Not saying you're wrong, just curious.

 

[R1_Ridah]

I would use a rubber maid tub and drip acclimate. Throw a few airstones in there while you acclimate to highly oxygenate the water.

 

[12 Volt Man]

I use it on a lot of scales sensitive fish and haven't found any sensitivity at all PERSONALLY--loaches, elephant nose, black ghost knife, etc.
Where are you getting your info about the sensitivity? Not saying you're wrong, just curious.

I was wrong. I was thinking of Malachite Green not methyl blue. sorry.

methyl blue is safer, its the one often used on fish eggs for anti fungus properties.

 

[aclockworkorange]

"The properties of the drug as an oxygen transporter (it converts methemoglobin to the normal oxygen carrying component of fish blood, hemoglobin) allow it to be used in the treatment of known cyanide and nitrite poisoning of aquarium fishes. It has been suggested that newly arrived marine fish placed in Methylene Blue can have their survival rate increased as Methylene Blue aids in the reversal of nitrite and/or cyanide poisoning."
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/methylene_blue/index.htm

 

[aclockworkorange]

I was wrong. I was thinking of Malachite Green not methyl blue. sorry.

methyl blue is safer, its the one often used on fish eggs for anti fungus properties.

Yes, malachite green is nasty stuff. Methylene blue on the other hand is pretty gentle. It's well known for use in fish eggs, but it also has the other properties mentioned above that help a fish breath easier.

 

[Mikiblu30]

I would use a rubber maid tub and drip acclimate. Throw a few airstones in there while you acclimate to highly oxygenate the water.

Thanks Joey, you too Clockwork...great to have you guys chime in on this.

 

[aclockworkorange]

Yeah, I don't really know for sure about the methylene blue. I learned about it when I myself was working for a freshwater fish wholesaler that regularly imported fish from overseas. Interestingly enough, they didn't use the squirt and dump method. They didn't use methylene blue either.
This is my own technique, and it seems to work well. Just started using it in the last month or two.

 

[aclockworkorange]

Another technique I've seen used it to treat with a bit of Epsom salt that acts as a laxative to get the digestive tract moving. Haven't done this myself.

 

[JK47]

I wouldn't do it. If ph from the container and your tank are very different, you could send him into shock and there goes your expensive fish. Happened to me once, fish were dead within ten minutes. When I checked the ph of my tank and the container, they were totally different colors. I won't do that ever again.

^ I agree 100%.. This is a loaded question because the answer yes it's safe may be true for folks of a certain water chemistry/hardness. If the ph values are close enough, sure it's better to nuetrilize ammonia and get the fish out of transport water. If the perams are far enough apart, you risk killing off your new purchase over saving a little effort. Not for me.

Clockwork and I live 10 minutes from one another yet our water chemistry is so different, if I gave him my fish to dump in his tank, there would certainly be a loss. Same goes vice versa. No one person can say it's safe and have that blanket statement apply to everyone. Knowing your own water chemistry before having a fish in a box is part of responsible fish keeping. I make it a habbit to ask the vendor to give me the water perameters (including nitrate/TDS levels if available) before making a purchase. If a vendor can't tell you the perams the fish is in, move on to the next vendor IMO.