yeah.. definitely follow the "drop n plop" instructions, the risk of toxicity is just too great from drip acclimation (for fish that have been shipped).
Acclimating after Shipping?
- Thread starter Opicana
- Start date
its one thing often people miss..... lower ph water the ammnoia isnt as toxic as high ph water. old man has it right in that case. a lot of people also just flush it meaning adding a lot of water quickly so they are dumping out the ammonia water and very quickly adding new water. http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/member.php?u=80143
wouldn't this put the fish into shock though? Or is it less serious than the toxic conditions that would be brought on by drip acclimation?
No. pH shock is a myth. Osmotic shock exists, so you've got to watch for big GH differences, but pH is not an issue.
I wrote about this a couple of days ago on this thread: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173230
I wrote about this a couple of days ago on this thread: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173230
Plop and drop definitely. I know that just about all of the discus keepers do the same thing just because during shipping, the ammonia levels just get too toxic, and once you open the bag, things only get worse.
I temp acclimate them for 15 minutes and then plop and drop. Have done so with 19 discus so far. I always acclimated other fish in the past, but will plop and drop them in the future.
I temp acclimate them for 15 minutes and then plop and drop. Have done so with 19 discus so far. I always acclimated other fish in the past, but will plop and drop them in the future.
This is very informative. I've never received fish in the mail before but I'm planning on buying some online after the first of the year. I'm glad I read this otherwise I would have treated them just like the fish I get from the LFS
I was wondering when someone was going to mention what happens when you open a shipped bag... As soon as fresh air hits that bag, the water becomes TOXIC! If anyone has ever taken water samples from a shipped bag, you can see why shippers to not advocate the drip method. Ammonia is typically 9 or greater. My test set doesn't go any higher, so I really can't be sure how high it is. The low PH in the bag water keeps the ammonia at a less toxic state. Basically you are trying to match temperature as best you can. Floating for an hour gives the temperature bump. With the CO2 in the bag keeping the water at a low PH, it shouldn't hurt the fish by adding it right to your tank after an hour of temp acclimation. The PH in your tank may be a little higher, but a bump up in PH is much better that a drop in PH.
