please help!!!!?

Question

if you read my other message then you will know about my situation. i decided to take about 75% of the water out. ive now filled it back up with freash water, and added some treatment to it, my fish are still in the bucket. will my fish be ok in the bucket for a few hours?? as im goin to have to wait for the water in the tank to heat back up! im new to all this, so any feedback would be very helpful thank you

Answer 1

Just throw in a bucket of warm water the conditioner will neutralise any metals in the water .
Yes they will survive in the bucket for a few hours, pump some air in there to be safe .
Be sure to add biozymes to your water to boost good bacteria as metals in new water can kill off any existing culture .
Keep a close eye out for white spot and fungus for the next week

Answer 2

They should be fine in the bucket but, as mentioned, you could simply heat some water to add to the tank to get the temperature where it needs to be. Just make sure you add dehlorinator to the tank before adding the fish (same for the water in the bucket). As mentioned you should float the fish and acclimate them to the new water conditions (temperature, pH) rather than just dumping them back in the tank.

If you do leave them in the bucket for 4 hours, keep an eye on them and make sure they have enough oxygen. If they start gathering at the top and look like they're gasping for air, simply dip some water from the bucket and pour it back in so that it creates a small splash. The surface disturbance adds oxygen and should solve the problem. It might be a good idea to do that every 30 minutes to an hour anyway. The fish are already stressed enough and don't need any more problems to deal with. I would also set the bucket up on a table. As you know, hot air rises so the air at floor level will be coldest, causing the water to cool faster. Setting it on a table will keep it in slightly warmer air and help keep the temperature up as high as possible (if you have an extra heater, you could also put that in the bucket).

As for acclimating the fish, the best way to do this is to float them in the baggy as mentioned and every 10 minutes, add a cup of the tank water to the baggy. Wait 10 minutes and add another cup. Do this about 4 times and the fish should be totally acclimated to the new water.

A side note on acclimating fish that doesn't apply in your case: In cases where there is a large difference in the tank water pH and the water they are in (such as when you buy new fish and they are in the store water), you may have to spend more time to get the pH adjusted. I once spent 3 hours doing this with new angel fish I had bought. My pH in the tank was 7.0 but the water from the LFS was below 6.0. Those angel fish (4 of them) are now over 2 years old and doing great. Large swing in pH are very bad and can cause major problems.

Answer 3

You can heat the tank by boiling some water and slowly raising the temp to the correct level, that way they don't have to stay so long in the bucket. It may take a couple of pans full of water, you can get it right out of the tank, boil and replace. Good job on making the temp right, your fish will thank you! Remember a little warmer is ok, its the colder water that really stresses the fish.
75% sometimes is a must, if you have kept the ph close and the temp they will not die on you. I did a 100% just yesterday and they are fine. I have to change 100% every 4 to 6 months, and I have never had a problem doing so. I think its wise thing to do at least once a year. Especially if you are using tap water. Toxins build up in your tank from the chemicals that the city puts into the water. Since only water evaporates, chemicals get left behind to accumulate in the water, over time they build up to toxic levels and erode the liver of the fish. At least I know that to be true of the local tap water. If you want to know what your city has put into the water, request a water report from your city's water provider, it should be free of charge. I was surprised that there are levels of arsenic, cyanide, and chloroforms (poop) in our city water YUCK!! So I dilute it with reverse osmosis water.

Answer 4

Sorry didn't get to your other questions. Your fish will be fine in the bucket.

When doing a water change tank cleaning, first remember no more than 25% of the water changed. More than that is not needed. Also, you can use warm tap water as your water ALSO NEVER TAKE your fish out of the tank whenyou clean it.

It is safer and healthier for your fish to remain in the tank. If you have any question, please feel free to im or email me.

ADDED:

DO NOT BOIL your water. Boiling the water will concentrate the nitrates (not to mention other chemicals) already in the water.

Fish are more hearty than most think. now that your bucket water is cooling, it should match your tank in no time flat. When the water temps are within a few degrees, add your fish back to the tank and let them naturally increase with the temperature of your tank.

Answer 5

When the water n the tank is heated and seasoned take the fish in the bucket and put them in baggies ( a few fish per baggy depending on size). Float the baggies in the tank for a few hours so the water temperature equalizes and then pour the fish out into the tank.

Answer 6

Removing 75% of the water is too much. Ideally, you should only change upto 2/3 of the water at a time, but we're obviously past that now...

Your fish should be OK in the bucket, provided that the bucket was clean, and you didn't use it for mopping, etc. If your tank water temperature is rising very slowly, you might want to drop an airstone into the bucket to keep the bucket water aerated and slightly circulating.

Answer 7

You have hot and cold taps? You should adjust the temp there rather than make the fish wait in a bucket.
75% water change is too much at once. Those fish are going to die from stress.

Answer 8

you took out too much water. next time leave them in the tank and pour in some warm water from the tap mixed with the chemical. for now, just stir your bucket to create air bubbles for them if you don't have an air stone

Answer 9

they will be ok in the bucket for s while, up to 4 hours, you could have put in some warm water to help the tank heat up faster.

Answer 10

what i would do is every five minutes take 2 jugs of water out of the bucket and put in 2 jugs from the tank, this will help with ur temp until your ready to put the fish back , x