Adding New Fish to Aquarium

Travel is very stressful for fish.

Fish never eat when they are being transported, and moving them from place to place makes them much more susceptible to disease and death.

The ones you see at the aquarium shop may have already gone through several journeys—from the importer to breeder, for example. So the minute you buy the fish, try and get it home as soon as possible.

When selecting new fish, make sure they look healthy and do not have any injuries or disease. Keep a close watch on your new arrivals for several weeks to see if they look stressed or sick. A diseased fish can infect and even kill other fish in your aquarium.

When Adding New Fish

The main thing to remember is that the fish is already stressed enough, so try and keep any changes as gradual as possible.

Once you reached home, place the bag in your tank, so that the temperature of the water in the bag slowly changes to that of the temperature of the water in the tank.

Wait for about 15 minutes, then add a little tank water to the bag. Repeat this a few times, to allow the fish to get accustomed to the chemistry of the water in your own tank.

Then, gently use a net to place the fish in the tank. Do not place any water from the bag into the tank as it could contain bacteria and parasites.

What You Should Know When Adding New Fish

Most significant fish diseases are infectious. If the tank is crowded, the result can be disastrous as the ailment can spread like wildfire. If you see any signs of illness, try and place the infected fish in separate tank or container, and get treatment advice from your fish dealer.

Keep in mind that adding new fish will also increase fish waste in the tank. Therefore it will take some time for the existing bacteria in the tank to multiply in sufficient numbers to break down the fish waste.

Fish waste is converted into ammonia in the tank. More fish means more ammonia, which can also kill the fish. Too much ammonia removers the protective mucus membrane from fish, making them more vulnerable to infections. If your fish looks like it has difficulty breathing, this could be the cause.

Also, keep a close watch if your new fish are getting bullied by others, or if they are acting aggressively towards the other inhabitants. If this is so , you may have to create more areas for the fish to hide, or give some of them up!

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