Live Fish order delayed help

[tmcca]

I was supposed to get my fish today and some kind of mechanical failure from UPS delayed shipment. I am supposed to get shipment tomorrow at 2:30pm around. My question should I float the bags for 15-20 and release fish into tank? Thoughts?

 

[Privateye]

It sounds fine if the other parameters match too. What would you do normally?

Fingers crossed for your fish. They could make it.

 

[mfinn]

@Jay Hemdal

 

[tmcca]

fish in a bucket, testing salinity, drip acclimating, and adding Prime. Wouldn't it be high ammonia what worries me

 

[tmcca]

I am thinking of mixing a bucket of saltwater with a lower salinity that is probably close to what the bags will be and temp of my tank. Drop them into this bucket after floating bags. Slowly increasing salinity of the bucket. I am thinking this maybe safest option.

 

[Privateye]

You're thinking in the same direction as I am. I don't drip-acclimate though, I'm more of a 25%-->50%-->75% then add the fish kind of guy.

With the ammonia likely elevated, I agree that drip acclimating is probably not the safest. Matching bag parameters with tank water would be ideal. Having a bucket of low salinity water is a great idea. You could use it to quickly make a bucket with a salinity between that and your tank too if needed.

That being said, does anyone know whether the hyposalinity conditions people ship in are corrected for alkalinity? If they run at 75% the normal salinity, is the alkalinity also at 75%? Or do they boost the alkalinity and just keep the sodium chloride low? I've played around with these before, but idk what the vendors do. I'm trying to take potential pH shock into consideration.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I am thinking of mixing a bucket of saltwater with a lower salinity that is probably close to what the bags will be and temp of my tank. Drop them into this bucket after floating bags. Slowly increasing salinity of the bucket. I am thinking this maybe safest option.

Yes - match the salinity to the shipping water, and just move the fish over and acclimate for salinity from there.