# Acclimating Fish



## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

So my stock of 31 Mbuna and 5 Multipunctatus will arrive and be put in the tank tomorrow afternoon. Should I treat the water with anything prior to introducing fish such as "Stability"?

Also, I was advised by the retailer to only temperature acclimate then net the fish and place into the tank and to not add any tank water to the bag water even slightly. Is this recommended?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I'll comment on your second question. The latest recommendations on acclimating fish, especially those that have been bagged for more than a few hours, is to float the sealed bag in the tank to temperature acclimate.

You can then either 1) net the fish from the bag directly into the tank, 2) pour the water and fish into a fish safe container, net them to the tank or 3) pour the fish/water into a net over a bucket and transfer them to the tank. I usually use the 2nd method with great results.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I agree, float 15 minutes and net into tank.

Of course your tank and the seller should be comparable in parameters. I both ask and test. On occasion I have had to bump up pH in my tank so the new fish would not be shocked, and then let pH gradually return to "normal" for my tank via PWC over several weeks.

I would not add stability...why?

I would not drip acclimate.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

DJRansome said:


> I would not drip acclimate.


Could you elaborate on why you advise against this practice?


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Thanks for the advice....it's going to be a looooong day tomorrow!

Tank is good
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10 ppm
Ph - 8.0 (been pretty stable at 8.0 - 8.2 with no buffers)


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

zimmy said:


> DJRansome said:
> 
> 
> > I would not drip acclimate.
> ...


This use to be the aceptted method, but... 
The bagged fish will have been in bag for a while-- so there is ammonia in water. Ammonia in a low is toxic, but more so in a high PH environment. With drip acclimate the PH may swing a little higher , making ammonia more toxic. More stress to fish, causing early death, ect


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Great explanation and makes perfectly good sense!


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Thanks tanker3. Isn't the usual practice to dose the bag with a dechlorinator (e.g. Prime) to address the ammonia problem before starting the drip?

I'm not trying to start a debate, just learn more.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I agree with Deeda, the drip method used to be more accepted and now float and net is more accepted. Get the fish out of the bad water as quick as possible. If you match parameters there is no risk.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

I performed my last water change tonight and just reread my Ph levels which ate now at 7.8. Should I add buffer tonight to have the tank level up a little more for tomorrow?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would never add buffer unless required. pH=7.8 is fine. What is your KH?


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Kh is 5. Well, they're in! What a group of beautiful active fish!

The Fuelleborni's, labs and Rusty's will color up better when they grow a bit more, right now they're a couple of inches. The Maingano's are a little smaller and already showing some great colors.

The Hara's....wow. The male is already the dominant fish in the tank and claimed the first cave. The Multipunctatus' are fun to watch...they swim to the top of the tank and zoom across the tank with and against the current and dive down in the corners. Very active and I don't have the tank lights on.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You want KH to be more like 7. Be careful adding buffer to go very gradually. Check pH daily in the meantime to monitor bounce.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

I just added 5 level teaspoons of Seachem Cichlid Buffer last night, wanted to be certain Ph didn't fall below 7.8. If I add any in the future it will be during water changes but I'd rather not have to mess with it. I was mostly concerned my tank Ph would be a shock with fish from a Ph of 8.2.

Do you think I should add buffer on the next PWC in about a week?
Ph -8.0
Kh - 5
Gh - 11


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Monitor pH daily between now and then and see how it goes.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Will do...thanks.

Now that my babies and bullies are in.....should I begin feeding them tomorrow or the next day? I have the lights off on the tank for today with only some ambient light elsewhere in the room.....otherwise I would be posting baby pictures!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Tomorrow.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Great...they look HUNGRY! No lights on in the tank but they are active! They are swimming along the length of the tank from right to left then shoot up to the top and back to the left with the current. Seems they're following each other, especially the cats. They really seem to love the strong current flow.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Pacing.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Do they do it for any particular reason?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Nerves in a new tank.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Thanks again for all your help DJ! They're a great looking grouping of Mbuna, going to enjoy them for a long time


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## Cyphound (Oct 20, 2014)

When adding buffer it is always best to disolve in water first then add it. Also note that you will reach a point where a given amount of water will saturate. Say a gallon might only disolve 1 or 2 tsps but not 5. Ime


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## DrgRcr (Jun 23, 2009)

IMO, I would not bother with buffers with a KH of 5. If it stays steady at that and maintains the pH of 7.8, it will be fine. My well is also 7.8 with a KH of 4.5 and I've never buffered. This includes both keeping and breeding a few wild species from Malawi and Tanganyika. It will serve you better in the long run to have steady numbers instead of trying to change them.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Thanks, I'll just monitor it for a while until I know if it holds at 7.8. I don't want to use buffers if I don't have to.


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