Help with new fish, what should I do? PLZ respond quick

[hk855]

Hi all,

I just got some fish in the mail, most look good but one, a blue jawfish is swimming slowly and cant really keep himself stable. He's also yawning/ breathing fast so I think he has oxygen depletion or maybe NH3 toxicity is all I can think. I added about as much water as was in the bag to begin aclimation and poured slowly to try to aerate the water what should I do next?

I can either aclimate him over an hour or two or just throw him in with another 15min of aclimation. I dont want to over stress him by changing his water too quickly but I dont want him to die in the bag either. Any input quickly would be greatly apreciated.

thanks

 

[Hormigaquatica]

if it were mine, Id pour the water into a bucket, start a drip line, and let him acclimate that way for a good hour or so. Probably a good idea to drop in an air stone too to bring up the oxygen and pH levels.

 

[Maxi]

If you ordered it from LA you can get a refund, or get another one. But pay for shipping again.

Make sure, when acclimating, always use drip method. The fish will not notice a thing. i think you can drip acclimate fish for 45 mins to 1 hour, so they don't get stressed out even further in the bag. I think its ridiculous that some people acclimate fish for 4+ hours.

And for inverts, aim for the 45min-1 hour mark also.

Hope for the best, and just drip acclimate the fish for now.

Get your syphon tube if you have one, and tie it in a knot so the water doesn't come out pouring from your tank, but in drops. once the bag only has about 30% left to overfill the bag, dump about 50% of the water from the bag, and continue the process 2 more times.

Aim for 1-2 drops a second

 

[BrianD]

Personally, I equalize the temperature as much as possible for fish, and into the tank they go. I am not a believer in a prolonged acclimation process. I think the stress is much worse for the fish than any modest change in salinity, etc.

 

[hk855]

He improved fairly quickly after I added the first 1/2 cup or so of my tank water. When it was about 1/4 old and 3/4 new he was looking a lot better but just tired, added him to my tank and swam into a crevice. He's still hiding but looking about 70% vs the near death look he had earlier, I expect he'll be fine tomorrow.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[Sk8r]

If you can adjust your quarantine tank saliniity to the source's water salinity, you can add them pretty well immediately (except temperature acclimation) to your quarantine tank. POURING the water back and forth can also provide oxygen.