How to add new fish to your aquarium

Know Your Local Water Parameters

Prologue from LA: Water in Des Moines (home of Aqualand Pets Plus) comes out of the tap at a pH reading of about 10.5 and drops to 7.5 in 48 hours. Adding NovAqua to our water conditions the water and moves it closer to neutral. We add NovAqua to every new bag of fish we sell. Since we guarantee our fish, we consider it incredibly economical insurance.

Bob's Info: Our water in Norfolk, VA usually comes out of our tap between 6.0 and 6.8 and drops lower in a fairly short period of time. With new fish, what usually happens is that by the time I get the newly purchased fish home, the water in the bag of fish is very close to 6.0.

This makes just floating the bag and releasing the fish into their new home very dangerous for some breeds of fish. Swordtails are especially sensitive to rapid changes in pH of the water and are likely to suffer pH shock and die. Other breeds like the blue gourami and the black-skirted tetra don't seem to be affected as much.

The idea behind my acclimation method is to ease the fish into their new aquarium without causing any damage to their slime coat. The pH of the water in the bag should be close to the pH of the water that they are going into. The water should be at least 6.8 in a community freshwater tank.

First it's helpful to know the chemicals that I use for the acclimation method.

BOB

These are what you add to the bag of fish along with a bit of good quality ich cure for prevention.

How to Do a pH Test.

Fill the test tube to the white line and add 3 drops of the pH indicator solution. Cover the test tube with the cap provided and just invert test tube a few times until the indicator solution is mixed well with the water.

BOB

A good, easy to use pH test kit.

NOTE: The water in these tests was filled to the top so it would show evenly when placed in the scanner for the photos.

BOB

Place the tube against the color chart to get your reading. In this case the water in the tube is about 7.0, which makes it safe for your fish.

Stay away from this --

BOB

Water is too acidic.

And this --

BOB

Water is too alkaline.

Look for this --

BOB
This water is acceptable for most community fish.

And now, here is my acclimation method:

Freshwater Fish Only!

LA
You can clip your bag to the side of your tank.

LA
Or you can make a little Sponson flotation device by folding the top of the bag over.

1) Open the bag after floating for 5 minutes and clamp part of the open end to the side of the aquarium. Clothespins work great for this! (Bob, I haven't even seen a clothesline for 20 years. How about a chip clip for potato chip bags?)

2) Check the pH in the bag of fish and your aquarium water. If the tests are close to a match then follow the rest of the steps below starting with step three. If the water in the bag of fish is acidic and your aquarium water is closer to neutral, then add either a tiny pinch of baking soda or a few drops pH Up to the bag of fish. If the water in the bag of fish is too alkaline, then add a few drops of pH Down. Then immediately follow through with the remaining steps after the adjustments are made.

3) Add one capful of NovAqua to the bag of fish

4) Add one capful of AmQuel+ to the bag of fish

Gradually add water from your aquarium to minimize any stress caused by sudden pH changes.

5) Add one cup of your aquarium water to the bag of fish and repeat with an additional cup of aquarium water 5 minutes later.

6) Add a drop of Ich cure

LA
Use one of these Olympic training watches to be perzactly correct.

7) Wait 5 more minutes

That's it! Release your fish and watch for bullies!

Epilogue from LA: In Des Moines you can float your bag of new fish for five minutes to equalize the temp. Then slit the bag. This lets the waters mix gradually. Fish that want to swim out, can swim out if and when they want. You can remove the bag at your convenience. LA

	How to Add New Fish to Your Aquarium II The Inside Scoop on Your Aquarium Fish from Bob 01/29/07

