adding new fish

[estest]

Hi, Ive had my tank set up a little over a year and I cant seem to figure out which way to introduce new fish and stuff. I seem to have better luck when I just put them in the tank with the others. But only the cheap fish seem to do well. Is it just me or is that true???? Should I keep them in a "hospital tank" for a couple of weeks or what?? That seems like its causes unnecessary stress, taking them in and out of different tanks. What do you suggest???

[rshimek]

Hi,

I think you will find much more information here, than I can give you in my forum.

[hcs3]

hi estest, and
To Reef Central

we can get you through this

first off, thanks to dr. ron for getting you into the correct forum.

I cant seem to figure out which way to introduce new fish and stuff.

"fish" are easy. you will first need to acclimate the newly arrived fish to your tank water. whether it's a q-tank, or your main display tank. starting with the specimen bag your fish arrived in, with the fish still in there, dump roughly 1/2 the water out. now, using either an airline tubing or doing by hand yourself, slowly add your tank water into the bag. fill the bag back to the original level that it arrived at. it should take you at least 15 minutes if not longer to obtain this proportion. once again dump out 1/2 of the bags water and repeat the process. the fish is now ready to be added to the aquarium.

now, as far as "stuff" goes, i need you to be more specific

But only the cheap fish seem to do well. Is it just me or is that true????

your above statement compels me to ask, are these cheap fish damsels? if so, it could be the root of your whole problem. and yes, most of the "cheaper" fish tend be hardy. however, this is not always the case, and even some $100 fish can be very hardy.

Should I keep them in a "hospital tank" for a couple of weeks or what?? That seems like its causes unnecessary stress, taking them in and out of different tanks. What do you suggest???

this is a debatable subject. everybody will have their own opinions. i'll give you mine. IF the hobbyist can meet every need of the fish and maintain water parameters that mimic that of the display tank, than a q-tank can be beneficial. i say "can be" because the hobbyist still has to use the tank properly, and adhere to proper fish husbandry during this time. however, all too often this is not the case. the hobbyist usually uses inadequate filtration and tanks excessively small. in these cases, q-tanks can do more harm than good.

personally, i do not use a q-tank. several factors have brought me to this decision. i live in a small apartment for starters, so space is a premium. i also thoroughly research my fish prior to purchase; in most cases i purchase fish that have been in captivity for 6 weeks or longer. i realize that most hobbyist are not afforded this luxury. lastly, i have never had a problem with direct introduction, whereas i have had problems with improper setup of q-tanks.

HTH and LMK of any other questions you may have.

henry