Bag Water From Lfs

[rabbut]

I always add the bag water, but then I work at my LFS, and know that the fish comming in are clean and have been for some time. I still quarenteen, as my display have a lower pH and hardness that the tap water that the lfs runs all its tanks off. I do this to let the new fish settle into the new water qualities in a nice quiet room, before adding to the main display in the dining room.
I too am supprised by the results. I was expecting it in favor of adding the water, and a little clearer cut.

All the best
Rabbut

 

[WILDER]

always add the bag water, but then I work at my LFS, and know that the fish comming in are clean

When you say that the fish coming in clean what do you mean.

 

[WILDER]

Written by CT

If the water has any drugs in it – you DO NOT want to dump them in your tank! When shipping overnight or on long drives home, many fish dealers add a mild tranquilizer to the water in the bag. If the water in your bag is blue, green, or pink, it probably has something you would rather not have in your tank.

It just isn’t a good idea to dump all the fouled water from the transport bag, into your tank. This water can include ammonia and increased bacterial counts, along with potential pathogens, medications, or water treatment chemicals from the LFS. Bag water is a huge unknown and putting it in your tank is risky business.

Any ammonia present in the shipping bag may become highly toxic if the pH of the tank water is 7.0 or greater. Biological filtration may not detoxify this added ammonia fast enough to prevent trouble.
Conclusion: Dumping methods run contrary to our acclimation objectives.

Net methods:
The fish are netted out of the shipping bag and released into the tank. The shipping water is then discarded.
Pros:

Fewer pathogens are released into the water than dumping methods.

The fish is removed quickly from the fouled shipping water.

 

[3ndl3r]

put it this way, if you trust the fish to go in the tank, why not the water?

 

[OohFeeshy]

We're not talking about shipping fish though. That's a completely different area (although I normally put the water in anyway). We're talking the normal buying-fish-from-lfs-then-coming-home-also-not-speaking-as-breeders-with-lots-of-'sterile'-tanks-as-that's-a-different-matter-also.

 

[rabbut]

always add the bag water, but then I work at my LFS, and know that the fish comming in are clean

When you say that the fish coming in clean what do you mean.

By clean, I mean that they have gone through quarenteen, with good health i.e. not suffering disease, from arrival to making it to being ready for sale, and have not been treated with any meds for any ailments, as the fish have not needed any. I also know that the tank has not had meds in for may weeks, and that waterchages will have brought traces of meds down to just that; traces from the last caurse of treatment often months ago.

All the best
Rabbut

 

[WILDER]

Thats fine then, thought you meant you just new the fish were clean.

 

[Matty P]

Unless you work in the lfs you get the fish and know that the water is clean then it is ok to add the water from the bag. Otherwise it is usually safer not to add the bag water.

 

[smithrc]

from my regular, trusted shops - yes - from unknown shops no.

 

[rdd1952]

We're not talking about shipping fish though. That's a completely different area (although I normally put the water in anyway). We're talking the normal buying-fish-from-lfs-then-coming-home-also-not-speaking-as-breeders-with-lots-of-'sterile'-tanks-as-that's-a-different-matter-also.

I agree 100%. We even had the discussion a few months ago about acclimation and whether the fish were better off just being released immediately into our tanks or going through an acclimation process in water that could be extremely high in ammonia because of the travel time (which is usually 24 hours).

I know we all worry about the things that can wipe out or tanks. That is why I wouldn't ever add fish without quarantining them except from one shop where I know he quarantines everything that he receives before he sells them. I just wonder if people are making a much bigger deal over the water being a hazard than it really is. Of the 31 people (as of the start of this post) that said they did add it, has anyone ever had a problem? Probably not or they would have changed the way they did things I guess.

Some people have listed links to article saying that you should never add the bag water. All of those seem to be articles written by some one just like us and they basically state their opinion. They mainly deal with acclimation and don't address the water itself except to say something like (don't add the water for obvious reasons". I did a Google search and found other articles that stated that you should never net the fish because of damage to the fins, slime coat, gills, etc. and that you should always let the fish swim from the bag to reduce stress. The Petco care sheet even mentions it (yes, I know this is Petco). A couple articles were even in reference to SW fish which I would think would be much more difficult to acclimate due to salinity issues. Since I don't have SW tanks, that is just my assumption though.

All in all, I think this just comes down to personal preference (and in Andy's case, laziness ) but those that do add the water don't seem to have any issues with it. Maybe they are all using Q-tanks and so the bag water isn't actually making it to their main tank so they aren't worried.

Anyway, it is nice to see such great participation in the poll and discussion. Still seems to be running about the same 60-40 results.

 

[three-fingers]

I work at the lfs so know the waters good enough for me.

Only time I don't add bag water is when I think there's meds or copper in it, don't want anything harming my shrimp. I'm possibly being overcautious though, I don't really know if there could be enough in the bag to really do much harm when diluted.

If I really cared that much about pathogens I'd buy a UV steriliser...but I actually like the idea of loads of differentt micro-organisms in the water, seems more natural.