# 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


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## leveldrummer

15 or 20 minutes is more than enough time,


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## 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.


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## 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.


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## Carl

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


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## ron v

Don't float the bag.


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## 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.


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## ron v

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


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## 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...


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## 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.


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## pokagon55

Carl said:


> 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:fun:


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## Guest

Carl said:


> 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.


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## ron v

Carl said:


> 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.


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## Georgia Peach

ron v said:


> 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!


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## 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.


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## ron v

leveldrummer said:


> 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?


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## 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.


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## leveldrummer

ron v said:


> 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.


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## 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.


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## Georgia Peach

Carl said:


> 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!


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## Carl

for 30 mins, In between that I use Stress Coat on the fish. 

Is stress coat not a CHEMICAL??


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## ron v

**********


Carl said:


> Messing about for 30 mins with chemicals isn't worth bothering with.
> 
> 
> *****Carl, I'm having trouble following you!! What are you talking about?
> 
> 
> 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!!
> 
> ***** Again, what chemicals??? Are you maybe, replying to several different people at the same time?
> 
> 
> The fish will tell you if there is anything wrong long b4 any chemical or test kit.
> 
> 
> ***** I sure am glad I"m not one of your fish.
> 
> 
> I have a UV filter anyway to deal with parasites etc. I think your being a bit far fetched with that anyway.
> 
> *****Your opinion.
> 
> There will be a build up of ammonia in the bag!! How long do you leave your fish in there for?!!
> 
> 
> *****As I said, the longer fish are in the bag, the more chance for problems.
> 
> 
> The only reason for a build up would be becausethere is food in there.
> 
> *****What, you don't think fish pee contains ammonia?


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## ron v

HaHaHa, Peach, you beat me to it!


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## Georgia Peach

I dont think stress coat contains any chemicals.. I could be wrong though..


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## Carl

How much waste do you think a fish produces?


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## Carl

Look at my fish. Don't you think i would only use the best way?


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## ron v

Oh, sorry Carl. I didn't realize you are perfect. You are now my hero!


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## Guest

he's really not. He's not using "the best way" for his fish at all.

if those tanks are in liters and not gallons, they are very overstocked and all of the fish in the 450 liter will outgrow it, excluding maybe the lima shovelnose cats. 4 discus in a 125 liter tank is really pushing it too. I guess you would know a lot about ammonia build up from this.


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## pokagon55

Carl said:


> for 30 mins, In between that I use Stress Coat on the fish.
> 
> Is stress coat not a CHEMICAL??


That was me that said that. I said 30 min. give or take. From entering the door to drawing water from the tank to putting that in the bag and let sit for a while to using stress coat to check for PH reading to check for temp. to putting them in the tank and turn off the light. I have found that turning off the light helps them calm down. This is the way that I do it and it has done right by me, not saying that this would work for everyone, just me. But Carl is the man. So sorry to upset you bro!:console: And just to let Carl know, When people buy fish they use Stress Coat or simular in the bag when the fish is put in there. It helps with the stress of the move and such.


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## Carl

Actually the giraffe catfish will not outgrow its tank, growing to a maximum of 36 inches in length and my tank is 4 foot long and 2 foot wide and 2 foot high. The giraffe won't reach that length anyway. Check planetcatfish.com

Next the whipray will not outgrow its tank either because it has a maximum diamater of 15 inches although its tail can grow to 2 feet, but then there is still 2 foot of room left. Maybe i could you refer you to fishbase.com then type Himantura oxyrhyncha.

The motoro will not outgrow its accomodation either, its maximum size for wild specicimens is around 2 feet so it will probably reach 18 inches which isn't a problem.

And obviously the shovelnoses won't outgrow their accomodation because they are not a huge catfish, just a big one. 

The discus tank will not have any problems either. As a general rule they should be kept at one per 25 litres so they are definitly not overcrowded.


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## Guest

you'd put a full sized discus in 6.5 gallons???????? try a pair of discus per 30 gallons...MINIMUM

and all fish should reach very close to the size they would reach in the wild given a proper diet and a properly sized enclosure....which you are not providing these fish. go argue to www.aquaticpredators.com or another site specializing in oddball and predatory fish and see what they have to say about keeping these fish in a tank that small. The only ones i would dare to keep in that tank are the whiptail ray, which probably isnt the best idea because of it's very long and delicate tail, and the lima shovelnoses.


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## Carl

No i wouldn't put a fully grown discus in 6.5 gallons and they are only small, about 2 to 3 inches in diamater. Discus need the company of their own kind anyway.

