I'm finally adding fish

[Hitch08]

There is little doubt that I am behind the curve as far as time from getting a tank up and running and actually adding fish. Nothing good happens quickly in this hobby, right? :rollface:

Some background... I started soaking over 100 pounds of rock in a tub over a year ago. I then built the stand. The tank was filled and running last June and I added the TBS Package last August. After that, I started traveling more than usual for work and couldn't piece together a solid month at home to watch the QT process. Anyway, I finally ordered a couple of fish and they were delivered to my office today. My goal was to do the TTM and then leave the fish in a QT that I've had up and running for a while.

And... I now need to leave town for several days next week. Going TTM from today won't work. If I add them directly to the QT, then I should really clean it later for ich, correct? Would I be better off leaving them in a 5 gallon bucket for several days? Maybe my best bet would be to just leave them in the QT for a month and watch for any issues?

What would you all suggest?

Note, the QT is a 10 gallon tank with a HOB filter, heater, lid/light, temp gauge and several pieces of PVC.

Also, I think the general consensus that I want to first float the bags in the QT water to match temp. Then, open the bags to test and match salinity and, to the extent possible, PH. Last, dump them in.

I would appreciate any comments/thoughts.

 

[michellejy]

I wouldn't leave them in the 5 gallon bucket. You don't have any sort of biological filter set up in there. Plus there is the issues of aeration, water flow, temperature, and being able to observe them.

I've never done TTM, but I have also (knock on wood) never dealt with ich. If *I* was in your situation, I would put the fish directly in quarantine and observe for any issues rather than assuming something is wrong.

 

[homer1475]

The ideal thing would be to TTM then QT, but in your case I would just put them in the QT, if after you get home they do indeed have ich, then I would TTM and clean the QT.

And your exactly right on the acclimation procedure.

 

[bat21]

You only need to worry about matching the salinity and temp. And you can also consider that it is much much safer to put a fish into water with a lower salinity than the other way around. If you measure the bag and it has a slightly higher salinity than your QT, you should be fine to put them in. But never add them to water with a higher salinity. This will shock their system.

You should match the salinity the best you can, but always err on the low side.


And I agree that if you won't be around, you want them in the tank with a filtration system and heater. It sounds like you go away a lot. I would advise buying an auto topoff system if you don't already have one. If not, it would be better to have your QT covered to prevent evaporation. And also maybe have it at a salinity on the low end, like 1.020-1.022, so that in the few days you are gone, it will rise and still be in a safe range. You don't want to leave with it at 1.026 and come home to it being a lot higher than that. Unless you have someone at home who can top off each day.

 

[Hitch08]

Thanks all for the comments and help!

I do have an ATO. It's hooked to a reservoir that was supposed to be 5 gallons, but is closer to 4 gallons. Between my wife and kids, they can usually top it off. It's not too bad, as these trips are usually only 2/3 nights at a time.

Should I add an air stone to the QT? Or will the hang on back filter be sufficient?

 

[Hitch08]

Well, the fish are in the QT. I also got two Pep shrimps and a fighting conch. They were easy as the salinity was within .001. They are in the DT.

The Royal Gramma does not seem to be doing very well. When I first opened the box, it was largely swimming upside down. My wife asked if that's normal. :eek1: A bit later, while I had the bag floating in the QT water, it seemed to be doing better. However, when I added it into the QT, it spent a while swimming almost vertical. It's calming down now, but seems to be having trouble staying in a normal position. Hopefully it feels better tomorrow.

 

[Hitch08]

Checked this morning and the Royal Gramma has itself wedged up between the corner of the tank and the HOB filter. It's still vertical and its face is at the top of the water. Seems to be breathing slow but heavy. I left the tank largely dark.

Any suggestions?

 

[snorvich]

The ideal thing would be to TTM then QT, but in your case I would just put them in the QT, if after you get home they do indeed have ich, then I would TTM and clean the QT.

This, but TTM in any case

And your exactly right on the acclimation procedure.

Match QT salinity to transport water

 

[Hitch08]

Match QT salinity to transport water

Thanks, Steve.

