interesting read

[terryansimon]

something I took of a website. interesting read. do share your comments regarding this article.

Putting the fish in the main tank should be the same as when you introduced it into the Q tank. NO float NO mix, just a quick catch and release with the aquarium lights off. I feel that acclamation is one of those things that "we" have been doing forever and has never been questioned, until now. When I started in the pet shop business several years ago I floated fish bags for 10-15 minutes and then put the fish through a slow acclamation process. Bothered by the rate of fish losses in the first few days after a shipment I looked for a better way. Initially I tried every method I could get suggested to me. I kept notes and found little improvement with the different methods. Finally I tried the no float no mix technique and had wonderful results. It has been several years with 4 shipments of fish a week and I still think this is best for the fish. Invertebrates like shrimp, crabs and starfish do need salinity acclamation. The only reason we can bag fish is that CO2 from respiration lowers the pH. At a low pH ammonia is non toxic. When you open the bag you allow CO2 to escape, the pH will start to rise and this will allow the ammonia to become toxic. The longer the acclamation the longer the fish will be exposed to high ammonia. When transferring fish temperature and salinity acclamation in my opinion is simply not needed. Water temperature and salinity on the reef will change twice daily with the tide. The temperature swing can be over 10º with the tide change. Fish are routinely exposed to temperature changes as they ascend and descend.

extracted from here

[Acanthurus pyroferus]

been doing that for ages..... never believed in floating the bags. Just release the bugger straight in......

[ozy]

I thought amonia is toxic regardless of ph? That is why fresh water tanks need to cycle too.

[Acanthurus pyroferus]

I thought amonia is toxic regardless of ph? That is why fresh water tanks need to cycle too.

when fishes are packed in bags there is no way for the ammonia to be cycled and broken down and thats when it turns poison to the fish. It's not about cycling the tank it's about bagging the fish and introducing them to the aquarium.........

[ozy]

when fishes are packed in bags there is no way for the ammonia to be cycled and broken down and thats when it turns poison to the fish. It's not about cycling the tank it's about bagging the fish and introduction to the aquarium.........

I mean fresh water tank as a general, not the system in the bag. The article mentioned that the low ph in the bag caused by increase in CO2 will render the ammonia harmless. I am saying that for freshwater tanks where the ph is low, ammonia is also toxic.

[alanseah]

yup..

me too have been using 2 method.. the first is do a slowly mixing/acclamation

and the other one just put it in.. and I found both almost the same..

or not very much diff...

[terryansimon]

ammonia at the lower pH levels are known to be not as toxic as ammonia on the higher levels.

this is due to the akilinity of the compound itself.

[lightningstrike]

i find no much difference in the 2 methods.

[weileong]

At pH of less than 7.0 only ammonium (which is not poisonous) exist. At pH from 7.0 onwards ammonia is formed which is toxic.

That is why for freshwater aquarium, you can throw in fish before the fish tank if fully cycled and no fish will die. Marine has pH higher than 7.0 so the ammonia is super toxic.

[blacknails]

At pH of less than 7.0 only ammonium (which is not poisonous) exist. At pH from 7.0 onwards ammonia is formed which is toxic.

That is why for freshwater aquarium, you can throw in fish before the fish tank if fully cycled and no fish will die. Marine has pH higher than 7.0 so the ammonia is super toxic.

Wow that's super insightful, actually.... I've always thought that the water cycle for both freshwater and saltwater are excatly the same....

Anyway... In all honesty I too have tried simply dumping fishes and even inverts into my tank and seen them thrive.... Well actually perhaps acclimization is simply a myth....

[terryansimon]

I want to dump my inverts in. but blood shrimps are expensive creatures. and if they die. ouch. =(

I almost cried when my true perc pair died on me. sigh.

[blacknails]

Dude do your blood shrimps always hide or are they always glad to come out?

[hamannbmw]

Dude do your blood shrimps always hide or are they always glad to come out?

I had my blood shrimps for more than 2 months liao.....nv come out at all, always hiding

[terryansimon]

hiding. bloody buggers. but my mum wants me to buy somemore.

[anakjoh]

Buy some more if your mum is paying.

Mine comes out a lot but it didn't live long.