How to launch fish into an aquarium: step by step instructions

If you put the fish into the aquarium incorrectly, it can get stressed and even die. How to move a new tenant from a water bag into an aquarium without errors and adapt the fish, the aquarist explains.

Do not rush to release the fish

After the purchase, do not rush to immediately release the fish into the aquarium. First, the conditions in which she lived before may differ from the conditions in the new place. This can cause stress and lower immunity. That is why, after moving from the store, fish often develop ichthyophthyriasis.

Secondly, the temperature difference in the shipping bag and in the aquarium will be even 2 degrees, which will also lead to stress.

Be sure to check with the seller about the pH and water hardness levels in the aquarium where your new pet lived. Even different areas of the same settlement, the properties of water may differ.

Precautions are necessary because fish are cold-blooded creatures: their body temperature directly depends on the temperature of the water. The fish gets used to a certain temperature and adjusts the processes in the body to it. As soon as she is in the water below or above the degree, the rate of chemical reactions in the body changes. Too much change can lead to death.

Prepare your aquarium first

Before buying a fish, equip an aquarium, fill it with water. Let me remind you: a fish can live only in an aquarium where an ecosystem has already been formed and the processes of processing biological pollutants have been launched: plant and food residues, excrement. Otherwise, dangerous compounds for fish will accumulate in the water: ammonia and nitrite.

If you start an aquarium without the use of professional water treatment products, observe a gradual increase in biological load. For example, for the first 5 days, let the aquarium stand only with plants. Then you can plant the snail. After another 3 days, release the first fish. And after 4-5 days – the second.

If you want to put the fish into the aquarium faster, use special biostarters containing live cultures of bacteria, or products that allow you to accelerate the reproduction of the necessary microflora. With the SafeSart biostarter, you can start your fish within an hour after application, while Bactozym reduces the wait to 24 hours.

If you are planning to decorate the bottom of the aquarium with plants, make sure they are compatible with your fish species. For example, plants with hard leaves – anubias – are suitable for herbivorous goldfish.

Release the fish according to the instructions

In order for the fish to happily settle into a new home, I have prepared instructions for you:

1. Place the sealed bag of fish in the aquarium for about 20 minutes. This will save the fish from stress due to a sharp temperature drop.
2. Open the bag when the temperature of the water in the bag is equal to the temperature in the aquarium. Gradually add water from the aquarium to it – about ¼ bag. This will help the fish get used to the properties of the water in the new tank.
3. Carefully catch the fish after half an hour and release them into the aquarium. Please note: water from the bag cannot be poured into the aquarium
4. Turn off the light. Don’t get too close to the aquarium. Do not knock on the walls and do not feed the fish for several hours
5. Cover the aquarium with a lid so that the fish do not accidentally jump out of it.

Continue good care

And now, success: you have installed an aquarium and placed a waterfowl tenant there. To keep the fish calm and comfortable, follow the four rules of care:

• Change a quarter of the water in the aquarium once a week, even if it seems perfectly clean. Toxins accumulate in the water that are not visible to the human eye, but they have a detrimental effect on the health of fish.

• Compare the temperature of the “new” water with the water from the aquarium – and only then replace the water. The temperature difference can be detrimental to the fish. Discrepancies of 1-2 degrees are not terrible, but more can kill a fish.

• Replace more than a quarter of the volume if the water is heavily contaminated. For example, on the first day 20% and the same amount on the next two days.

• Monitor water quality with tests. By replacing part of the water, you reduce the number of beneficial microflora in the aquarium. To replenish it, use biostarters.

Proper care will allow you to enjoy your personal aquarium for as long as possible. And my tips in this article will help you with this. To keep the most important information always at hand, save yourself a cheat sheet: