Acclimatisation dilema

Mindy · Post by **Mindy** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 7:52 pm

Me again... Nearly ready to bring the Zebs home. Their tank is set up, but I don't trust it to be stable yet. Have seeded the filter and put some tetras in there to keep it going.

However, I went to the shop and got a sample of their water to test against my own. It's so radically different, I wasn't sure what to do. So I thought I'd ask you guys.

My pH from the tap is 7.8 at the highest. The new tank has been set up with a mix of mature tank water and tap water so the pH is a little higher than my other tanks now, but not up to 7.8.. However, the pH of the shop water is between 8.0-8.2

How on earth am I going to get these guys acclimatised to that? Their nitrates are also around 80ppm, whilst mine never go above 20ppm.

The only thing I can think of is to bag up as much water as possible from the fish shop, poor quality that it is, and use that as the starter water for the new Zeb tank. That would solve the pH problem, but then there's the danger of putting them in an unstable tank.

Help! Any suggestions greatfully received.

Dr. P · Post by **Dr. P** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 8:05 pm

I dunno how worried I would be. By the sounds of things, these fish are being kept in less than optimal conditions. You going to be bringing them into a lower pH, (more suited to these fish than what they are already living in)......you are also bringing them to a tank with FAR less Nitrate reading.

You would think it would be a fresh breath of air to the wee Zebbie doods.

I have read that however it can be stressful to take a fish from a tank with fairly highly nitrate levels and then place them in a tank with minimal nitrate readings. Maybe someone can back me up, or knock me down, on that one.

Your idea of aquiring as much tank water as possible is a good idea. An idea I actually used when bringing home my zebras. I got 50 litres of the sellers tank water (along side the bagged water with the fish) and added that to my cycled 20Gallon. It worked out around 50% of my water and 50% of the breeders water.

Your going to have to be careful on first introduction to the new tank, but, done properly, I think you should be ok. I hope I am right.....but lets see what others think.

Are these you first Zebras? If so, be prepared for a couple of restless nights......and once they spawn.....say goodbye to sleeping. Thinking about it....maybees I just have an overactive imagination mixed in with a little paranioa.

McEve · Post by **McEve** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 8:26 pm

I think they will do good Mindy, taking into account what DR. P said in the previous post.

Just spend a few hours on acclimatizing the fish and they will do just fine I'm sure. I've got fish where I didn't have any idea whatsover what the conditions they came from were, and they're doing fine. Correct me if I'm wrong in saying this, but the Zebra is not more fragile than other fish when it comes to acclimitazing, and more hardy than some.

Just spend time on getting them used to your water and you should be alright.

jerms55555 · Post by **jerms55555** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 6:20 am

Hi Mindy
I just finished acclimating 3 adult zebras i just bought, and I have done this for all 11 that I have..........You shouldn't really have to worry about the ph being different. I believe in the same statement as Dr.P stated..."You going to be bringing them into a lower pH, (more suited to these fish than what they are already living in)......you are also bringing them to a tank with FAR less Nitrate reading. "
This is what I do: Float the bag with a airline/air stone to provide oxygen.
Add another airline with a gauge to provide a drip system, in which you are dripping water from your tank into the bag......try to make it last for about two hours.....everything should be fine.....I would not feed them that heavy for the first week or so, since you said that your tank is fairly new, maybe once lightly every other day. Don't worry they won't die..

I always feel that when i don't feed them for a day that they are going to die

.....But I have been told that some don't feed them for about five days and it helps the fish out!!!
Hope everything works out....

Mindy · Post by **Mindy** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 8:21 am

Thanks for the reassuring advice guys. I think I have a plan. Will involve moving around more fish than I'd planned on... but hey, that's what having multiple tanks is all about right?

I managed to catch a few fish from the 4ft to put in the new tank and a there was also a plant that was getting untidy so I pulled that out and put that in too - just floating, the tank is totally bare. A little cover for the fish, plus more bacteria, etc. I am also using Cycle. I have some harlequin rasboras in the 2ft which I could easily scoop into the new tank if needs be.

