How should I acclimate my new fish?
It can be confusing at times with all the new concepts and ideas of having an aquarium, and I always find the aquarium to be a source of magic once it becomes stable, but by no means is that magic just appear it is practiced and learned. This guide will help assist those in need of a simple but informative step by step instruction on how to acclimate your new fish to your home aquarium - assuming that your aquarium is ready.
“1 Shot Method” STEP BY STEP GUIDE:
1. Bring fish straight home, do not stop at the grocery store, or other places as time in the fish spend in the bag should be limited especially in extreme temperatures outside of tropical temperature values.
2. Place clean fish bag in aquarium to adjust temperature of bag water to aquarium water temperature.
3. Remove the rubber band enclosing the bag of fish(best), or cut the bag just below the tied spot of the bag.
4. Roll the outer lip of the bag outwards like a potato sack, this action will trap air bubbles in the rolls, and help aid the bag in floating on the surface of the water without the bag submerging all the way during the acclimation process.
5. Add 1-2oz of water (shot glass) at the rate of 1 minute on repeat until the original 100% volume reaches at least 300%-400% of its original volume within the bag. That means that it’s mostly your tank water inside the bag while there is less store water. This helps adjust pH values between the two water sources, and reduces chance of shock to your new fish. *personally I donate and keep a shot glass dedicated to the aquarium and not for human consumption to be sure that cross contamination never occurs. 1 oz of alcohol introduced to the aquarium will completely devastate the ecosystem.
6. Carefully remove bag from aquarium
7. Pour Fish through a net over an empty bucket
8. Place fish friend into the aquarium without letting the net touch the aquarium water.
9. Pour bucketed water in the garden bed/disposed.
Here, I share a talk with my friend, owner of Ocean Aquarium in San Francisco, California; we talk about acclimating our new creatures and how he instructs his customers.