Introducing fish to your aquarium is tricky, whether you've just set up the tank or already have an established aquarium with other fish. In fact, it is often more difficult to add new fish to an established tank. You'll need to make sure that the aquarium is ready for new fish, choose the right aquarium fish, and introduce them carefully.
First thing to check is the quality of your water. It is stressful enough for all the fish involved when new fish are introduced to their number. Do not add to it by making them suffer in poor water quality. The stress in them might reach fatal levels. Make sure that you have the highest possible water quality by testing for the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. Do the necessary changes or cleaning before you add the new fish to the aquarium. If you don't like frequent aquarium cleaning, add an EcoBio-Block to your aquarium to give it the beneficial bacteria and trace minerals that can reduce harmful substances in your water and keep it clean, healthy and clear.
When choosing what fish to add to your aquarium, you need to determine if they will live companionably with your existing fish. Some fish will eat smaller fish, some others will fight and kill each other. You also have to know if your water will sustain the new fish. This means that you have to get the aquarium fish that will survive the temperature, pH, nitrate and ammonia levels you currently maintain. It is advisable that you add more than one fish at a time, to reduce the chance of any fish picking on just one new fish.
Your first step when preparing the aquarium for a new arrival is to rearrange the tank. Your established fish have their own hiding spots, and may become territorial if a new fish is introduced. Rearrange the plants and decorations, which will remove established territories and make the environment new for all of your fish. Make sure that there are plenty of hiding spaces where the fish can go until they get used to each other.
One important rule in introducing a new aquarium fish to an established tank is to first acclimatize the fish to its new environment before releasing them into the water. If you don't do this, the shock to their system will surely kill them. The thing to do is immerse the bag of water containing your new aquarium fish, into your aquarium water. Let it stay there until the temperatures are equal and the fish have had the chance to look over their new environment. When a few hours have passed, release the fish slowly into the aquarium.
Once you bring home a new fish, it is best if you first set them up in a separate tank to quarantine them for a few weeks. This is a good way to check for signs of sickness. You don't want them contaminating your other aquarium fish. You can safely transfer fish that are already in bags of water similar to your aquarium set up, by first floating this bag in your aquarium water for a few hours. This will equalize the water temperature and prepare the fish for his new environment. Once you have the temperatures equalized, slowly release your fish to your aquarium.
Careful preparation to the aquarium, timing of the introduction of new fish, plus proper acclimatizing will ensure a smooth transition with minimal stress to all your aquarium fish.
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