When to Float the Bag or When to Slow Drip

[jcardona1]

ive never dripped. just float the bag for a few minutes. but then again, i dont get fish shipped to me - just buy them from LFS.

 

[japes]

I use 2 methods. If it's a fish I really don't want to risk, I'll use the drip method over about half an hour to an hour and then introduce.

If I don't really care that much, which sounds bad but it's true, I'll float the bag for 10 minutes, then gradually dip it into the tank to fill it up 1/5 of the water already in the bag. I generally do this 5 times over a period of about 20 minutes so the water in the bag doubles.

No problems yet.

 

[paulW]

I've heard that discus breeders mainly just throw the fish in the water and they have survival rates very similar to using the drip method. I personally usually float for a minute or two then just dump the fish in. Haven't lost a single fish yet from this.

I always just dump them in the tank. Especially if they came from the LFS.

I can't find a link, but I heard a talk saying that floating does more harm than good. Stresses them more and leaves them in a tiny amount of water longer..

Even with wild caught apistogramma and Rams(which are pretty fragile), dumping them in worked fine. I got them via mail and I figured it would be better to put them right in the tank instead of dumping to a bucket, drippping, and then netting them again into the tank..

The only exception I would make is if you knew the bag water and your water was drastically different in pH or temperature (Like if they got chilled in shipment). They might get shocked then, so I'd drip those guys.

 

[killerfish]

It depends on the fish and where you got it

With sensitive fish or expensive fish i would drip them not matter what or if its like my case where i got a freshwater puffer being kept in brackish water in that case it vital to drip acclimate it

Or if you ordered the fish from a far away place you should assume that the water params of there tap water are different or where it was caught so you should drip it them

If its a hardy fish boughten locally then you can just float the bag usually theres not to much difference in tap water with in states but there can be

 

[Ntvper]

i believe the ph changes...........

I have tested this theory using feeder fish (goldfish/ruby reds) and catfish. the only thing i see is the Ammonia go up 100-200 ppm with feeders (goldfish not ruby reds) but nothing readable with the ph going up which I thought was wierd. any ideas?

 

[X24]

here ya go, i suppose i shouldn't really float the bag anymore, but i'll stick to the dump method as it hasn't hurt a fish yet.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5350

It says for large fish, but for any fish that has had a long trip ammonia levels will have built up.

 

[Yanbbrox]

I wouldn't want to risk it IMO. Always put the fish in a bucket add tank water every so often and net them in, saves adding too much of anything to the tank

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

I decide using a scale based on money...