How To Add New Fish To Your Aquarium

How To Add New Fish To Your Aquarium

What's the best way to add new fish to your aquarium to maintain the health of your existing fish and get your new fish acclimated? What are the right ways to do this?
What are the wrong ways?
Do you need to quarantine?

Most experts say quarantining is necessary. This will allow time for your fish to adjust and will allow time to make sure your fish are healthy. The last thing you want to do is put a sick fish in your tank and make all your fish ill.

What should you look for?
You need to look for fin and tail rot, fungal infections and ich. Fin and tail rot is one of the most common. It can spread quickly to other fish. If you see any signs, you will want to get an antibiotic quickly.

Fungal infections are growths of fungus on your fish's body or lips. If you see the white growths, purchase an antibiotic treatment.

Ich can look like fungus but is caused by parasites. To tell the difference, look for small, round white spots. If you see them, go ahead and raise the temperature in your tank. Also, purchase medicine. Both will help cure your fish.

When should you put the new fish in your tank?
If your new fish does not show any signs of sickness in two weeks you can transfer it to your tank. Some experts suggest moving fish at night when other fish might be asleep. That way, there will be less confrontation between the new and old fish.

How do you prepare the tank?
The new fish will want places to hide, so add rocks or pots to your aquarium. You will also need to maintain pH levels as usual. A new fish will be particularly sensitive to changing levels.

How do you move the fish?
Put the fish in a plastic bag with water from the quarantine tank. Then, put the bag in the regular tank. Slowly let the bag fill with the new water. The fish will swim out naturally.

It is even more important now to watch the pH levels in your tank. Adding fish will surge the ammonia levels. That is why you should not add any more than two fish to your aquarium at a time. For awhile, you might want to check the pH levels more than once a week. Once you see that the tank has stabilized, you can check less often.