A full size pair in 30 gallons would do fine. But you could put another two in as well. People make Discus hard to keep by bringing it on themselves. You don't need fancy RO units or hard metal extracters and there is plenty of filtration on the tank anyway. They have been there for a long time and i have never had any problems with water quality. I do a water change of 8 litres weekly.


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## Carl

This is a quote from the General Guide to Freshwater Stingray Care from aquaticpredaters.com From the second pinned item down on the stingray section.

'P. motoro is next in line, maxing out at about 18 to 24 inches in diameter.'


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## leveldrummer

Carl said:


> Actually the giraffe catfish will not outgrow its tank, growing to a maximum of 36 inches in length and my tank is 4 foot long and 2 foot wide and 2 foot high. The giraffe won't reach that length anyway. Check planetcatfish.com


so this fish, when maxed out will be able to lay in the bottom facing one direction, has to bend in half to turn around, then lay facing the other direction, you dont think thats cramped, since this is a FISH, dont you think swimming would be a good idea for it.


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## Carl

As i have said the Giraffe will not reach 3 foot in maximum length. Just like we can reach 6 foot 3 but we're not all going to reach that size.


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## Guest

Carl said:


> This is a quote from the General Guide to Freshwater Stingray Care from aquaticpredaters.com From the second pinned item down on the stingray section.
> 
> 'P. motoro is next in line, maxing out at about 18 to 24 inches in diameter.'


yes? and? Your tank is not big enough for those fish. Diameter means the size of it's disk...so if your motoro gets to be 24 inches in diameter, it will be as wide as the width of your tank...that's pretty cramped. apparently you didnt take into consideration the size of it's tail as well. Did you know that if they constantly rub their tails on the side of a tank because it is not wide enough for them to turn around that they can develop infections and irritations on their tail?


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## Carl

24 inches is an absolute maximum as it says between 18 AND 24 INCHES. So at 18 inches it will be fine.


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## ron v

Carl, you are showing how little you really know. Probably be better served by just dropping it!


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## Carl

Maybe you are right, we should get back to the fishkeeping. I will stop going on if you all stop telling me how to keep my fish, and calling me 'perfect'. i am perfectly capable of keeping them. I was merely saying that the fish are delicate so the method i use would have to work otherwise i don't think i'd have much money left lol.


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## ron v

I don't care how you treat your fish. I do care, however that you are giving BAD advise to someone on this forum. So, let's make a deal. I won't tell you how to keep your fish and you stop trying to come across as the "perfect" fishkeeper.


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## Carl

I don't mean to come over that way, its just the way i do things so i will argue my point. After all we are all here to help each other rather than argue and contradict each other.


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## pokagon55

:-| I think your problem was with me in the first place Carl! If you have a problem with me, then address me! Not the others.:|


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## leveldrummer

Carl said:


> I don't mean to come over that way, its just the way i do things so i will argue my point. After all we are all here to help each other rather than argue and contradict each other.


many people have different opinions, i personally dont think i give my fish the best treatment they can have, i float and drop, im gonna start acclimating and quarantining with my salt fish though, but when i give advise, i try to give it so that someone that is very inexperienced will have the best possible outcome, not just the short-cuts ive learned in my own experience, just remember, we arent arguing whats easiest for us, we are giving advice to help people make it through some hard times learning to keep fish alive.


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## Carl

Pokagon55 i can't seem to do right for wrong here.


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## ron v

This is a prime example of just how screwed up a thread can become. Did we ever answer the original question?


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## Georgia Peach

ron v said:


> This is a prime example of just how screwed up a thread can become. Did we ever answer the original question?


LOL - sorta - its real apparent that everyone has different views and different ways of acclimating thier fish.. Im sure the original poster can draw some conclusions from all this mess.. LOL


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## leveldrummer

i answered the question, if you float, float them for 15-20 minutes, but remember there are much better ways to ensure the fish arent stressed.


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## IrishKittenOWar

well said drummer well said


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## Carl

But Ron V has proven on another post that fish can do just as well if you don't bother to float them and just put them straight in.


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## ron v

I am not ready to recommend that we completely abandon the drip/ bucket approach. There is some risk in PH/ temp. shock although I personally am not sure it is as big a problem as I once thought. If a fish is in a bag for only a short period of time (say 30 min or so ), the ammonia/ CO2 problems will not occur. So why not go ahead and drip in a bucket. I do however believe that floating the bag is never a good idea. 
I am still interested in other opinions. I am confident enough in this method that I have risked several hundred $ worth of fish, but I could still be wrong. ( I was wrong once. It was several years ago... I think. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I was wrong once. I don't remember what it was about though ). 

Hee Hee.


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