7 Steps To Acclimating Tropical Fish Shipped By Wattley Discus (also see video below)

Step One: Do Not Open Your Box Until You Are In Front Of Your Tank

Your Wattley Discus shipment of tropical fish is designed to last 24+ hours before opening if it remains sealed. When you receive your box of tropical fish, keep it from direct sunlight or Ice and snow covered ground.

Step Two: Unseal your box and remove the Styrofome lid, heat or cold packs, newspaper, and free products from SeaChem.

There is an inner styrofome box inside the cardboard box for  added protection. With a scissor or knife, cut the side and middle tape to break the seal. Don’t worry, the styrofome box will keep you from cutting open any tropical fish air bags.

Also, cutting the big plastic liner in all four corners and folding them down will make a nice work area (as shown in the video).

Step Three: Cut open the plastic bags that contain the fish

Each discus fish has three stapled bags and one dark liner to keep the fish safe and minimize stress during transport. Keep the tropical fish bags upright while cutting the tops off all three bags. Do this for all the tropical fish bags you have purchased.

Step Four: Pour about 1/8 Cup from your fish tank every 20 minutes into each bag to acclimate them to your pH. Do this for one hour or three times twenty minutes apart.

When acclimating fish that have been shipped, it is very important they have time to adjust to your tanks pH. While the temperature difference between your tank and the water in the bag is important, the difference in pH is more important. Pouring 1/8 cup of from your tank in to each bag every twenty minutes will help them with both temperature and pH differences. Allowing one hour is the best for acclimating tropical fish.

Please Note: If you pH is very high (over 7.0) pour water from your tank every 15 minutes for one hour.

Step Five: After one hour, pour out the water in the bag and let the discus fish slide out into your tank. Add a cap of Stress Guard from SeaChem

If you have a bucket pour the water from the bag into it, then let the discus fish slide into your tank from the empty bag. Do not pour the water from the bag into your tank.  Now is a good time to add some of the Stress Guard that came as your free gift.

Another option is to reach into the bag with your hand and place the discus fish into your tank. You can use a rubber glove or barehanded (as shown in the video).

Step Six: Wait for 5 hours to feed your new tropical fish.

When acclimating tropical fish, waiting until they acclimate to their new environment is important as digestion is affected by stress.

Step Seven: Keep your tank temperature at  86-88F degrees for the first month to stimulate their appetite and immune system. After one month bring the temperature back down to 84F.

Enjoy your discus fish!

 

Oh…and don’t forget to stop by our Shop Page to view our inventory at the Florida hatchery.