Content

• Steps

The timing of stocking your newly purchased fish in the tank is interesting, as you will eventually find new friends for your aquarium. But improperly releasing new fish into the tank can make the fish sick and die. The aquarium needs to be properly prepared before you put in your new fish.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Prepare a new aquarium

1. 

   Wash off gravel, stone and decorations. After purchasing aquariums and aquarium accessories, you must rinse them off in warm water. Do not use soap or detergent to wash gravel, stones or decorations, but only use warm water. This is to ensure that items are free of dust, bacteria or toxins.
   • You can put gravel in the sieve to wash it. Place the sieve on top of the plastic container and pour the water through the sieve with gravel in it. Stir the gravel well, let it drain, and repeat the washing process several times until the water flows through the sieve clean and clear.
   • You will put the accessories into the tank after rinsing it off. Be sure to evenly level the gravel at the bottom of the lake, place rocks and decorations in the tank so that the fish has a place to hide and explore.

2. 

   
   
   Keep water at room temperature one third of the tank. Use a clean bucket to fill the pond with water, and place a plate on top of the gravel when filling so that the gravel won't scatter around.
   • After you have filled the tank one-third of the tank with water, you should add a water conditioner or chlorine-free agent to remove chlorine from the tap water. Chlorine in tap water is dangerous to fish, and can cause death and / or disease.
   • You should see the water turn cloudy in two to three days. This is because the bacteria multiply and will disappear naturally afterwards.

3. 

   
   
   Connect the aerator. You should install an aerator in your tank to make sure the water has enough oxygen. You will need to connect the pipes that carry the air from the aerator to the air inlet of the lake, such as a bubble rock.
   • You should use the aquarium's check valve, which is the small valve attached to the outside of the tank to hold the air lines. The check valve allows you to place the air pump lower than the aquarium. It acts as a barrier to prevent water from flowing upwards in the event of a power outage to the lake.

4. 

   
   
   Plant more fake trees or real trees. Plants are great because they help with circulating oxygen in the tank, but you can plant more artificial plants to provide shelter for the fish. You can also use plants to hide equipment in the tank that you want to hide for aesthetic reasons.
   • Keep real plants moist until they are about to be planted in the tank by wrapping them in wet newspaper. Plant the roots below the gravel surface so that the tops of the plants are exposed. You can add fertilizer to your plants underwater to make sure the plant is growing well.

5. 

   Circulate the water in the lake with a recirculating device. Circulating the aquarium water will help balance ammonia and nitrite content from fish and bring beneficial bacteria into the lake to eat these harmful chemicals. You need to circulate the aquarium water for four to six weeks for the tank to maintain its biochemical balance. Doing this before introducing new fish will help maintain the flexibility and health of the fish in the new environment. You can purchase a recirculating kit at a pet store or online.
   • When you first recirculate the aquarium water, you should see ammonia build up in the second or third week. The nitrite will then begin to accumulate when the ammonia content returns to zero. After your water circulation reaches six weeks, the ammonia and nitrite will return to zero and you will see nitrates build up. Nitrate is less toxic than ammonia and nitrite. You can control the nitrate content with proper routine water curing.
   • If you use a recirculating kit and find ammonia or nitrite readings positive while the aquarium is still recirculating, you will need to recirculate the water for a while before adding the fish. Good aquarium water will not give a positive value for either of these chemicals.

6. 

   Check water quality. After the lake water is fully circulated, you should also check the water quality. You can use water test kits purchased from the pet store or purchased online.
   • The pool water should have a chlorine value of zero and the pH should be as close or as possible to the pH of the aquarium water as possible.
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Method 2 of 3: Put the fish in a new tank

1. 

   Transporting newly purchased fish in plastic bags. Most pet stores will put your fish in clear plastic bags. You should place the fish in a dark place while transporting it from the store.
   • Try to get the fish home immediately as it needs to be released into the tank as soon as possible after it has been put in a plastic bag. This will reduce the stress on the fish and help it adapt to the lake water more quickly. The color of the fish may fade a little after the trip home, but don't worry as this is normal; The fish will return to their original color once they are placed in the tank.

2. 

   Turn off the lights in the aquarium. Reduce the brightness or turn off the lights in the tank before you put the fish in, as the bright lights create a stressful environment for the fish. The aquarium also needs lots of trees and rocks to accommodate new fish. These decorations will help reduce stress during the time you get to know your new home.

3. 

