Acclimating your New Fish

February 06, 2008
Ed Duncan Jr.

After bringing your new fish home it is important to gradually acclimate them to your aquarium water. Eddies assumes that you are maintaining excellent water quality in your aquarium. If you are unsure or a beginner please discuss this with your Eddies Crew Person.

Float the bags in your tank or alternately if your tank is going to overflow from the extra water, put the bags in a bucket or other container so they will stand upright when opened. Open the bags, add small amounts of water to each bag every 5 minutes until the water in the bag(s) has doubled over 30-45 minutes.  Then carefully net the fish from the bag and add them to the aquarium. Discard the bag water. It is normal for your existing fish to "check out" or even chase the new fish.  Sometimes feeding your existing fish to distract them helps or perhaps turning the light off will help. If your fish are really aggressive toward the new ones, sometimes rearranging the aquarium decorations might be a good step towards upsetting existing territories. When purchasing fish be sure to ask the Eddies Crew Person helping you about the compatibility of your new fish with what you have.