The acclamation process

[nikond70s]

gettin altums from pete over at angel city?

altum are among the most sensitive and hardest fish to acclimate. sometimes you can do everything right and they still die. i always float the bag for 30 mins and release all my new fish.a few years ago. my first 2 batches of altums. i followed instructions from experts over at finarama. did everything right. and still within a week they all died. then on my 3rd and final try i said **** it. i just float the bag for 30 mins and release them. and they all survived. had them for almonst 2 years. till i had to put them in my brothers tank...and next morning they all died when i moved them. will get them again this year. best of luck to you.

 

[Yank-Keeper-Scott]

with thouchy fish i tend to do this

1. transfer fish into a bucket gently (with their water)
2. grab and airline and an airline clamp
3. us this to make a drip syphone from the main tank
4. wait until bucket is nearly full
5. put them in the tank

never lost a single fish, but i guess..
nearly everything in australia is tank bred.

 

[Calihawk]

I thought I should mix some tank water to the bag as it floats but I think your right. Maybe I'll test the water when they arrive if my ph is higher and my tank is warmer maybe I should net them and let them go.

You are not alone.

I never float fish getting shipped in. I'll throw them in a 5 gallon bucket or the styro they were shipped in and add a bit of Prime neutralize the ammonia released when the water is exposed to fresh air... Then I do a quick 20-40 minute acclimation.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

with thouchy fish i tend to do this

never lost a single fish, but i guess..
nearly everything in australia is tank bred.

I've never had touchy fishes, always hardy kind. But I can understand the situation of delicate fishes.

 

[Aquanero]

What vendor?

gettin altums from pete over at angel city?

Yes, they are comming from Pete at Angel City. I've spoken with hime several times but this is my 1st order from him.

I checked the ph this morning and it's back to 6.2, that's where it wants to be so I'm not going to froce it any lower. A stable ph is better than an atifically induced number that can't be maintained. The water was also a little cloudy so I'm sure I killed off some bacteria in the process. My gut said not to mess with it and just let the peat do it's thing but I couldn't leave well enough alone, damn I know better than that. I did a quick 25% WC as I was getting ready for work and I'll see what it's like when I get home.

I got a PM with his water parameters: Temp 82, ph 5.8 TDS 80. So 6.2 might be a good number. I know these guys are super sensitive. So fingers crossed I don't screw it up.

I think I'll do a drip acclamation in a bucket or the styro shipping container if it's in good shape. I'll test the water in the bag against the tank water and judge from there.

 

[we4wieners]

There are many methods. Personally, I dont see how you can go wrong utilizing te drip method. Ive donr it for all fresh and saltwater fish and have NEVER lost one. If you're gonna spend the cash to ship 'em, do it right and be patient. I know people have had success with other methods and thats great. There are too many factors involved that could cause a reaction to the fish. Float the bag for 10 mins then drip acclimate for 40 mins. JMO

 

[Gruff Master]

I always float the bags for 15-20 minutes, net the fish, and then release them in the tank. I've done it this way for years without a problem. But with more sensitive fish and inverts, I don't blame people for taking extra precautions. Tom, I really hope your Angels transition well to your tank. I look forward to updates with pictures. Good luck!

 

[dogofwar]

I just dump the fish into a net (with the nasty shipping water going into a bucket underneath) and put them in the tank.

Chris Moscarell did a presentation in Oct of last year for CCA on keeping blackwater fish (incl. altums) and he spoke of the importance of not only having the right pH but also having tannins and other chemicals...

Matt

 

[RD.]

Tom - I would be far more concerned about what your TDS is at, than your pH. The vendors TDS is 80, do you know what yours is?

Ryan previously stated;

I've always heard that going from lower to higher pH is fine, but not vice versa.

The reason for that generally has to do with TDS values. If ones TDS shifts too quickly it can cause osmotic shock, which for many years hobbyists confused with pH shock, only because most hobbyists don't own a TDS meter.

Osmoregulation has nothing to do with pH, and everything to do with controlling the balance of water/salt concentrations. pH has nothing to do with regards to if ones water is a hypertonic solution, hypotonic solution, or if it's isotonic. The shock part of the equation comes in when a fish has difficulty reaching equilibrium. The "high to low" shift in TDS values becomes more dangerous as the fish cells can become flooded with water faster than they can reach equilibrium, and burst .... which is where the term "shock" comes in. The biggest issue with pH is ammonia toxicity, as at higher pH values free ammonia can be much more lethal, especially when higher temps are involved.


These links explain things much better than I can...........

http://www.angelsplus.com/ArticleOsmosis.htm

http://www.shrimpnow.com/content.ph...ce-on-Acclimating-and-Quarantining-New-Shrimp

http://www.mtfb.com/MTFBJUNE/MTFB2 pages/jacobsarticle2.htm

 

[Aquanero]

I have no idea what my TDS is. I don't have a test for it. I would imagin it's higher than 80.

 

[RD.]

As long as it's higher, you should be golden. If you can get your hands on a TDS meter it would be a good idea to double check.