Getting my first fish in 3 days, got any tips?

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Hey everyone, if you have been following my build thread, you might know that I am getting fish this Saturday, the 17th. I have a small 15G tank, and it finished its cycle 2 days ago.

I am nervous that my water is toxic, because nothing has been in it yet, but I think I am just overthinking it. I am a big overthinker. My LFS does test water for free, so I will bring a sample so they can do that, but does anyone know how much I should bring?

I am very nervous, but also very excited. I know that there is always going to be a possibility of fish unfortunately passing away, but I am not good with that kind of stuff, so I would like to limit it as much as I can.

With all that being said, I would appreciate any advice you have for me.

Thanks,

Walker

 

[Stevorino]

The LFS will probably use only a few ounces of water to do the tests, but I like to bring a ~16oz plastic water bottle's worth for ease and convenience.

I would just say to keep the lights low as long as you can... until you are getting ready for coral, it gives the good stuff in your tank more runway to get established... and fish don't care that much about light.

Have fun Saturday. Think ahead of time about the fish you want to keep, and research compatibility with one another and corals. 15g is plenty big, but you also want to be very intentional about what you put in there.

 

[saltcats]

My tip is think about how you plan to transfer the fish from bag to tank ahead of time, and make sure you have everything you need right there so you can grab it easily!

Have you seen Jay Hemdal's acclimation guide?

At the fish store don't rush, spend some time looking at the fish and make sure you are happy with the condition of it before you buy it. If the store will feed it so you can watch it eat, that's ideal.

Ask them what salinity they keep their system at before you buy the fish as well; some places run lower salinity in their fish only tanks to help keep down disease, and that can be an issue for acclimation.

Have fun !!

 

[crabgrass]

What all are you adding? It looks like you have a smaller tank, so just keep it slow.

Since you are adding fish, folks are going to QT then first. Which would mean spinning up a new tank and keeping them there for 70-90 days and possibly treating them. This is good advice, but also not followed by folks starting (including myself). Given the size of the tank and your first fish you can probably take the gamble.

Give it 2 years, and you will be moving onto a 150g and you can think about it then

 

[crabgrass]

My tip is think about how you plan to transfer the fish from bag to tank ahead of time, and make sure you have everything you need right there so you can grab it easily!

Have you seen Jay Hemdal's acclimation guide?

At the fish store don't rush, spend some time looking at the fish and make sure you are happy with the condition of it before you buy it. If the store will feed it so you can watch it eat, that's ideal.

Ask them what salinity they keep their system at before you buy the fish as well; some places run lower salinity in their fish only tanks to help keep down disease, and that can be an issue for acclimation.

Have fun !!

All this. And do not dump the fish and bag water right into the tank. It could have copper and other meds in it that you don’t want in your tank. Look up the guide and figure out where you’ll acclimate and how to transfer

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

The LFS will probably use only a few ounces of water to do the tests, but I like to bring a ~16oz plastic water bottle's worth for ease and convenience.

I would just say to keep the lights low as long as you can... until you are getting ready for coral, it gives the good stuff in your tank more runway to get established... and fish don't care that much about light.

Have fun Saturday. Think ahead of time about the fish you want to keep, and research compatibility with one another and corals. 15g is plenty big, but you also want to be very intentional about what you put in there.

My tip is think about how you plan to transfer the fish from bag to tank ahead of time, and make sure you have everything you need right there so you can grab it easily!

Have you seen Jay Hemdal's acclimation guide?

At the fish store don't rush, spend some time looking at the fish and make sure you are happy with the condition of it before you buy it. If the store will feed it so you can watch it eat, that's ideal.

Ask them what salinity they keep their system at before you buy the fish as well; some places run lower salinity in their fish only tanks to help keep down disease, and that can be an issue for acclimation.

Have fun !!

All this. And do not dump the fish and bag water right into the tank. It could have copper and other meds in it that you don’t want in your tank. Look up the guide and figure out where you’ll acclimate and how to transfer

What all are you adding? It looks like you have a smaller tank, so just keep it slow.

Since you are adding fish, folks are going to QT then first. Which would mean spinning up a new tank and keeping them there for 70-90 days and possibly treating them. This is good advice, but also not followed by folks starting (including myself). Given the size of the tank and your first fish you can probably take the gamble.

Give it 2 years, and you will be moving onto a 150g and you can think about it then

Thanks, everyone for the advice! @crabgrass, as for my quarantine plan, I have none. LOL. I will ask my LFS of their quarintine process, and hope its good enough for now. I know on the future, to never trust the LFS quarantine process but I don't have another tank I can use. I will just watch my fish verrrry closely for the first couple of weeks, to make sure everyone is healthy.

As for my acclimation process, I know to try to limit the amount of water that goes into my tank, and I will check out the acclimation guide!