how to acclimate large angel from LFS to home

M

momtank

AC Members
Dec 14, 2008
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southeast Wisconsin
I will be adding my angel this weekend. I only have a few other fish (see my setup) so I haven't acclimated that many fish in my day. I would appreciate any tips from those that have done this before. I plan to get a large angel so it will be quite a new experience I think.
Also, I plan to pick up some live black worms when I'm at the fish store to feed the tank after the new fish is settled. I have also never used live food before. Any tips on that? Especially on timing of live feeding and release of the angel into the tank?
Thank you very much for your tips, and thank you to all of those who made suggestions on my angels mid tank swim companion in my earlier thread. Now I am looking at fish I've never even looked at before.
 
same way as any other fish.... i would also strongly suggest u add more cories and loaches as they like to be in bigger groups :)
 
I'm nervous because I have never put a 6" fish in the tank before. Little fish are easier to move in the net. And I want to make sure that it is happy with its new home right away. As little shock as possible.
 
mabye just pour the whole bag in? i know your not supposed to but if the fish is 6 inches and you cleary cant net it(i mean cant catch it in the bag with a net and not damging it), dumping may be your only option
 
Usually, I pour the bag, carefully, into my net, over a bucket, right next to the tank. Then I just have to gently let them out of the net, in the tank. It goes really fast with a 1" fish. With those long delicate fins, I was worried that angels might be hard to transfer. And I am happy to glean wisdom from the experienced.
 
Are you familiar with a drip acclimation? You may be able to rig up something from the tank to the bucket--or if you are not comfortable doing that, you can (very slowly) add small amounts of your tank water to the LFS store bag with their water. I usually don't like like to add the LFS water to my tanks. You can fold down the plastic bag the angel is in and clip it to the side of your tank to keep it in place.
 
Your best best is to take a bucket to the LFS with you and have them put the angel in the bucket.. Then when you get home, you can add a cup at a time to the bucket.. Easy netting at that point, or you can pour most of the water out and dump the angel right in the tank. I've dumped many, it doesn't hurt a thing. They flow very easily..
 
I move large angles form tank to tank pretty frequently.

I find it easier to net them in the morning while they are still 'sleeping'.
if your water is similar you can simply plop and drop them when acclimating.
if the water is different(gh) then slowly add tank water to their water and acclimate the angel.
with large angels...they tend to stress more and as a result transport more poorly.
place them in a dark container when transporting. this tends to stress them less.
 
angels, especially large ones, can have a difficult time acclimating to new surroundings. from the sound of it, drip acclimation would probably be your best bet here, with a dark bucket.

do not move the fish from the LFS in a clear plastic bag like you would other fish. it will stress the angel to much.
 
Yes on the black bag.........and dim those darn lights.....they seem to freak less in darkness. This is the obvious reason for the black bag transporting.....but don't forget the new home. It needs to be dark for about six or more hours. She'll show color much quicker if fed a couple of times in the dark. Angels don't like strangers. I introduce mine to an occupied tank at night with all lights off. The next morning, they have seemed to have found a place among the others but are still skiddish and will hide for 24 to 48 hours.
 
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