I did screw up one thing last night. I bought a fighting conch and tested the salinity level of that water. It was 1.025. I tested the conch water as I didn' want to open the fish bags until as late as possible.

I then got the QT water to 1.025. I matched temp, etc. I added the Hi Fin Red Banded Goby to the QT. As I was dumping it in, I realized that the salinity could be different. I ran and checked the other fish water. It was 1.019. I panicked and ran back, netted the Goby and put it in with the other fish. So stupid.

Caution to others - the salinity of the fish water is not consistent with non-fish water.

 

[snorvich]

Thanks, Steve.

I did screw up one thing last night. I bought a fighting conch and tested the salinity level of that water. It was 1.025. I tested the conch water as I didn' want to open the fish bags until as late as possible.

I then got the QT water to 1.025. I matched temp, etc. I added the Hi Fin Red Banded Goby to the QT. As I was dumping it in, I realized that the salinity could be different. I ran and checked the other fish water. It was 1.019. I panicked and ran back, netted the Goby and put it in with the other fish. So stupid.

Caution to others - the salinity of the fish water is not consistent with non-fish water.

Lots of LFS and online suppliers run fish systems at 1.017 to save on salt.

 

[bat21]

Checked this morning and the Royal Gramma has itself wedged up between the corner of the tank and the HOB filter. It's still vertical and its face is at the top of the water. Seems to be breathing slow but heavy. I left the tank largely dark.

Any suggestions?

This is not that unusual for a royal gramma, nor is swimming upside down. I have a feeling he's fine. They can be very strange sometimes. Mine will sometimes lie down on the sand, completely still, on his side, as if playing dead, for a few hours, just because he feels like it.

 

[Hitch08]

Steve - Thanks again.

This is not that unusual for a royal gramma, nor is swimming upside down. I have a feeling he's fine. They can be very strange sometimes. Mine will sometimes lie down on the sand, completely still, on his side, as if playing dead, for a few hours, just because he feels like it.

I'm glad to hear/read that. He was still up there tonight and not interested in food. The Goby ate a really small piece of clam. The Blenny moved a bit a few minutes after I threw in the clam, not sure if he ate or not. Here's to hoping!

 

[bat21]

Steve - Thanks again.



I'm glad to hear/read that. He was still up there tonight and not interested in food. The Goby ate a really small piece of clam. The Blenny moved a bit a few minutes after I threw in the clam, not sure if he ate or not. Here's to hoping!

It's always a tense time waiting for new fish to start eating. It can take a while sometimes. Make sure you have multiple food options. The food moving around in the water column can trigger a feeding response. Sometimes if it's just floating down slowly, they don't realize that it's food. So try it with a powerhead on. And if you really are starting to worry, then live food can be the ace up your sleeve. Live brine shrimp, or black worms are hard for fish to resist. Mine go nuts for blackworms.

 

[Hitch08]

I'm going to try some PE Mysis tonight. The Goby and the Blenny ate last night/this morning. I haven't seen the Gramma eat yet. I've been using flake and some cut up clam. I'm also trying to find some blackworms at a LFS.

Our power went out for about 7 hours yesterday. Longest without power in a good ten years - go figure. Water got down to 74*.

 

[A.Astore]

Oh our Royal Gramma was a pain in the behind when she came in. I actually made the kids stay out of the room the QT stuff is in because I was certain the fish was not making it to the first tank transfer. It laid on the bottom for the first 24 hours playing dead and then would fly around the tank for 3 minutes at a time. After that it hid behind the HOB until in the 4th tank. Even then though it never acted right until it went in the actual DT. Hope you have the same outcome.

 

[A.Astore]

Forgot to mention, my Royal started eating the small Life Spectrum pellets first then moved to the mixed frozen cubes. It will eat anything that hits the water now and actually takes the food from the pipette rather than waiting for it to be in the water column. It has a funny personality.

 

[Hitch08]

That's great information! Glad to hear it. I do have two sizes of the Life Spectrum pellets. I'll try the small ones tonight.

This Royal Gramma seems to have a similar personality. It did hang out on the bottom for a little bit, but it seems to really like being wedged behind the HOB filter. When I have seen it swim, it flies around like a maniac.

Many thanks!