How long do u acclimate new fish? & SAD story to follow.

[bulletsworld]

Wondering how long do you acclimate your new fish for? Not inverts, JUST FISH.... As inverts it depends on invert.


Ever since I've known you float new bag in tank to equalize temperature in the bag with the temperature in your tank. Also to turn off the tank lights while the fish are floating to ease stress. Then open the bag, clipping to side of tank, while dripping water from my tank into the bag to accustom the new arrival to the pH and salinity of your main tank. I do this for the next 45mins to an hour. Depending how off the salinity & PH is in the bag.

What procedure do you do?


Tell you why I'm asking.... Bought a Powder Brown Tang. Looked healthy although really shy. Bought it off a guy that runs a basement saltwater business here in Edmonton (no names) So I buy this PBT, drive it right home, float the bag, turn off the lights. I notice this tang is breathing really hard so I open the bag clip to tank, added a small air stone to help oxygenate the water for its breathing. Then tested the bag water with rafractometer...YIKS..Salinity was 1.016...very low compared to my reef tank sitting at 1.026. So I start dripping tank water despite the tang wanting to get outta the bag, flipping around, still breathing heavy and then as I'm dripping my tank water in the bag, I notice...the tang going on its side. Confused thinking is it like my regal where it seems to do that when it tries to hide? I checked the salinity it gone up only to 1.018 in bag. I watched the tang as it starts to slow down breathing and you'll never guess what! The tang died! Right before it died it went into a convulse on its side & died! WHAT? HUH? This has NEVER happened to ME in all my reefer years!
It hadn't even been an hour time that the bag floating in the tank! O.k so VERY confused!

Even though I barely dripped any of my tank water in the bag, I grabbed a sample of the bag water & my reef tank & tested for Ammonia, Nitrates & PH. My tank PH was 8.3, no ammonia & undetected nitrates. Also tested the bag water same time. The ammonia was high 1.6 & the PH was really low 7.7 not to mention the nitrates were through the roof! HUH? Can a fish create an ammonia spike immediately after it dies?

So I tell this guy I bought it off of. Just so devastated by the loss of this beautiful fish... Guess what the guy says to me. It’s my fault that I acclimated the fish. Yup, he says that it stresses the fish out way to much, stating he NEVER acclimates the fish. When they come in from the Caribbean he just take them outta their bags right away and dumps them in his tanks. YIKS! HUH? But I told him the salinity is way off the average reef. He says nope that doesn't mater. He says, had I of not acclimated my fish & just dumped it in as soon as I got home the fish would still be alive today.

So I'm wondering.... Has anyone tried this? I just can't see that being right? I know inverts wouldn’t make it if you just dump them in. But am I wrong to do my steps above? Or is this something that completely stresses the fish out to DEATH? Can't a fish go into Osmotic shock if the temps, water PH & salinity are WAY off? What do you think killed the fish before even getting the chance to enter my tank? Since this guy claims there is no way he got high ammonia in the tank water his tanks? Or is a Powder brown tang just hard to acclimate? I'm confused.

Looking for any thoughts? And how do you acclimate your fish?

Thanks a bunch in advance everyone