Acclimating New Fish

[cowgirluntamed]

Thanks again Charlie! The last time I tested my water(a month ago....lol), the GH was 13 and the KH was 15. I don't know if this helps anything or not. Though I believe that is why the driftwood never touched the ph at all. I just don't know if I'd feel comfortable trying to actually change it.

I just really love the tetras. Since I've had them in this 20 gallon I've always wanted to do a bigger tank with lots more of them. I think most hard water fish are more cichlids than anything else, right? I'm just not really into those at all. I like lots of little fish. Lol. (If you do have suggestions though please let me know. The well water is all I have right now and it stays stable. I just really really love the little tetras. Not to mention they are in my price range!)

Back to the original topic now, so basically it is still way better to get the fish into the new water as fast as possible, right? I know Rachel O'Leary said in the video that they might act funny for five minutes but then they are ready to eat something.

 

[Byron]

Thanks again Charlie! The last time I tested my water(a month ago....lol), the GH was 13 and the KH was 15. I don't know if this helps anything or not. Though I believe that is why the driftwood never touched the ph at all. I just don't know if I'd feel comfortable trying to actually change it.

I just really love the tetras. Since I've had them in this 20 gallon I've always wanted to do a bigger tank with lots more of them. I think most hard water fish are more cichlids than anything else, right? I'm just not really into those at all. I like lots of little fish. Lol. (If you do have suggestions though please let me know. The well water is all I have right now and it stays stable. I just really really love the little tetras. Not to mention they are in my price range!)

Back to the original topic now, so basically it is still way better to get the fish into the new water as fast as possible, right? I know Rachel O'Leary said in the video that they might act funny for five minutes but then they are ready to eat something.

 
With the GH/KH this substantial, you will not see softening of the water, nor lowering of the pH, from organics (fish waste, wood,leaves, peat) unless you first dilute the source water to reduce the GH/KH.  The KH in particular serves to "buffer" the pH, preventing fluctuations and in effect keeping it just where it is.
 
There are some tetras that would probably be fine in this water, but certainly not all of them.
 
I watched that video, and won't say much about it, except that having fish tumbling around from shock is not good, I don't care who says otherwise.  However, as the person cited in Ch4rlie's post #15 sensibly points out, fish coming home from the store are not likely to be in such a state as fish shipped in transit from the wild or a farm to the store.  One reason I always like to leave newly-received fish in the store for a week before I buy them is that I would prefer they died in the store's tanks rather than mine, and sometimes many do, depending upon species and how they were shipped.  There isn't anything we as hobbyists can do about the fish between source and store, but we can wait to ensure they are more likely to recover before we subject them to another stressful ordeal.  I am always home within an hour of the fish going into the bag, and this is not going to have the same impact, for the reasons given by the person in Ch4rlie's post.
 
I have always acclimated new fish by opening and floating the bag in the QT, and after 15-20 minutes I begin adding tank water to the bag (I sometimes carefully drain out some of the bag water so it is not so full, and thus easier to mix).  Depending upon the fish species the mixing of waters might take up to an hour.  I pour water in from time to time, rather than drip, but that works too.  Of course, I do have an advantage.  I know that my tank water is much closer to the habitat water of the fish I acquire, and more so than the store's water.  So right off the fish are "going home" so to speak.
 
The only time I have ever opened bags and let fish swim out immediately into the tank was when I moved in 2000 and the fish had been in bags for 10 hours, and I bagged them and knew the water was the same and the fresh tank water was certain to be better than the bag water.  I lost none of over 200 fish that time.
 
Byron.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Rachel is a very good breeder, she know her stuff. I got one of her books (signed of course

) and a visit online to her fish room is good viewing.
 
Rachel in fact is one of those people who consulted the very same person who emailed that quote i gave on my last post and she now recommends the same method of fish straight to tank afaik

 
Your water parameters are similar to mine actually.  There are a few options for ph of 8.0 and 13gH + waters.
 
I have kept these in my tanks.
 
Threadfin Rainbowfish - Iriatherina werneri
 
A beuatiful specie, recommend all males as they are rather persistant to females. Their flaring actions with long fins are something to see as well as their colour (that link pic does not do it full justice tbh). A group of 12+ would make a decent little shoal in a 20 Gal tank.A very peaceful specie, can be skittish if in low numbers and not many plants, does well in moderately to heavily planted tanks, does not require high flow. Addition of rooibos tea, IAL all benefits them.
 
 
Lambchop Rasboras - Trigonostigma espei
 
An underrathed fish specie imho. Most folks go for Harleyquin whoc are a bigger specie than these little fellas. A lovely schooling specie and in peak conditions shows a beautiful red / copper colouration that has to be seen to belived. Very peaceful specie, have never seen them nip, at all.
 
 
Celestial Pearl Danios - Celestichthys margaritatus
 
One of my favourite all time fish. Little guys, big personalities

 
These small fish 20 - 35mm are ideal for 20 gal + tanks (i have them in a 3 foot 25 gal long tank) do best in larger shoals of 20+, below that, they are skittish and do not show them to their best. Their fins with the red fringes and white spots do really show ehn they are flashing for females /dominance. A lovely peaceful specie, a bit of nipping here and there amongst dominant males doe happen now and again but never to an extent its becomes bullying like some specie do.
 
 
Emerald Danios - Celestichthys erythromicron
 
A close cousin to the CPD's above, in fact would nto mix the two specie together as you may run the risk of cross breeding. but behaviour pattern is pretty much exactly the same as the CPD though a bit more skittish if anything. Again, does best in a moderately planted tank with 20+ in numbers.
 
A bottom dweller could be along the lines of Whiptail Catfish - Rineloricaria lanceolata
 
And there are another options you may not have thought of, Pacific Blue Eye Rainbowfish, though their pH is max on SF at 7.5 but its really the hardness that counts more, they can adapt to pH more than can adapt to hardness. (my water hardness is around 215).
 
But there are more rainbowfish species I have not looked into but in general they are the specie to look to for these types of water parameters.
 
I'd avoid cories (I really wanted Salt & Pepper cories

) as they are more suited to softer waters. A lot of Tetras are the same actually, as Byron pointed out.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Thanks again guys! I'll definitely look at those links soon Charlie. I'm actually wanting to do a bigger tank (50-55 gallon).

Currently in my 20 are black neon tetras and glowlight tetras. I would still like bristlenoses as well(one for 20 gallon and one for the bigger one.)

The rest of what I wanted to do is move those guys out to the big tank when I get it done. I also want to add more glowlights, as well as a good number of harlequins(will look into the lamb chop, not sure the online store has those), and some von Rio flame tetras. I also wanted some peppered cories as well. Then for the 20 gallon I wanted a group of neon tetras with the bristlenose.

Is this doable at all? I'm not interested in breeding them so if the eggs aren't viable that's not important to me. I have seen breeding behavior from both my tetra species in this 20. don't know if that says anything or not.

Anyway, I do have time to figure this out. I still have to clean the glass up a bit better and then get it all put back together and then start cycling!