how long to float fish?

[rallyguy44]

when introducing new fish to your tank, how long do you want to leave them bagged in order to acclimate them properly to the water temp and keep them from stressing too much?

The trip from the lfs to my house is about 10 minutes.
Thanks in advance.

Ben

[leveldrummer]

15 or 20 minutes is more than enough time,

[ron v]

IMO floating the bag is a bad idea. Open the bag immediately, place the fish along with the water into an open container ( jar, bucket, etc. ) and then slowly change water.

[fish_doc]

WHere I live many stores will use marker and write on the bag the price or quantity of fish in it. Even though I think they use perminant marker It scares me to want to float the bag. Like ron said Move them to another container and every few minutes add a touch of tank water and pull a touch of container water out and down the drain. This will get the fish use to the tank water and at the same time not allow water from the store tank into your tank or contaminants from the bag into your tank. For the final move net the fish and move them into the tank leaving all the water in the container to pour down the drain.

[Carl]

Above or float the bag and pour water from your tank after 10min and then after another 10min release the fish.

[ron v]

Don't float the bag.

[Georgia Peach]

I never float my bag either. When Im fish shopping, I always have a cooler in the back set floorboard with tank water in it and I release the fish along with the water from the bag into the cooler for the ride home. Depending on where the fish came from, its anywhere from a 30 minute ride to an hour. I put them in the tank when I get home.

[ron v]

Interesting approach Peach. Sounds good. I don't see a problem with it.

[FortWayneFish]

well I am another one NOT to float the bag.
I have a 3 gallon bucket i dump the fish into along with the store water. I take airline tubing and start a syphon from the tank the fish will go into( quarantine tank ). Let the water start flowing in to the 3 gallon bucket. Once its started take and tie a simple 1/2 knot ( loop it over and under ) and tighten so the water stream is reduced to a couple drips every couple seconds. I also like adding a nice dose of stress coat or water conditioner at this point.
I usually do this for 30 minutes or so. Then i net the fish out of the bucket and Place them in one of my Quarantine tanks where they will spend the next 3-4 weeks in observation.

Take the water in the 3 gallon bucket and toss it out...

[Carl]

Whats so wrong with floating the bag!? You make it all so complicated for yourselves, your fish are only get more stressed because they are being moved around so much.

[pokagon55]

Originally Posted by Carl

Whats so wrong with floating the bag!? You make it all so complicated for yourselves, your fish are only get more stressed because they are being moved around so much.

IMO, anything on the bag will go straight into the tank from the bag so for this reason alone I do not float the bag. When I get home I open the bag and start to add water from the tank every five mins.for 30 mins, In between that I use Stress Coat on the fish. I check the PH range from the bag water to make sure that it is close to what I have in the tank then make sure the temp. is about the same. At that point I net the fish, introduce them to the tank and turn off the lights till morning.

I do like the cooler idea

[Scuba Kid]

Originally Posted by Carl

Whats so wrong with floating the bag!? You make it all so complicated for yourselves, your fish are only get more stressed because they are being moved around so much.

no, actually, what can stress them is throwing them into the tank after only floating the bag. They are only acclimated to the tank temp this way, not the water it self.

[ron v]

Originally Posted by Carl

Whats so wrong with floating the bag!?

Dirty bag... dirty bag.
Pet shops usually have one table where all bagging takes place. Water, along with every disease and parasite from every aquarium that is in the shop is contaminating that table. How often do you think that table gets disinfected???? This is not to even mention the hands of the employees that bag your fish. Where have they been???

Something else.... the longer a fish in in the bag, the more problems can occur. Chemical problems like ammonia buildup, PH changes.

Bottom line... Get the fish out of the bag ASAP and don't float it.

[Georgia Peach]

Originally Posted by ron v

Interesting approach Peach. Sounds good. I don't see a problem with it.

yeah, that way the fish is already acclimated when I get home and in he goes!

[leveldrummer]

just for the record, i agree with the drip method also, i was just simply answering the guys questions. i believe there was a huge discusion on this forum about the chemical changes of water after a bag floats then is opened, i cant seem to find the thread, but someone should like it for carl, whether he chooses to float or drip or whatever, its very interesting to read.

[ron v]

Originally Posted by leveldrummer

i believe there was a huge discusion on this forum about the chemical changes of water after a bag floats then is opened,ad.

I just "bumped" a thread..."Something to think about" in the general forum. Is this the one level?

[IrishKittenOWar]

i float the bag and then every 10 minutes i add 1/4cup of fish tank water until the bag has doubled the water volume. my LFS heeps the bags in a carbod box so i know that it is safe to float plus the double bag the bag and stick them in a borwn paper sack that way they are less likely to be stressed out. my fish to do just fine with my method.. but to each their own opinion and method.

[leveldrummer]

Originally Posted by ron v

I just "bumped" a thread..."Something to think about" in the general forum. Is this the one level?

just saw that, i believe it is it, thanks ron.

[Carl]

Messing about for 30 mins with chemicals isn't worth bothering with. I don't just stick the fish in the tank to bring it to temp anyway. As a have said above i add water after 10 mins then add the fish. The fish is less stressed with the light on because it can see what else is in the tank. Better that than darkness and not see a thing. You shouldn't need to add chemicals just to add a fish to your tank anyway!! The fish will tell you if there is anything wrong long b4 any chemical or test kit.

I have a UV filter anyway to deal with parasites etc. I think your being a bit far fetched with that anyway.

There will be a build up of ammonia in the bag!! How long do you leave your fish in there for?!! The only reason for a build up would be becausethere is food in there.

[Georgia Peach]

Originally Posted by Carl

Messing about for 30 mins with chemicals isn't worth bothering with. I don't just stick the fish in the tank to bring it to temp anyway. As a have said above i add water after 10 mins then add the fish. The fish is less stressed with the light on because it can see what else is in the tank. Better that than darkness and not see a thing. You shouldn't need to add chemicals just to add a fish to your tank anyway!! The fish will tell you if there is anything wrong long b4 any chemical or test kit.

I have a UV filter anyway to deal with parasites etc. I think your being a bit far fetched with that anyway.

There will be a build up of ammonia in the bag!! How long do you leave your fish in there for?!! The only reason for a build up would be becausethere is food in there.

where did someone say anything about spending 30 mins adding chemicals?? I musta missed that!