Amphibians Axolotls Caecilian Worm Chaco Toad Mud Puppies Newts General Newts Eastern Newts Golden Newts Mandarin Salamanders Suriname Toad Tadpoles Terrarium I Terrarium II USA Toads Water Dogs Misc. Toads Frogs Bull Clawed Dumpy Dwarf Fire-Belly Floating Green Tree Leopard Pac Man Pipa pipa Pyxie Red-Eyed Tree Tomato Misc Frogs Misc Frogs II Misc Frogs III Misc Frogs IV Misc Frogs V Animals Bunnies Bunnies II Cat-N-Around Cat Club Cat-N-Around Cat Club 2007 Annual Show Hawkeye Cat Club 2004 Hawkeye Cat Club 2005 Chinchillas Degus Ferrets Ferrets by BOB Gerbils Ground Squirrels Guinea Pig Hamsters I Hamsters II Hamsters III Hamsters IV Hamsters V Hedgehogs Kittens Kids & Kittens Mice Mice Pets II Parasites Rats I Rats II Rats III Rats, Hairless S-T Opossums Siberian Chipmunks Sugar Gliders Sugar Gliders II Water Bottles Bugs Crabby 500 Crab 04 Results Centipedes Cray/Lobsters Crayfish II Crayfish III Cray, Yucatan Fiddler Crabs Shrimp, Algae Shrimp, Aqua Shrimp, Orange Bee Shrimp, Red Shrimp, Flower Shrimp, Ghost Shrimp, Rudolph Hermit Crabs Hermit Crabs II Madagas Roach Mantids Mini-Clams Mini-Crabs Patriot Crabs Giant Millipedes Red Claw Crabs Reiman Butterfly Spider, Black Widow Snail, Apple Snail, Colombian Snail, Land Snail, Malaysian Snail, Mystery Snail, Trapdoor Scorpions Tarantulas Tarantulas II Tarantula Night 2006 TarantulaWeen VII TarantulaWeen 9 Walking Stick Misc. Bugs Misc Bugs II Birds Breeding Tips Button Quail Canaries Cockatiels Dove, Diamond Dove, Ringneck Finches Love Birds Parakeets Pelleted Foods Quaker Parrots Parrot Pictures Parrot Pix II Parrot Pix III Dave's Parrots Lizards Alligators Anoles Bearded Dragon Beardies II Calotes Chamel, Jackson Chamel, Panther Chamel, Veiled Crested Geckos Gecko, Golden Gecko, House Gecko, Leopard Gecko, Tokay Horned "Toads" Iguana New Iguana Dragons Iguana Q&A I Iguana Q&A II Iguana Training Iguana Update Cool Iguana Pics Knight Anoles Monitors, Nile Monitors, Savana Monitors, Water Salmonella Skinks Skinks Blue-Tongue Tegus Uromastyx maliensis Water Dragon Misc Lizards Misc Lizards 2 Misc Lizards 3 Misc Lizards 4 Misc Lizards 5 Misc Lizards 6 Misc Lizards 7 Misc Lizards 8 Misc Lizards 9 Misc Lizards 10 Snakes Anacondas Boa, Rosy Boa, Red-Tail Corn Snake Garter Snake Green Snake Kids/Corn Snakes Kids/Red-Tail Boas Kids at Pet Expo 1 Kids at Pet Expo 2 Kids at Pet Expo 3 Kids at Pet Expo 4 Kids at Pet Expo 5 King & Milk Python, Ball Python, Burmese Snakes Alive Snakesgiving Snakesgiving II Misc Snake Pix Misc Snakes II Misc Snakes III Turtles/Tortoises Box, Asian Box, USA Races Snapping Spiny Sulcata Water Western Painted Live Foods Blackworms Blood Worms Br Shrimp I Br Shrimp II Crayfish 1 Crayfish 2 Crayfish 3 Crickets Dandelions Daphnia Earthworms Feeder Goldfish Fruit Flies Ghost Shrimp Glass Worms Grindal Worms Infusoria Mealworms Microworms Rosy Reds Super Worms Wax Worms White Clouds Decorating Bubbles Driftwood Gravel Plastic Plants Rocks Slow Growing Plants Miscellaneous Bob's Acclimation How to Start How to Add New Fish How to Keep Healthy Which Fish Get Along? 10 Questions to Ask What is Ich? Under Gravel Filters Sponge Filters Cloudy Water Cool Water Tanks Gravel Vacuums Preventing Disease Feeding to the Max Frozen Foods Green Water Nasty Chemicals Overfeeding Power Filters Rift Lake Salts Quarantine Tank Mini-Tank 2nd Av Bait Pet World Visit Dandelions Aquatic Plants Amazon Swords More Swords Sword Plants III Anubias Anacharis Aponogetons A. boivinianus A. fenestralis A. ulvaceous Aquarium/Bog Banana Plant Bolbitis Bunch Bunch Plants II Cryptocorynes Crystalwort Dwarf Lily Grassy Grassy II Hornwort Hygrophila Lace Java Fern I Java Fern II Java Fern III Java Fern IV Java Moss Moss Balls Onion Vermiculite Watersprite Different Watersprite	LA Know Your Local Water Parameters Prologue