Acclimation time for Purple Queen Anthias

[stickboy107]

I ordered 4 purple queen anthias which are being shipped overnight looks like there going to be in transit for 12/13 hr via UPS. I know they are a delicate fish. I have read some places that say acclimate for 1 hour, some say 4 hours. Any clue what the correct amount of time is? I like to use the drip acclimation.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

It should take no more than 1/2 hour. If you have a QT tank then you should have the salinity as close to the retailers salinity. Where did you order from? Most places run around 1.023 or slightly lower. Check and see what they keep them in and put the fish in the tank after floating to equalize the temp. If you are within .001 on SG then you are fine.

 

[aquaph8]

I would acclimate them like any other fish. QT is your best bet and pellets are your best friend long term. It's not easy to get them to eat any thing very large and is very hard to keep enough weight on them. Keeping them more than a few months is a challenge.

 

[stickboy107]

Thanks Guys
Just wanted to double check on it. I have never ordered fish online before always supported my LFS. I have read that they are one of the hardest Anthias to deal with on getting them to eat. Ordered them from a supplier out of Tampa.

 

[aquaph8]

Getting them to eat isn't the hard part, it's feeding them enough. They eat the tiniest pieces of food, it's hard to feed enough to keep them fat. Try chopping up mysis in little tiny pieces and work your way up to bigger pieces.

 

[Reefnut2010]

With very sensitive fish (like these) I drip acclimate for 2-3 hrs and place them directly in the DT. Some risk...I know. Now if you have a good size QT tank with some LR (most folks don't), I would qt them for a couple of weeks. My experience is, sensitive species could end up more stressed with the qt process. Knock on wood...It's worked for me ! I've had Ich in my tank on 3 occasions , but all my fish have made it through it without problems every time.

 

[MIKE NY]

test the parameters of the shipping water they came in to determine the length of time for the aclimation...when mine arrived the PH was about 6.9-7.0 and I acclimated them for over six hours....

 

[Neoferdina]

It's a bit of a balance. This is one fish I'd say don't QT and get it in the display as soon as you can to reduce stress. Take your time acclimating and get them in the display. You're in for a bit of a challenge. Live foods can help entice them to eat if they are not eating. If you do get them to eat, feed them as much as you can to get some weight on them. If you can get them that far, you're in the clear (as far as purple queens go). Invest in an autofeeder.

 

[aquaph8]

Im not sure I would call PQs sensitive. They're actually a pretty tough fish. If it wasn't for their specialized diet everybody would own them. QT is not stressful, its how you get these guys used to a captive environment and is very useful in regard to feeding and training to eat different things. I dont know why people get the impression that QT is an awful place for new fish to go. What stressful is throwing a starving fish in with a bunch of new tank mates with established territories and and saying goodluck.

 

[snorvich]

Im not sure I would call PQs sensitive. They're actually a pretty tough fish. If it wasn't for their specialized diet everybody would own them. QT is not stressful, its how you get these guys used to a captive environment and is very useful in regard to feeding and training to eat different things. I dont know why people get the impression that QT is an awful place for new fish to go. What stressful is throwing a starving fish in with a bunch of new tank mates with established territories and and saying goodluck.

Indeed. Quarantine does NOT have to be stressful.

 

[MIKE NY]

Im not sure I would call PQs sensitive. They're actually a pretty tough fish. If it wasn't for their specialized diet everybody would own them. QT is not stressful, its how you get these guys used to a captive environment and is very useful in regard to feeding and training to eat different things. I dont know why people get the impression that QT is an awful place for new fish to go. What stressful is throwing a starving fish in with a bunch of new tank mates with established territories and and saying goodluck.

x3.....

 

[MrTuskfish]

With very sensitive fish (like these) I drip acclimate for 2-3 hrs and place them directly in the DT. Some risk...I know. Now if you have a good size QT tank with some LR (most folks don't), I would qt them for a couple of weeks. My experience is, sensitive species could end up more stressed with the qt process. Knock on wood...It's worked for me ! I've had Ich in my tank on 3 occasions , but all my fish have made it through it without problems every time.

You're playing Russian Roulette (and not even winning) and advising other's to do the same. A good QT with PVC is not a stressful place at all; just the opposite. No quarrels, competition, etc. The fact that you've had ich 3 times proves the folly of your advice, IMO. 'Lucky" and "good advice" are not the same. Any decent book on our hobby will agree. Every fish should be in a QT, always. The new fish are easy to acclimate to captivity and the fish in the DT are kept safe.