I have a long 5gal tank (24"). I have nearly got that tank's pH similar to that in my other tanks. I only have 6 juvenile corys and 2 rummynose tetras in there at the moment. The rummys can go in the 4ft with the other rummys, as they were put in the 5gal only for quarantine anyway. The six corys can go in the 2ft for a little while. That would free up the little tank which would be easy to fill or 2/3's fill with shop water. I could then slowly bring the pH down gradually over the week. By then, their tank should be a bit closer to ready. Once they're acclimated to the lower pH, if the readings from their tank seem OK, then I could move them across, making sure that I do regular water changes to make sure there are no surprises in water chemistry. They've been in the shop for at least 6 months at this pH and Nitrate. I think they need to be brought back down slowly.

They can stay in the 5gal with regular water changes until it's sorted. Does that seem like a plan to you? They are only little. I saw them on Saturday (just a little bit left to pay now!) and they are smaller than I remember. Probably around 2", or a little more. I am rubbish at remembering size!

Post by **Barbie** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 4:58 pm

Putting zebras into clean water is not going to upset or affect them. Drip acclimate them over a few hours and don't worry about it. I wouldn't put fish that cost that much in a 5 gallon for all the tea in China, personally. Parameters can shift too easily, IMO. Acclimate them where you want them to go and don't fret. They'll do just fine. These fish are really tough, even when small.

Barbie

Dr. P · Post by **Dr. P** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 6:26 pm

I have to agree with Barbie there. A 5 gallon tank aint going to be the best idea even in the short term.

Plan B?

Des · Post by **Des** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 8:39 pm

Hi Mindy,

I too have to agree with some of the others especially jerms5555 and Barbie.
The lower ph and lower nitrates will be beneficial to the fish immediately.
The procedure I use is as follows:
1)Place bag in tank for about an hour for temp to equalise.
2)Remove rubberband and Throw away half the water in the bag (if too much) and put some "turn ups" on the top of the bag.
3)Place bag in a bucket or other container lower than the tank or on the floor
4)Trickle water SLOWLY from the tank into the bag for about 30 min to an hour, using an airline with a clamp. Water will overflow from the bag into the bucket.
5)Catch fish with net and place in tank.
(I never put LFS water in my tanks after having a lot of disease problems in the past.)

Regards,
Des.

Mindy · Post by **Mindy** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 8:21 am

OK. I won't use the 5gal (it would have only been for a day or so anyway). I'll just drip them in a bucket. I can do that. I brought some cories up from 6.8 to 7.8 that way once, and they all survived.

My main concern about putting them in the new tank was the stability. Though I've been testing it twice a day for ammonia and getting zero readings. And adding Cycle to the tank. There aren't many fish in the tank, but I think there are enough to affect the readings, if they were going to. So, given what you've all said, I think I've prepared adequately. I will get them this weekend (hooray!!

)... and then I'll REALLY start asking some questions!!

Tom2600 · Post by **Tom2600** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:48 am

Hi Mindy,

Good luck with your zebras. To be honest when I kept them I found them to be one of my hardiest fish!! They survived three house moves and numerous power cuts/filter failures (during my student DIY days).

My only concern would be adding them to a new tank. It takes most tanks 6 months or so to mature properly. Have you seeded your new tank with filter material from one of your mature tanks? I recently had to do this for my L260 plecs. I basically stole half the filter material from a mature canister filter on my community tank and added this to my canister filter on my new tank. I also used 5 gallons of my mature tanks water. I have never looked back with this tank.

I would also recommend buying some polyfilter. Incase you do not know, this is a white sheet of stiff foam like material which will absorb virtually all harmful elements out of your tanks water. It gradually turns brown as it removes harmful elements and will not leach anything back into your water. It costs around £9-11 per small sheet. This is really worth having around just incase you suspect something is up with your water in the early days.

Regards

Tom

Mindy · Post by **Mindy** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:35 am

Thanks Tom. I do have polyfilter at home. I was really lucky once to catch a fish shop closing down and everything was trade price or less. I brought the giant breeder pack size for next to nothing. I'll use a bit of that.