from LA: Water in Des Moines (home of Aqualand Pets Plus) comes out of the tap at a pH reading of about 10.5 and drops to 7.5 in 48 hours. Adding NovAqua to our water conditions the water and moves it closer to neutral. We add NovAqua to every new bag of fish we sell. Since we guarantee our fish, we consider it incredibly economical insurance. Bob's Info: Our water in Norfolk, VA usually comes out of our tap between 6.0 and 6.8 and drops lower in a fairly short period of time. With new fish, what usually happens is that by the time I get the newly purchased fish home, the water in the bag of fish is very close to 6.0. This makes just floating the bag and releasing the fish into their new home very dangerous for some breeds of fish. Swordtails are especially sensitive to rapid changes in pH of the water and are likely to suffer pH shock and die. Other breeds like the blue gourami and the black-skirted tetra don't seem to be affected as much. The idea behind my acclimation method is to ease the fish into their new aquarium without causing any damage to their slime coat. The pH of the water in the bag should be close to the pH of the water that they are going into. The water should be at least 6.8 in a community freshwater tank. First it's helpful to know the chemicals that I use for the acclimation method. BOB These are what you add to the bag of fish along with a bit of good quality ich cure for prevention. How to Do a pH Test. Fill the test tube to the white line and add 3 drops of the pH indicator solution. Cover the test tube with the cap provided and just invert test tube a few times until the indicator solution is mixed well with the water. BOB A good, easy to use pH test kit. NOTE: The water in these tests was filled to the top so it would show evenly when placed in the scanner for the photos. BOB Place the tube against the color chart to get your reading. In this case the water in the tube is about 7.0, which makes it safe for your fish. Stay away from this -- BOB Water is too acidic. And this -- BOB Water is too alkaline. Look for this -- BOB This water is acceptable for most community fish. And now, here is my acclimation method: Freshwater Fish Only! LA You can clip your bag to the side of your tank. LA Or you can make a little Sponson flotation device by folding the top of the bag over. 1) Open the bag after floating for 5 minutes and clamp part of the open end to the side of the aquarium. Clothespins work great for this! (Bob, I haven't even seen a clothesline for 20 years. How about a chip clip for potato chip bags?) LA 2) Check the pH in the bag of fish and your aquarium water. If the tests are close to a match then follow the rest of the steps below starting with step three. If the water in the bag of fish is acidic and your aquarium water is closer to neutral, then add either a tiny pinch of baking soda or a few drops pH Up to the bag of fish. If the water in the bag of fish is too alkaline, then add a few drops of pH Down. *Then immediately* follow through with the remaining steps after the adjustments are made.** LA 3) Add one capful of NovAqua to the bag of fish LA 4) Add one capful of AmQuel+ to the bag of fish LA Gradually add water from your aquarium to minimize any stress caused by sudden pH changes. 5) Add one cup of your aquarium water to the bag of fish and repeat with an additional cup of aquarium water 5 minutes later. LA 6) Add a drop of Ich cure LA Use one of these Olympic training watches to be perzactly correct. 