Cruelty Question

[fish_tank0311]

Hi, im just posting this here because im not sure where else to put it. Is it cruel to leave a rainbow shark 4cm long in a plastic bag filled with approx 500ml of water, pegged to the side of the tank, and put it in the water so that the bag stays just as warm as the fish tank, overnight, while i adjust the pH of his new tank to better match his old water.

 

[Truck]

I wouldn't say it's cruel, but ammonia will certainly build up which is why I don't recommend it, don't change the PH of the new tank, acclimatize him into the new, over a period of an hour using airline that drips 2 drops of water per second (tie a knot in it to slow the flow down)

 

[fish_tank0311]

Ok well too late. I already was told my ANGRY dad to let him out. After spending 3 and a half hours trying to catch him in a 4 foot tank..... I took out every single plant, driftwood, rocks, practically everything. When i finally get him after 3 AND A HALF HOURS, I WAS TOLD TO LET HIM GO!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!! sama:

 

[erk628]

Why exactly are you messing with the ph?

 

[fish_tank0311]

Well my rainbow was in a 4 foot tank, that was steady at 7 (yippee) and i was moving him into another tank that for some reason was at 7.5. Idk how it happened. It has been steady at 7 for the last 2-3 months. So i added pH down, and this morning its at 7.1. Looking good so far, but im not keen on catching the rainbow shark AGAIN.

 

[coldcazzie]

You don't need to worry that much about the pH - if the water source is the same I doubt the shark will mind. He'll probably mind more about the chemicals in the pH Down stuff than about the change in pH from one tank to the other.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with CC, our general recommendation is to not use those pH up/down chemicals, its just not a good idea. pH stability is much more important than absolute pH numbers in most cases.

Also, a good technique for netting fish is to always have both a very big net and a small one. You hold the big one stationary somewhere in the tank and then chase the fish with the small one and chase him right into the big one!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[fish_tank0311]

Agree with CC, our general recommendation is to not use those pH up/down chemicals, its just not a good idea. pH stability is much more important than absolute pH numbers in most cases.

Also, a good technique for netting fish is to always have both a very big net and a small one. You hold the big one stationary somewhere in the tank and then chase the fish with the small one and chase him right into the big one!

~~waterdrop~~

Yea, thats kinda how i caught him. Some people say that the fish dont really care about ph changes, which im not sure is true. Anyway, i still regret not just putting him in anyway, i cant be bothered catching him again.

 

[K-Holed]

Fish do care about pH changes. That's the point. Better a steady pH of 7.5 than a pH of 7.5 - 7.1 - 7.5 - 7.0 - 7.5 - 7.1 - 7.4. As long as you aclimatise the fish to the new pH over a period of time, the ultimate pH will matter little in many cases. There are exeptions to this, but they aren't the rule.

You're much more likely to see pH swings when using chemicals than just leaving things be. pH up/down is only a temporary measure and unless you're willing to add it at every water change and pH match the waters, it's really not worth the hassle.

 

[erk628]

I couldn't agree more with k-holed! There has to be some reason why one tank in your house has a different ph then the other one if you are using the same water. I would look at the things in your tank like substrate ornaments etc. You really do not want to use chemicals to raise or lower your ph bad things can happen when you do that. One time forgetting to add that chemical when doing a water change could mean death.If your really set on lowing the ph I would think about adding something that would lower it that would be permanent in the tank not a chemical.

 

[waterdrop]

Not only that but pH is usually a secondary sign of variability. Its really changes in mineral content (both KH (carbonate/temporary hardness) and GH (general/permanent hardness)) that the fish bodily systems can be struggling with and small changes in pH can indicate rather larger changes in mineral content. Stasis with whatever tap water you've been given and maintenance methods that enhance stability around that baseline will go a long way to helping your fish not have that stress as an added problem in their life.

~~waterdrop~~