How to Acclimate New Fish Using the Float Method
You need to acclimate new fish to your aquarium; failure to do so could lead to stress, illness and even the death of your fish, which can be caused by a sudden change in their environment. Acclimation is the process of introducing them to the current temperature and other water conditions in your fish tank. There are two widely used methods for acclimating fish: the float method and the drip method. This article walks you step-by-step through the process of using the float method.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Acclimating New Fish Using the Float Method
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1
Bring your new fish home as soon as possible to avoid having ammonia accumulate in the sealed specimen bag. The ammonia is a natural waste product released by the fish into the sealed bag.
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2
Dim the lights the room, and keep them dimmed for at least 4 to 5 hours after you bring the new fish into the room. This facilitates their adjustment to their new home.
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3
Place the sealed bag into the tank and let it float for 15 minutes. This begins the process of temperature equalization, which will enable the water in the bag to gradually adjust to the temperature of the tank water.
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4
Empty out 1/4 the volume of the water in the specimen bag and replace it with the same amount of tank water. Be sure not to pour any of the water from the bag into your aquarium.
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5
Discard the water that you empty out of the specimen bag. Never pour any of this water into your aquarium, because it may expose your tank to any disease or parasite that may have been in the pet shop's tanks.
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6
Re-seal the specimen bag and place it back to float in the tank water for another 10 to 15 minutes.
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7
Repeat Step 4 three more times, each time, reseal the bag and put it back in to float for another 10 to 15 minutes.
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8
Test the pH of the water in the specimen bag, and then test the pH of the aquarium water. If the two pH levels are within more than 3/10 of each other, repeat Steps 4, 5 and 6 again. Once the two pH levels are within less than 2/10 of each other, then you can transfer the fish into the aquarium.
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9
Unseal the specimen bag and scoop the fish using a small net. Gently lower the fish into the aquarium and release them into the tank water. Discard the water remaining in the specimen bag.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If you have a community tank, feed the old fish before you introduce the new ones into the aquarium, to help prevent them from attacking the newcomers. Before you transfer the fish to the aquarium, you can test the temperature, salinity and pH of the bag water to see if they match those in the aquarium. Fish and other aquatic pets that are shipped to you via mail-order will be under even more stress, because they will typically have been in the shipping bag for at least a day. This is further exacerbated if the seller does not use an ammonia buffer.
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- Photo Credit Author - Fantailfan, image has been released into the Public Domain
