Bag Water From Lfs

[rdd1952]

I don't know if this has been asked before (you can't search for "bag" on the forum) or not but her goes. When you buy new fish, do you let the fish simply swim out of the bag, thus adding the bag water to your tank or do you add the fish via net so that the bag water does not go in the tank?

I have always just let the fish swim out with no problems but was just curious as to what everyone else does.

 

[WILDER]

I don't add the bag water from the lfs.

 

[Davo86]

I have clicked Yes, but i suppose it depends, most of my fish are brought from the LFS were i work and it is myself that does the majority of maintenace on the systems so i generally know that the water is pretty safe to add.

 

[benniebru]

nope never, u dont know whats in their water

 

[guppy_man]

I voted yes, but i don't put it all in, i try to put as little as pissible, but depending on the tank that the water comes from and if the fish look healthy, why not?

 

[rdd1952]

nope never, u dont know whats in their water

I understand that thought but if the tanks in the LFS are not riddled with dead fish and are clean, then what issues could there possibly be? Most of us are probably very familiar with the LFS we buy from and should know whether to trust them or not. Personally, I wouldn't buy from a LFS that I didn't trust their water as I wouldn't feel that I could trust their fish either.

 

[Jules H-T]

Absolutely not. You don't have disease in your tank, why would you want to add to the risk of getting one from your LFS?

Get a bucket, hold a net over it, and pour the water and fish into the net. Then turn the fish out of the net into the tank.

Although, you do not have to look far to find the virtues of quarantine in which case I suppose it doesn't matter.

 

[WILDER]

If you can't issolate new fish I wouldn't add the water to the tank.
Never know what you are fetching in, even good lfs have deseased tanks.

 

[OohFeeshy]

There's no real point, if there's something in the water, it's going to be in the fish too (even if it doesn't appear to be affecting them). Netting the fish just causes a kerfuffle and more stress for the fish (and possible injury with some species).

 

[CFC]

Never, adding water is just doubling the chance of introducing a parasite or bacterial disease

 

[Esfa]

There's no real point, if there's something in the water, it's going to be in the fish too (even if it doesn't appear to be affecting them). Netting the fish just causes a kerfuffle and more stress for the fish (and possible injury with some species).

I have to agree with you there.

 

[rdd1952]

If you can't issolate new fish I wouldn't add the water to the tank.
Never know what you are fetching in, even good lfs have deseased tanks.

But this really isn't about the diseases. If the tanks are diseased, then it won't matter whether you add the water or not. The fish will still infect your tank as they will be the carriers. I guess my question is what problems can be introduced to the tank via the water only. In other words, if you went to the LFS and just got a quart of their water, just water, nothing else, and put it in your tank, what problems could it cause?

 

[Esfa]

If you can't issolate new fish I wouldn't add the water to the tank.
Never know what you are fetching in, even good lfs have deseased tanks.

But this really isn't about the diseases. If the tanks are diseased, then it won't matter whether you add the water or not. The fish will still infect your tank as they will be the carriers. I guess my question is what problems can be introduced to the tank via the water only. In other words, if you went to the LFS and just got a quart of their water, just water, nothing else, and put it in your tank, what problems could it cause?

Depends on the size of your tank and filter really.

If you swapped half of your tank water for your lfs' water, it could cuse a huge pH swing.

Or if the water had high ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, your filer might not be able to cope with it and it could kill your fish.

 

[CFC]

If there is disease in the water it doesnt nessesarily mean the fish are infected too, for instance some fish have an immunity to ICH but there can still be free swimming zoospores in the water. Likewise some bacteria strains only effect certain types of fish (labyrynth fish for example), you may not have bought that species but could have some in your tank which the bacteria in the water will attack.

 

[rdd1952]

There's no real point, if there's something in the water, it's going to be in the fish too (even if it doesn't appear to be affecting them). Netting the fish just causes a kerfuffle and more stress for the fish (and possible injury with some species).

I have to agree with you there.

Exactly my point.

If you can't issolate new fish I wouldn't add the water to the tank.
Never know what you are fetching in, even good lfs have deseased tanks.

But this really isn't about the diseases. If the tanks are diseased, then it won't matter whether you add the water or not. The fish will still infect your tank as they will be the carriers. I guess my question is what problems can be introduced to the tank via the water only. In other words, if you went to the LFS and just got a quart of their water, just water, nothing else, and put it in your tank, what problems could it cause?

Depends on the size of your tank and filter really.

If you swapped half of your tank water for your lfs' water, it could cuse a huge pH swing.

Or if the water had high ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, your filer might not be able to cope with it and it could kill your fish.

I understand those obvious problems but to make my question a little clearer, if you went to the LFS, got a regular fish bag, put 1 quart of water in the bag and then take it home and put it in your 29 gallon tank. That's not enough to cause a pH swing or change any of the other water parameters. What diseases or other baddies could be brought in that are free floating in the water column?