7) Wait 5 more minutes LA That's it! Release your fish and watch for bullies! Epilogue from LA: In Des Moines you can float your bag of new fish for five minutes to equalize the temp. Then slit the bag. This lets the waters mix gradually. Fish that want to swim out, can swim out if and when they want. You can remove the bag at your convenience. LA © 2007 BOB & LA Productions 3600 Sixth Avenue Corner of Sixth & Euclid Avenues Des Moines, IA 50313 515 283-0300 Home Fish Other Stuff	Anabantids Betta Leaf Betta Breed 1 Betta Breed II Betta Info Betta Housing Betta Pla Kat Choc Gourami Climbing Perch Gourami Pix Kiss. Gourami Osphronemus Pearl Gourami More Pearls Paradise Fish Snakehead Spawn Gourami T. trichopterus Catfish Banjo Bullheads Bull Sharks Channel Corydoras Cory Pics Electric Glass Hoplos Otocinclus Pangassius Pictus Plecostomus Pleco Bristle Pleco Costly I Pleco Costly II Pleco Costly III Pleco Costly IV Pleco Costly V Pleco Costly VI Raphael Red-Tail Shovelnose Sun Synodontis Synodontis petricola Turushuki Catfish Upside-down Misc Catfish Misc Catfish II Misc Catfish III Misc Catfish IV Misc Catfish V Cichlids African I African II African III African IV Amer. Small Amer. Med Amer. Large Angelfish I Angelfish II Angelfish III Angelfish IV More Angels Buttikoferi Chocolate Chocolate Spawning Cichlid Decor Cichlid Food Convicts Convicts 2 Convicts 3 Convicts 4 Dempseys More Dempseys Jack Dempsey Spawn Discus Dither Fish Flower Horn Green Terror Jaguar More Jaguars Jaguar Spawning Jaguar Spawning II Jewel Fish Keo's Flowerhorns Keo's Flowerhorns II Kribensis Oscars 1 Oscars 2 Oscars 3 Oscars 4 Oscars 5 More Oscar More Oscar II More Oscars III More Oscars 2007 Peacock Bass Red Devils More Red Devil Red Parrots Red Parrots Spawn Pikes Pink Tilapia Rams Red Bay Snooks Roger Stephen's Cichlids Severums More Severums Severums III Tanganyikans Texas Cichlid Texas Spawning Texas Spawn II Uarus Misc Cichlids I Misc Cichlids II Misc Cichlids III Misc Cichlids IV Misc Cichlids V Misc Cichlids VI Misc Cichlids VII Misc Cichlids VIII Livebearer Guppies Half-Beak Mollies Moons/Platys Swordtails Minnows/Tetra Barbs Barbs, Black Barbs, Gold Barbs, Rosy Barbs, Tiger Barbs, Tinfoil Danios Distochodus Fathead Minnows Headstanders Killies, Econ. Killies, Golden Killies, Peat Killies, Plant Misc Mini-Fish Pacús Piranha, Black Piranha, Red Rainbowfish Rainbowfish, Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish, Irian Silver Dollar Tetras, Larger Tetras, Smaller Tetras, Spawn Tetra, Vampire White Clouds Pond Fish Carp Channel Cat Gold. Comets Gold. Fantails More Fantails Gold. Oriental Gold Oriental II Gold. Spawn Kloubec Koi Farm Koi Koi II Koi III Plecostomus Shubunkins Oddballs Af. Butterfly Af. Lungfish Af. Mudskippr American Eel Archer Fish Arowana Bichirs Borneo Suckers Brackish I Brackish II Brackish III Brackish IV Brackish V Michael Troung's Pix Butterfly/Wasp Chameleon Fish Chromides Chin Alg Eater Crazy Fish Crocodile Fish Datnioides Dojo Electric Cat Electric Eels Elephant Nose Exodon paradoxus Flounder Gars Glassfish Goby Bumble Goby Butterfly Goby Dragon Goby Misc. Half-Beak Knife African Knife Clown Knife Ghost Loach Botias Loach Clown Loach Kuhli Loach Weather Moray Eel Peacock Gudgeons Polypterids Puffers Ropefish Scats Siam Algae Eater Spiny Eels Snakehead Stingray Stonefish Wasp Fish Wolffish Wrest Half-Beak Misc Mini-Fishes Misc Odd Misc Odd II Misc Odd III Misc Odd IV Misc Odd V Sharks Bala Black Bull Chinese Hi-Fin Banded Iridescent Red-Tail Siam Algae Eater Pond Info Blank Park Zoo Bob Humphrey's Ponds Cattails Maffett Reservoir DMACC's Pond D.M. Botanical Center D.M. Water Works Dr. Ervanian's Garden Duckweed Dwarf Lily Ewing Park "Pond" Jan & Chris's Water Garden John McDonald's Pond Hall's Four Acres Klines' Water Garden Landscaper Effects Mini-Pond Pics Pioneer Corn's Pond Pond Fish Predators Pond on 38th Street Pond Pics Pond Plants More Pond Plants Pond Plants III Reiman Ponds River Scenes Riverview Island Selin's Water Gardens Selin's Japanese Garden Tom's Used Cars Pond Urbandale Duck Pond Water Hyacinth Water Lettuce Wild Ponds