Adding new fish, things to look out for...

[Wyatt]

So my tank has been up since the beginning of February, and the tank has cycled along with all my levels reading zero. I had a firefish that I bought in March, but he died 9 days later for no reason that I could tell. All my levels were good and after that I just focused on getting my tank stable. I bought 3 frags in mid March and they have more than doubled in size since then.

 

I am considering getting a pair of Clownfish due to their hardiness and that they like to be in pairs. I usually go to Pristine Aquariums for my livestock, but all my fish I've gotten from them (freshwater last year and the firefish this year) have not lasted more than 3 months. I don't think I am a poor fish keeper, and my saltwater tank is as stable as I can make it now I think. Would a pair of clowns from Pristine be a good, healthy addition to the tank? Does anyone have experience with fish from their store, or acclimating new fish (I used the drip method on the fire fish). Thanks for any comments! I think I just need to get some encouragement that fish die sometimes and you have to do the best you can.

 

Temp - 80

Ph - 8.2

All levels undetectable

AC70 fuge with Chaeto

Weekly water changes with RO/DI water and Reef Crystals.

[Jim]

I've bought a couple of fish from Pristine and have had pretty good luck. Pristine keeps their salinity pretty low so a very slow drip acclimation or some time in QT to raise it is necessary.

[Jan]

Always ask the vendor what SG they keep their fish at

Always check SG when you take your fish home so you know how long you need to acclimate them

If SG is 1.010 it should take about 3-4 hours to acclimate to 1.025.

ask about PH as well.

check PH when you get home too.

Place your fish in Qt for obersvation after they have been acclimated.

Note that if SG was low they "may" not eat right away. Low SG also causes the fish to use less stored energy requiring less feeding.

 

 

Bringing SG up too fast as well as the stress of tranporting will lower the fishes immune system and may cause shock that leads to sudden death. Many LFS keep their systems at low SG to reduce/kill/cure ick and other disease. It's not uncommon and there's nothing wrong with this. You just need to know what to check when you get your fish home or what to ask. I still check even when I ask.

Edited May 20, 2012 by Jan

[Coral Hind]

Always ask the vendor what SG they keep their fish at

Always check SG when you take your fish home so you know how long you need to acclimate them

If SG is 1.010 it should take about 3-4 hours to acclimate to 1.025.

ask about PH as well.

check PH when you get home too.

Place your fish in Qt for obersvation after they have been acclimated.

Note that if SG was low they "may" not eat right away. Low SG also causes the fish to use less stored energy requiring less feeding.

 

 

Bringing SG up too fast as well as the stress of tranporting will lower the fishes immune system and may cause shock that leads to sudden death. Many LFS keep their systems at low SG to reduce/kill/cure ick and other disease. It's not uncommon and there's nothing wrong with this. You just need to know what to check when you get your fish home or what to ask. I still check even when I ask.

 

Some good advice Jan. I wouldn't worry about the pH, just acclimate it slowly. As the pH in the bag it will not be accurate as the fish removing O2 will lower the pH as will any added fish waste during transport.

 

If you have the time/space I would QT the fish to make sure it is not carrying ich or something else before adding it to the tank.

[Wyatt]

A question about drip acclimation, if I do a slow drip acclimation should I worry about a temperature drop in the container? I feel like the drips are not fast enough to maintain 80 degrees.

[Jan]

You don't have to maintain 80 degrees. Temp should not drop below 69. Usually temp will only drop to the temp of the environment. So if your home is 72 degrees temp should drop to just 72 degrees, which is still within normal limits. Most important is to bring the SG up slowly. Fish can handle a quick drop in SG but not a quick rise.