How to Add Fish to Your Aquarium
By Daryl Goddard, NVQ (Current). The Haslemere Pet Company
Buying and adding new fish to your Aquarium should be done carefully and slowly over time.
Before buying any new fish
- Make sure that you have space in your tank for new fish. One of the most common mistakes that people make is adding too many fish to too small a tank which leads to overcrowding, stress, disease and often death. If you’re not sure how many fish your tank will take, bring your measurements along and ask the person in the shop what they think. If they don’t know, then it might be a good idea to shop elsewhere.
- Make sure that your aquarium water is healthy. Poor water quality, plus the stress of movement can cause health problems for your new fish, as well as increase the risk of disease to any established fish. Test the water for ammonia and nitrate using fish tank testing strips, which are easily available.
- Ask advice about new fish, to make sure that they will be compatible and happy in your aquarium.
Only choose from aquariums that contain healthy, active fish. If there are several unhealthy or dead fish present, this can mean a problem with supply. Good pet shops will indicate with signage if any of their tanks are under treatment. This is a good sign that the pet shop is taking good care of their fish.
Don't be too fussy about which fish in the tank you want. Being picky about the exact fish can result in more stress as the shop assistant will take more time trying to catch it for you
Transporting fish home
- Most shops will pack your fish in a plastic bag, and then place the bag in a few other carry bags to reduce the light getting to the fish and making the journey home less stressful. Don’t worry if the bag contains less water than air, as this is the correct way for fish to be transported.
- Take the fish home right away. Depending on the type of fish, 30 mins is the maximum amount of time you can expect fish to stay healthy during transport.
Introducing new fish
- Turn the light off in the main aquarium. Leave it off for 24 hours.
- To get your new fish used to the temperature of the aquarium, float the bag on the surface of the water for 10 minutes.
- Untie the bag and roll down the sides. Gradually fill the bag with water from the aquarium, over the course of about 30 - 40 minutes. Only add small amounts at a time, at 5 minute intervals. This gets the fish used to the chemistry of the water in your aquarium.
- Use a net to remove the fish from the bag into the aquarium.
Aftercare
- Avoid feeding the fish for 24hrs.
- Add Tetra AquaSafe to the water to help support the fishes' natural ability to cope with stress, and to support their protective mucous layers.
Keep a close eye on your fish as they settle into their new environment, and make sure that they are not being bullied by other fish, and that they are not showing signs of illness. New fish will generally be shy, so you may have to give them a few days to start behaving normally.
