Acclimating GBRs

[KevinVA]

Hey guys,

I'm about to purchase 2-3 GBRs in order to find a mated pair. I'm a little nervous, because I've read how delicate this breed can be. I have a 10gal QT tank with a few decorations, bare bottom and black background. It's uncycled, but I'm in the process of cycling it with food from my previous quarantined individuals (who are now in the display tank). Figured I might as well do that, while I have some food in there... couldn't hurt, right? Then I could add that media to my established tanks and use it whenever I need to QT again.

Anyway, my question is in regards to how delicate these creatures are. Since my QT is uncycled (and I'll be doing a large waterchange, bringing down the ammonia to 0 again, once I do purchase them), doesn't look a thing like my display tank, has different params, temperature, etc, should I skip the QT and acclimate them for the display instead? I'm afraid that if I acclimate them to the QT, keep them in there for a week, then move them over to the display, having to acclimate them again... it might stress them to the point of death.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Gogi]

If QT is a most for you. I would just wait until your tank is cycled. If you are not going to QT i would drip acclimate the fish in a bucket with an air stone.

[KingFisher]

If my QT tank was not cycled and I had to get the rams now, I would just add them to the main tank and keep a close eye on them. I would only do this if I was confident in the shop and the health of their stock.

If you can wait until you have a properly cycled QT tank before bringing the rams home, that would be the best course of action.


If your water source and parameters is the same as the store where the rams are, you can just acclimate them like you would any other fish. Long drip acclimation methods are unnecessary in this situation.

[KevinVA]

If QT is a most for you. I would just wait until your tank is cycled. If you are not going to QT i would drip acclimate the fish in a bucket with an air stone.

I've read some information on the actual usefulness of QTs about a week ago, so I'm really up in the air about what I should do with new additions. What I read said that QTing could be worse for fish, because the stress of going from the QT to the display tank, could create an illness which would never have typically surfaced in a healthy, cycled, stress-free tank. Though, if your QT was nearly equivalent to that of the display tank with substrate, plants, params, etc... it would be fine. That being said... the QT tank would then become a display tank of sorts and would require upkeep with ammonia dosing, etc.

I'm going to head over to Petsmart today to see if they even have GBRs available - it's usually hit or miss, but I have a breeder e-mailing me if I want 3 GBRs at a pretty good price. Don't want to miss out on that, if Petsmart's prices are higher.

Ahhh, decisions, decisions...

[KevinVA]

I think PetSmart usually has their GBRs understocked and only housed with 1 other specie, and I know their water params are pretty equivalent to mine, so maybe I'd be ok with just adding them to the tank.

[KingFisher]

If the rams are from Petsmart I would definitely not add them without QTing them first.

[Lady Hobbs]

I take it the fish will be here tomorrow? I agree it would have made more sense to wait for the QT to be cycled but what's done is done. I would have asked the seller what pH he had the fish in. Perhaps the pH is the same as yours. That would have given you a starting point.

If you put them in an uncycled tank, you risk them dying from that but if you put them in the main tank, you risk the chances of ICK. Either way, it's a chance you're taking. I would probably put them in the main tank and hope like heck it wasn't a bad choice but my thinking is that I know an uncycled tank will probably kill them and perhaps you will never see ICK.

I have never line dripped but simple put the fish in a pail with an airstone and add a small amount of tank water every 15 minutes or so for perhaps an hour. I would also send the seller out an email and ask him what pH the fish is used to. If the pH is the same, then you are only adjusting the temp.

Not to make this long but.....do you have any seasoned media you could add to your filter in the QT tank? Get your fish in the tank and turn the lights off for a day.

[Lady Hobbs]

oops.....posting at the same time as kingfisher

[Goes to 11!]

If the rams are from Petsmart I would definitely not add them without QTing them first.

+1.

Petsmart has an open system meaning that your fish are swimming in water shared with many if not ALL the other fish you see.

QT and risk only the new arrivals OR skip QT and risk your entire tank - Those are your choices as it sits.

BTW you need not keep a QT running with ammonia all the time at all. All that's required is that you maintain a BB colony in the filter which is as easy as keeping it running on a stocked tank.

[KevinVA]

Thanks for the replies.

Perhaps I should just stick with the breeder. lol

I do have cycled media in two tanks - I tried getting another bag of bio media into one of those filters to get some nitro bacteria on there, but a couple of weeks wasn't enough. I've been afraid to take my cycled media out of my established tanks... Do you think if I cut a piece of sponge and plop it in the QT's filter, it would be ok? It only has to support 2-4 juvenile fish at a time.

The GBRs won't be here tomorrow (but I have some Apistos that will be - figured they'd be hardier so could handle an uncycled tank, so long as I kept up with daily water changes). I just received an e-mail from a GBR breeder last night who wants to know if I'd be interested in buying 3 for a pretty good price. Not sure how long that offer will last. $27 for 3 - pretty good for a breeder, instead of a big box store (and that includes shipping).