And yes, I did seed the filter from my other tanks. I squeezed the sponges from my internal Fluval 4+ into a bucket of tank water and then stuck the new filter in the bucket of gungy water. It cleared it within 1/2 an hour and I popped that straight in the tank. The tank is only 1/2 filled at the moment and it's been done with probably 1/2 old tank water. I also plopped a plant from another tank in there. Just floating as I have no substrate in the new tank, but I figured there'd be bacteria on that too. I could nick some mature bogwood from another tank if necessary.

I'm also adding Cycle daily. I've been testing for ammonia and have had zero readings so far. Might add another few fish from another tank tonight, just to push the filter a little. If I start getting ammonia/nitrite readings then, I will have to temporarily put them in the 80L until the new tank settles (which was my original plan). My only worry is that there's a UGF in that tank, which I don't think is the best thing.

<sigh>

I don't think I've ever been so scared of bring a fish home in my whole life!!

Tom2600 · Post by **Tom2600** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 1:26 am

Hi Mindy,

Try not to be so concerned. I am honestly not trying to make you feel better. Zebras really are a hardy plec (in my experience).

I would also not be worried about your tank. In fact, can you not bring them back now?

I think the problem with Zebras is due to the huge price tag. I suppose when you pay the sums involved with them, its hard not to get worried. I've just read a post on Planetcatfish about someone who lost their two zebras after just one week, although they suspect this is due to overfeeding.

When I got mine, I luckily didn't even have to pay for them and therefore I wanted them to live and breed etc but the worry wasn't quite as high as if I had paid over £100/fish!!

What worked for me was placing TMC frozen bloodworm in a pile in the same spot each night about 30 minutes after lights out. If it hadn't gone by morning I would syphon it away. After a few weeks it would always be gone by morning. I then started to add other foods like tetra prima and some flake. But the bloodworm was always favourite. I also found adding some dither fish seemed eventually to increase the confidence of the zebras during daylight hours. I kept the water changes regular but not excessive and the zebras thrived.

Breeding??....well thats a whole other ball game

Regards

Tom

Mindy · Post by **Mindy** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:57 am

Thanks for all the helpful advice.

I'm glad to hear that Zebs are hardy fish. I think you're right, I'm confusing price with sensitivity. Last night I put a new Marbled Hatchet, a notoriously sensitve fish, in my 4ft tank. It acclimated just fine in a couple hours.

However, after finding out as much as possible, I think I would feel better putting them in my established 2ft (80litre) tank while their new tank settles. I'm worried about ammonia/nitrite spikes later on. I'm told that using filter gunge and Cycle isn't really enough to keep a new filter stable, but just gives it a little boost. I know when I cycled my 4ft from brand new, it took around 6 weeks to establish the cycle.

So... I will continue to let the new Zeb tank cycle for a few weeks and meanwhile, they can live in the 2ft, which isn't ideal as it's natural gravel which could conceal food, and a UGF which could also pull food into the gravel

but I will do my best to keep it all tidy while the zebs are in residence. Their permanent tank will be bare bottomed, with wood and caves only. I will remove some of the greedier fish from the 2ft so the zebs don't starve! Tonight I will clean out the UGF plate and make sure that's all going well, let the tank re-settle on Friday, and first thing Saturday I will be up with the larks, ready to go collect the zebs

(weather permitting! Snow storms predicted...). I would have got them earlier, but I work full time and can't get to where they are during opening hours... Oh well.

I'm SOOOOOOO excited.

Des · Post by **Des** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 6:33 pm

Hi Mindy,

Wise choice about putting the new zebras into your established tank while your new one matures properly. Im sure you should have no problems.
Make sure you have some hardy fish in the new one to help it mature.

Regards,
Des.

Shell231 · Post by **Shell231** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:31 pm

jerms55555 wrote: I always feel that when i don't feed them for a day that they are going to die .....But I have been told that some don't feed them for about five days and it helps the fish out!!!
Hope everything works out....

What do you mean by helps the fish out? sorry i know this is an old post!