Acclimation Help

[Stingray36]

Hello Everyone,

I'm still pretty new to the hobby and still learning the ropes. If this isn't the right forum for this, let me know. Yesterday, I added a tailspot blenny and watchman goby to my quarantine tank after bringing them home from a LFS. At the store, both fish were active and healthy. Since I brought them home, they have not eaten and are hardly moving. I would be pretty stresssed out too if I'd been taken from one tank, to a bag, to a bucket, to a new sterile tank, but it's ben 36 hours at this point, and they're not showing much improvement. How long should it typically take for fish to start recovering from a tank move? These are the first fish that I'm putting in this QT setup.

Here's the specs for the quarantine tank right now:
-10 gal w/ HOB filter & 75W Heater
-~76 degrees F
-I have some Fritz Zyme in there to help buffer the amonia level, but I'm planning to do regular water changes.
-Salinity 1.025
Salt: Pro Reef Tropic Marin; all the water parameters are consistent with the info sheet for the salt mix

Pro Reef Salt Mix

Pharmaceutical Grade Salt for the Modern Aquaria! Tropic Marin's Pro-Reef is the ideal foundation for any new tank from fish only to a full-blown reef tank. When used as your regular salt mix it will help bring better ionic equilibrium to the tank, stabilizing pH and allowing the proper balance...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Is there anything else that I should be doing for them? What should I check?

Thank you!

 

[PSU4ME]

Can you take some pictures? Do you have any pvc type things in there to allow them to hide? Setup seems good, you just need to manage salinity and ammonia. Sometimes fish just need a bit to acclimate

 

[Chris A.]

Did you check the salinity that they came in? Raising salinity is stressful on fish

 

[FREAKINRICAN69]

Yep. Rapid salinity change shocks fish. They also need a place of refuge to hide while they acclimate as psu4me said. But you should have no ammonia at all in there and that could be partly the issue aside from them being newly acclimated additions to the environment they’re in. Keep an eye out place something in there for them to hide in and check parameters again for sure so your awesome additions get acquainted accordingly. GL

 

[PSU4ME]

How long are you planning to keep them in there? You’ll need to get some level of nitrifying bacteria going. Biospira or something similar. Unless the hob filter has a seeded sponge

 

[kgstei]

Did you drip acclimate them to your QT water before adding them?

 

[Mixed Reefer]

In my experience it takes a few days for a fish to start acting normal. One of my fish a Blond Naso Tang took two weeks to adjust. Stress. Keep your hands out of there and let them adjust. If you have everything else mentioned above you should be fine. You can use a feeding tool like a baster
To get the food in front of them. Good luck

 

[MarkSzy]

In my experience it takes a few days for a fish to start acting normal. One of my fish a Blond Naso Tang took two weeks to adjust. Stress. Keep your hands out of there and let them adjust. If you have everything else mentioned above you should be fine. You can use a feeding tool like a baster
To get the food in front of them. Good luck

What size tank did you QT the mask in? I have one on order and is supposed to be 2-3 inches. I am debating if I should just put him in the display or if I should QT in my 20g tall.

 

[Mixed Reefer]

What size tank did you QT the mask in? I have one on order and is supposed to be 2-3 inches. I am debating if I should just put him in the display or if I should QT in my 20g tall.

I purchased at two inches and used a 20 gallon

 

[MarkSzy]

I purchased at two inches and used a 20 gallon

great, thank you

 

[Owen386]

How did you acclimate the fish to the qt?

 

[Mixed Reefer]

I used a five gallon bucket and slowly drip acclimated to tank. Then added fish to aquarium.

 

[Owen386]

I used a five gallon bucket and slowly drip acclimated to tank. Then added fish to aquarium.

Good call yeah like others have said make sure they have a place to hide. Give them some time. Nobody likes moving

 

[Stingray36]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!
I do have some PVC in there for them, and they have gravitated to it. I did drip acclimate the fish after floating the bag. By the time the drip was over, the water was 1 part LFS water, 2 parts QT water. When I'm drip acclimating, I also put a heat pad underneath the bucket, to keep the temperature as consistent as I can.

The LFS keeps their fish at 1.025 sg too. I did have to mix the salt in while I was floating the bags, because I mistankenly thought they ran a hyposalinity system. I did dose some nitrifying bacteria when I put them in the QT.

They started moving around a bit more after the sun came up today. Now that it's dark out, they've hunkered down again. They seem to be very sensitive to light, much more so than other fish I've kept.

Here's some photos of them. Since they're so small and I don't want to shine a light directly on them, they're not great pictures. Let me know if there's anything in particular that you'd like to see. The watchman is about 1" and the tailspot is about 2".

 

[highfive52]

Hello Everyone,

I'm still pretty new to the hobby and still learning the ropes. If this isn't the right forum for this, let me know. Yesterday, I added a tailspot blenny and watchman goby to my quarantine tank after bringing them home from a LFS. At the store, both fish were active and healthy. Since I brought them home, they have not eaten and are hardly moving. I would be pretty stresssed out too if I'd been taken from one tank, to a bag, to a bucket, to a new sterile tank, but it's ben 36 hours at this point, and they're not showing much improvement. How long should it typically take for fish to start recovering from a tank move? These are the first fish that I'm putting in this QT setup.

Here's the specs for the quarantine tank right now:
-10 gal w/ HOB filter & 75W Heater
-~76 degrees F
-I have some Fritz Zyme in there to help buffer the amonia level, but I'm planning to do regular water changes.
-Salinity 1.025
Salt: Pro Reef Tropic Marin; all the water parameters are consistent with the info sheet for the salt mix

Pro Reef Salt Mix

Pharmaceutical Grade Salt for the Modern Aquaria! Tropic Marin's Pro-Reef is the ideal foundation for any new tank from fish only to a full-blown reef tank. When used as your regular salt mix it will help bring better ionic equilibrium to the tank, stabilizing pH and allowing the proper balance...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Is there anything else that I should be doing for them? What should I check?

Thank you!

Please don't right now on that salt.

 

[rock-n-reef]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!
I do have some PVC in there for them, and they have gravitated to it. I did drip acclimate the fish after floating the bag. By the time the drip was over, the water was 1 part LFS water, 2 parts QT water. When I'm drip acclimating, I also put a heat pad underneath the bucket, to keep the temperature as consistent as I can.

The LFS keeps their fish at 1.025 sg too. I did have to mix the salt in while I was floating the bags, because I mistankenly thought they ran a hyposalinity system. I did dose some nitrifying bacteria when I put them in the QT.

They started moving around a bit more after the sun came up today. Now that it's dark out, they've hunkered down again. They seem to be very sensitive to light, much more so than other fish I've kept.

Here's some photos of them. Since they're so small and I don't want to shine a light directly on them, they're not great pictures. Let me know if there's anything in particular that you'd like to see. The watchman is about 1" and the tailspot is about 2".

View attachment 172755View attachment 172756
View attachment 172754

It is natural for them to be skittish in a new tank, especially in a QT. They will slowly explore and come out. Each fish differs. but some can take a few days to be comfortable coming out. Keep up with the periodic water change / monitor ammonia. Feeding is a good time to observe them. I see you have not mentioned above, but assuming you are running a air pump / air stone to keep the water aerated?