Help! Drip Acclimation for shipped fish??

[jtd1216]

I just ordered some fish (n. Brichardi) online and opted for overnight shipping. The seller said they keep their pH around 7.8. My new tank (no fish in there yet) I set up for Lake Tanganyika with a pH of 8.6-8.8.

I heard that the chemical changes from a long time in the bag can be very toxic as soon as one opens the bag, where CO2 reduces, then the pH spikes, thus allowing ammonia to spike.

Should I not drip acclimate because of the sudden ammonia build up when opening the bag? What about the difference in pH between their water and mine??

 

[RNbowmom]

A ph that drastically different would quickly kill them. Think about the bottles of ph up or down which says only move ph 0.2 in 24. That difference is 100 times difference they won't adjust in one day. Also I really think you should consider putting them in a container or quatantine tank and not adding them straight to the established tank even with acclimation. It just isn't doable. They won't have enough time to adjust and they're water is likely to become filthy other wise.

I say this bc I recently did this same thing. I received fish from live aquaria and fish from a local store. I tested the ph and temp of the water they were in then worked to match it. I had already aged water prepared for both grow out bins. I added extra o2 to the water in addition to filtration in order to protect them from ammonia spike. My three biggest concerns were, temp, oxygen/co2 level and matching ph. Once I did that I didn't drip acclimate them bc the parameters were very similar. I just did the good old fashioned hole punch in the bag thing and of course the water was treated with prime. Everyone has their methods i just felt like its best to try to match water as much as possible. It took a whole week before one of my fish from the local store to become accustomed to a warmer tank. He was kept in cold water (crying shame) I literally had to set it to around 75 at first over period of days I have gotten him up to 77 degrees with no signs of distress. I was lied to originally about tank parameters for him until I mentioned he was super sick. I literally have to scoop him out and put him in a shallow bowl 2x a day for feedings and put in a hammock so he doesnt have to swim too far to get to the top (labyrinth breather). I say all this to say sometimes it can take a long period to acclimate when the parameters are just that different. Some others may think otherwise but its just risky especially if you spent good money to get them. Adjust them over a period of days at least is just my opinion

 

[jtd1216]

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain that. I was actually losing sleep over it the night before last, and was torn on what to do. So yesterday morning I did a 50% water change on the tank, using no pH buffer. After doing so, I tested after the tank settled back down and I’m down to 7.8, which is where the seller tested his tank at.

I’ve decided to keep my tank at that level and may increase pH over time very gradually to where these fish are happy, unless of course they’re good at the 7.8. My water is 7.0 on the button every time, and if I try to chase a pH, I feel like it’s going to stress my n. brichardi out every time I do a water change.

I have aragonite media bag in the filter and use cichlid trace and cichlid lake salt. I think that’s all I’ll need to keep them happy?

 

[Beanford]

I also done my share of fish shipping and in my experience:- Never blow into the bag to inflate it, because you will be adding a significant amount of CO2 instead of fresh air. Rather, grasp it quickly and all the air you need will be trapped inside or put some air in the bag using a small air pump attached to a length of air line and inserted into the bag.