pH acclimation delima

[Orchid]

Here is my delima: My freshwater tanks are all very low in pH, 6.5 or lower, and KH, 1-2. The lfs here do not lower their pH, 8.0 or above, and who knows what their KH is. I desperately need algae eaters. I prefer ottocinclus, which they usually have at one lfs or another. So how do I successfully acclimate them to my water? I am thinking it will take at least 24 hours.

When I buy marine snails or sea cucumbers for my reef tank I have to slowly acclimate them by poking a small hole in either side of the bag and float them for at least 24 hours. Their vasucular systems are so delicate that to acclimate them for less time will kill off at least half of the snails or cause the cuccumber to poison your tank. Would the two hole method work or is there another way that is better to acclimate otto cats?

 

[Randall]

Accimation

Dear Chris,

Otocinclus species tend to be quite hardy little fellows. To acclimate new arrivals, you might try floating the bag(s) in your aquarium for about 10 minutes, as per usual. Afterward, open the bag(s) and pour a half-cup of aquarium water into the bag(s), and wait another 15 minutes, then repeat, using another half-cup of aquarium water, for yet another 15 minutes. After the process has been completed, place the fish into their new home, but dispose of the water in the bag(s).

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[Orchid]

This is a HUGE pH and KH change in such a short time, won't this affect the fish?

 

[jafo]

I only add a few m/l every 15-20 minutes. I continue to do this until I have a pH match which has taken up to 5 hours. I have had good results and no deaths using this method (7.8 down to 6.1 has been the biggest difference). Don't rush it! I also use the same process for moving fish between tanks.

 

[Neil]

Slow is probably better in acclimating fish in general, but when you are dealing with naturally soft water fish going from hard/alkaline in the LFS back into water that they come from, the process can be sped up a little. I have never had problems going from hard water to soft water with Apistogramma. The standard process that Randall explains has always work well with very little stress. As a matter of fact, fish that were not particularly pleased with the water that they were in sometimes start behaving immediately differently (displaying, exploring, etc) within an hour or 2 in the "better" water. I would bet that otos are the same. My thought is that, the sooner(within reason) you get them out of bad water into good, the better. Actually, the less time they spend in the LFS water the better too.
Neil

 

[Randall]

pH et al.

To all interested persons:

Let's remember here that pH is merely a measurement of hydrogen ion concentration as measured on a scale of 0 to 14. Each integer on said scale constitutes a tenfold differential. So long as extremes when acclimating new fish are avoided, most of the hardier species will not subcomb to "pH shock." From my experience, it is far more important to measure total or general hardness and temperature than pH.

It is not uncommon for fish to suffer from at least some degree of stress when transported. In the event that fish are introduced to an environment that is not commensurate with that to which they have become acclimated, I have had much success with adding aquarium salt, thereby improving respiration, and adding an air stone. To date, utilizing said method, I have never lost a new fish due to stress and/or shock related causes, providing that both total or general hardness and temperature were relatively in synch. This method has enabled my fish to tolerate a pH differential in excess of 200 per cent, even when acclimating delicate wild west African species.

Thank you.

Randall Kohn

 

[aspen]

my experience is, that going from low to high ph, is a lot less stressful than high to low. i would take more than 2 days to go from 8.0 to 6.5, but have gone from low to high in a couple of hours. ph shock is real, and will kill fish. i assume that they keep their fish in water that is the same as your tapwater? it seems pretty easy therefore to slowly acclimate fish for you, by doing frequent small waterchanges with r/o.

rick

 

[tjudy]

If I am overly concerned with pH or other chemistry related shock, I will use a quarantine tank. I make the QT the same as where the fish come from, and them bring that water to where I want it over a period of 10-15 days.

Another trick is to create an airline drip into a 5 gallon bucket. Adjust the flow so that it will take all day to fill the bucket from about 1/3 full.