   Drop two or more fish at a time. This is to ensure that the old fish in the tank get acquainted with the new members, to prevent the new fish from being harmed by other fish, as they have many objects to make friends with. Put new fish into the tank in groups of 2-4 fish so that they do not change dramatically the number of fish in the tank.
   • Always choose to buy fish that appear healthy, disease-free. You should keep a close eye on the new fish during the first few weeks to make sure they do not show signs of illness or stress.
   • Some people will keep new fish in quarantine for two weeks to make sure they are free of disease or infection. If you have plenty of time and have a backup tank that you can use as a quarantine tank, this is also a solution. If you find sick fish in a quarantine tank, you can treat it without affecting other fish or the water environment of the new tank.

4. 

   Open the fish bag and place in the tank for 15-20 minutes. Floating the open fish bag on the lake surface is the time for the fish to get used to the water temperature of the new lake.
   • After 15-20 minutes, open the bag and use a clean bowl to scoop in as much water as possible in the bag. The amount of water in the fish bag will double, 50% of the lake water and 50% of the fish store's water. Be sure not to mix the pre-packaged water into the aquarium as this can spread bacteria into the aquarium water.
   • Let the bag float in the tank for another 15-20 minutes. You can seal the opening to prevent water from spilling out.

5. 

   Remove the fish from the bag and put it in the lake. After 15-20 minutes, you can release the fish into the tank. You will use a racket to remove the fish from the bag and gently place it in the tank.
   • You should watch the fish for signs of illness. If you already have fish in your tank then you need to make sure they are not disturbing or attacking new fish.Over time and with the lake's maintenance, all of them will live in harmony.
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Method 3 of 3: Stocking new fish into existing tank

1. 

   Prepare a quarantine tank. Isolate new fish to ensure they are healthy and do not introduce disease into your existing aquarium. The quarantine tank should have a minimum capacity of 20-40 liters, use old used filter cotton in the aquarium. Old filter cotton contains beneficial bacteria that supply the tank with quarantine. The tank should have a heater, lamp and lid.
   • If you are a fish enthusiast, you may have a quarantine tank ready. Keep the quarantine tank clean and well prepared before buying new fish.

2. 

   Place new fish in quarantine for two to three weeks. Once the quarantine tank is prepared, you will add the new fish to allow the fish to get used to the new water environment.
   • First you open the fish bag and place in the tank for 15-20 minutes. This is the time for the fish to get used to the water environment of the quarantine tank.
   • After 15-20 minutes, open the bag and use a clean bowl to scoop in as much water as possible in the bag. The bag will have 50% of lake water and 50% of water from the fish shop. Avoid mixing the water in the tank into the tank as this may spread bacteria into the tank water.
   • Let the bag float in the tank for another 15-20 minutes. You can seal the opening to prevent water from spilling out. After 15-20 minutes, use the racquet to scoop the fish and gently drop it into the quarantine tank.
   • Monitor fish in quarantine tanks daily to make sure they do not carry disease or parasites. After the fish have lived in the quarantine for 2-3 weeks with no problems, you can put them in the main tank.

3. 

   Change 25-30% of the water. Changing the water will help the new fish get used to the nitrate content in the tank and prevent them from being stressed. This is a very important step if you do not change the water of your main tank regularly.
   • Change the water by absorbing 25-30% of the lake water and replace with chlorinated water. Then recirculate the water several times with a cotton ball to make sure the nitrate balance in the tank is correct.

4. 

   Feed the fish in the main tank. If you have fish in the tank before you put new fish in, you should feed the fish first. Well-fed old fish will be less aggressive towards new members.

5. 

   Rearrange the accessories in the tank. Move rocks, plants and shelter to a new location. Rearranging trinkets before introducing new fish will distract the old fish and change the territory they have established in the tank. When new fish enter the tank, they will have the advantage of balancing and not being isolated from old fish.

6. 

   Get the fish familiar with the water environment of the main tank. After the fish has been quarantined for the right amount of time, you should repeat the procedure to familiarize the new fish with the water environment of the main tank similar to when placing the fish in the quarantine tank. This will help the fish get used to the main lake water and easily integrate into the new environment.
   • Place the fish in a bowl or bag of quarantine tank. Leave the fish bag floating on the water of the main lake for 15-20 minutes. Then use a clean bowl to fill the bag with water from the main tank. In the bag, there will be 50% of the main lake water and 50% of the quarantine water.

7. 

   Put the fish in the main tank. Leave the fish in the bag or bowl for another 15-20 minutes, then use the racket to remove the fish to drop into the main aquarium.
   • Monitor new fish for the next few weeks to make sure it gets along with other fish and shows no signs of disease.
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