Brian Drab
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2019
- Messages
- 163
- Reaction score
- 205
I have two Yellow Tangs arriving tomorrow along with two Tuxedo Urchins and a Banded Serpent Star. I estimate it will be about 40 hours in-transit by the time I get them.
I have a QT tank set up (but not cycled). Yes I had one of those "Oh sh$$" moments after my fish were already on the way. I know I'm going to be doing aggressive water changes as a result. This is the first time I will be quarantining new fish. I've taken a couple foam inserts from my HOB Aquaclear filter that have been soaking in my sump of my main DT for a couple weeks and put those in the HOB filter. I also took a bunch of these glass marble looking/feeling things that my wife had in a vase and cleaned them real good and put them at the bottom of the bare aquarium to add some surface area for bacteria to attach. I'm hoping that enough beneficial bacteria will be circulating to help with the ammonia. I already ordered Dr. Tim's All in One, Seachem Prime, etc. but nothing will obviously be here in time for tomorrow.
When the fish/inverts arrive I plan to do the following:
1. Open the package in a dimly lit room and float them in my main DT for 30 minutes.
2. Starting with the fish, open the bag and dump both tangs in a bucket.
3. Drip acclimate for 30 minutes
4. Take some water out of the bucket and discard
5. Drip acclimate for 30 more minutes
6. Net the fish out and dump into QT
I've spent the last hour researching and reading so many different opinions on this my head is spinning so I had to pick a lane and that lane was drip acclimating.
My questions are:
1. Do you see any problems with the steps I have listed above? Any adjustments or things to look out for?
2. Every drip-acclimation procedure I have read says to float to get up to temp and then drip acclimate. Now if I drip acclimate for an hour, isn't the temperature going to go down again or is it so slight within an hour that it doesn't matter? I would think it would be significant but maybe I'm wrong. Should I add a small heater in the bucket when drip-acclimating?
3. Can I put the Serpent Start along with the Urchins in the same bucket when acclimating?
Man I'm so nervous. This is the first time I've ordered online (my fish store closed for good) and the first time I'm doing a QT with new fish. I had Ich in my main DT so took the fish out and put into another tank and went fallow for 76+ days. Now I'm trying to do things right and I totally screwed up but am going to do my best and see what happens. I'm still fairly new to the hobby.
Any advice and/or comments are greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
I have a QT tank set up (but not cycled). Yes I had one of those "Oh sh$$" moments after my fish were already on the way. I know I'm going to be doing aggressive water changes as a result. This is the first time I will be quarantining new fish. I've taken a couple foam inserts from my HOB Aquaclear filter that have been soaking in my sump of my main DT for a couple weeks and put those in the HOB filter. I also took a bunch of these glass marble looking/feeling things that my wife had in a vase and cleaned them real good and put them at the bottom of the bare aquarium to add some surface area for bacteria to attach. I'm hoping that enough beneficial bacteria will be circulating to help with the ammonia. I already ordered Dr. Tim's All in One, Seachem Prime, etc. but nothing will obviously be here in time for tomorrow.
When the fish/inverts arrive I plan to do the following:
1. Open the package in a dimly lit room and float them in my main DT for 30 minutes.
2. Starting with the fish, open the bag and dump both tangs in a bucket.
3. Drip acclimate for 30 minutes
4. Take some water out of the bucket and discard
5. Drip acclimate for 30 more minutes
6. Net the fish out and dump into QT
I've spent the last hour researching and reading so many different opinions on this my head is spinning so I had to pick a lane and that lane was drip acclimating.
My questions are:
1. Do you see any problems with the steps I have listed above? Any adjustments or things to look out for?
2. Every drip-acclimation procedure I have read says to float to get up to temp and then drip acclimate. Now if I drip acclimate for an hour, isn't the temperature going to go down again or is it so slight within an hour that it doesn't matter? I would think it would be significant but maybe I'm wrong. Should I add a small heater in the bucket when drip-acclimating?
3. Can I put the Serpent Start along with the Urchins in the same bucket when acclimating?
Man I'm so nervous. This is the first time I've ordered online (my fish store closed for good) and the first time I'm doing a QT with new fish. I had Ich in my main DT so took the fish out and put into another tank and went fallow for 76+ days. Now I'm trying to do things right and I totally screwed up but am going to do my best and see what happens. I'm still fairly new to the hobby.
Any advice and/or comments are greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
