One Critical Step When Adding Tropical Fish To Your Freshwater Tank!

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Leslie_Bogaerts]Leslie Bogaerts
Do you love watching the bright colors of tropical fish? If so, you may be thinking about starting a freshwater aquarium full of your favorite tropical species! Or, perhaps you've had a saltwater tank for many years, and have decided it is time for a new challenge. Maybe you would just like to add a few more tropical beauties to your existing tank. No matter if you're just starting out, or simply adding more fish to an already established aquarium, a few easy steps are critical to follow. When adding new tropical fish to your tank, it is important to acclimate your fish first or problems may occur. To avoid these sorts of issues, let's look at how to accomplish this process in more detail below.
Tropical fish are wonderful additions to any aquarium, but they are also quite fragile. It is important to properly acclimate them to their new environment. If you don't take the right steps which allow them to adjust, you may find that they fail to thrive or even die. The good news is, the acclimation process isn't overly complicated. How can you go about it? First, you need to ignore improper advice from well-meaning staff at the store! You may have been told when you purchased your fish, all you need to do is float their bag in the tank for about fifteen minutes. After that, simply untie the bag and release them into the aquarium. This advice is dangerously wrong, and can end up giving you negative results! All it will do is bring the different temperatures of the water in the bag and tank closer together. Much more than that is needed for tropical fish to do well.
What is the right way to acclimate your new fish? The key to remember is not only does the temperature of the water need to be similar, but its chemistry as well. To ensure the best possible results, ask the store clerk to test their water. This should include the nitrate and nitrite, ammonia and pH levels. This is invaluable information, as when you get home you can test your aquarium's water as well. The greater the difference in the values between the two sources of water, the longer you will have to acclimate your new tropical fish. You have can choose between three different methods, just pick out which one seems easiest to you..
The first is the floating bag approach, and this is the most popular of the three methods. It is both easy and effective, so this is an excellent choice! The first step is to get your fish home as quickly as possible, to avoid letting ammonia build up in the water. Once home, open up the bag and take out a quarter of the water within it. Then, replace this water with an equal amount from your aquarium. Now you are ready to put the bag in your aquarium, just remember to leave it sealed and let it float on top of the water. This will bring the temperatures together slowly, and let your new fish get used to their new aquatic environment. Once the bag is floating, replace about 1 cup of the water in the bag with some from your tank every ten minutes. However, be sure not to dump any water from the bag into your tank! It can contain harmful parasites or diseases which were in the tanks at the store. After about one hour, your new tropical fish will be ready to join the rest of your fish - it's that easy! Simply get it out with a net and put it in your aquarium, and the process is complete.
The second method is very similar, except that you add a clean bucket as well. Simply put the bucket in your aquarium, and then place the bag into it. Why is this a better approach? It ensures that no water from the bag leaks out into your tank, infecting your other fish or aquatic creatures within. Otherwise, the process is exactly the same as above.
The last choice you can use for acclimating your fish is the drip method. This is often used for saltwater fish, because of their heightened sensitivity. However, you can use it for freshwater tropical fish as well, though it is a bit more complicated. How does it work? The drip method uses a bucket, a clip and some hollow tubing. Put one end of the tube in your aquarium and then clip it to the side of the tank. Then place the bucket below it, to allow gravity to do all the work. Once you get the suction going, your tube will have water flowing from the other end. Now, simply tie a loose knot at some point in the tubing, until the flow decreases to a drip every one or two seconds. Place the dripping end into the bag of water, and you're finished! You simply need to wait about an hour, to allow enough tank water to mix into the bag and acclimate your fish.
Why is it so important to go through all this trouble? Well, these slow step by step approaches give the fish time to grow accustomed to the changes in the water of your tank. With differences in pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate amounts, suddenly dumping them in can cause a shock to their system! Think of it like slowly introducing a new student at school - you don't ask them to speak in front of the class on the first day. You give them time to adjust to their new surroundings, and let them get to know their peers slowly over several days or weeks.
Giving your tropical fish time to acclimate is a critical step, one which will produce great results for you. Rather than becoming frustrated because of infections in your tank or problems with fish dying off, you'll be free to enjoy your beautiful aquarium instead! Taking the right measures when introducing new fish, is one of the best ways to ensure your tank is a success. So, be sure when you bring that new brightly colored fish home next time, that you use one of these methods. When you do, they are sure to be happy in their new home, and you will be able to enjoy them for years to come!
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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?One-Critical-Step-When-Adding-Tropical-Fish-To-Your-Freshwater-Tank!&id=6702782] One Critical Step When Adding Tropical Fish To Your Freshwater Tank!