Mystery of the Dying Tetras

[Naughts]

Wouldn't drip acclimation not only be counterproductive, but more likely to kill your fish if this was the case?

Could be. UK stores tell you to float the bag then add tank water to the bag every 10 minutes or so 2 or 3 times. I get fish locally and transport them straight away so am unlikely to encounter the pH/ammonium to ammonia problem but I play it safe and only see the need to acclimate for temperature anyway as it would take them a lot longer to adjust for the GH etc.
Did research lead you to drip acclimation or is it something that sellers recommend?

 

[Gemtrox42]

Did research lead you to drip acclimation or is it something that sellers recommend?

I don't know why but I thought drip acclimation was what all hardcore enthusiasts did because it was the most humane and least likely to stress the fish.

 

[itiwhetu]

Just reading this how warm is your tank, Cardinals like heat like around 30 degrees

 

[Byron]

I don't know why but I thought drip acclimation was what all hardcore enthusiasts did because it was the most humane and least likely to stress the fish.

This is another myth. Fish cannot "adapt" to certain parameter changes (these are GH, pH) within a few hours, or days, it takes weeks. So drip acclimation is not helpful for these. Temperature however is a very different thing, floating the bag for 10-15 minutes to equalize the temperature is probably a good idea. Not everyone agrees, but it is a biological fact that fish do have difficulty if temperature changes are too rapid, so it makes sense to spend the 15 or so minutes to avoid this.

Fish are able to manage an upward temperature better than a downward, all else being equal. Temperature is very important because it drives the fish's metabolism.

 

[Gemtrox42]

This is another myth. Fish cannot "adapt" to certain parameter changes (these are GH, pH) within a few hours, or days, it takes weeks. So drip acclimation is not helpful for these. Temperature however is a very different thing, floating the bag for 10-15 minutes to equalize the temperature is probably a good idea. Not everyone agrees, but it is a biological fact that fish do have difficulty if temperature changes are too rapid, so it makes sense to spend the 15 or so minutes to avoid this.

Fish are able to manage an upward temperature better than a downward, all else being equal. Temperature is very important because it drives the fish's metabolism.

Thanks, do you have any insight into the necessity of vacuuming gravel? I've had my gravel unvacuumed for over 6 months now, and I thought doing so helped fertilize plants and created a more realistic aesthetic.

 

[Byron]

Thanks, do you have any insight into the necessity of vacuuming gravel? I've had my gravel unvacuumed for over 6 months now, and I thought doing so helped fertilize plants and created a more realistic aesthetic.

This is up to you, and depends upon the tank conditions. My 40g which houses my 40 cories is never touched (the sand substrate I mean), never. The tank is planted. My 29g I do the open sand areas because there is a lot of stuff accumulating, organics and whatnot, even though the fish are very tiny and no where near numerous. But I have pygmy cories in this tank, seven that hatched in this tank, and I like to keep the sand open and relatively clean.

If you don't overstock or overfeed, the substrate should stay in decent condition, and yes, this definitely helps plants, especially with the CO2 that the decomposition of the organics in the substrate releases.