How to Release newly purchased fish into the tank

It’s exciting to put new fish in your tank, because you’ve finally found new friends for your aquarium. But improperly introducing new fish into the tank can cause the fish to become sick and die. The aquarium needs to be properly prepared before you release your newly purchased fish.

Table of Contents

Prepare new aquarium

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Wash off pebbles, stones and decorations. After purchasing the aquarium and its accessories, you must rinse them in warm water. Do not use soap or detergent to wash pebbles, stones or decorations, only warm water. This is to make sure the items are free of dust, bacteria or toxins. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You can put the gravel in the sieve to wash it. Place the sieve over 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 passing through the sieve is clear and clean.
You will put the accessories in the tank after rinsing. Remember to level the gravel at the bottom of the tank, and place rocks and decorations in the tank so the fish have a place to hide and explore.

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Fill the tank with room temperature water one-third full. Use a clean bucket to fill the tank with water, placing a saucer on top of the gravel as you pour in so the gravel doesn’t scatter around. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Once you have filled the tank one-third full, you should add a water regulator or dechlorinator to remove chlorine from the tap water. Chlorine in tap water is very dangerous to fish, and can cause fish death and/or illness.
You should see the water turn cloudy in two to three days. It is caused by bacteria that multiply and will naturally disappear after that.

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Connect the aerator. You should attach an aerator to the tank to make sure the water has enough oxygen. You need to connect the air line from the aerator to the air inlet of the tank, such as aerated rock. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

You should use the aquarium’s one-way valve, which is a small valve attached to the outside of the tank to keep the air line in place. The check valve allows you to place the air pump lower than the aquarium. It acts as a gate to prevent water from flowing back up in the event of a power outage to the pond.

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Plant more artificial or real trees. Real plants are great because they help circulate oxygen in the tank, but you can add artificial plants to create hiding places for the fish. You can also use plants to cover aquarium equipment that you want to hide for aesthetic reasons. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Keep real plants moist until they are ready to be planted in the tank by wrapping them in wet newspaper. Plant the roots below the gravel surface so that the tops are exposed. You can add fertilizer used for plants under water to ensure good growth.

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Circulating water in the lake with a recirculating device. The process of circulating aquarium water will help balance the ammonia and nitrite levels released by the fish and introduce beneficial bacteria into the tank for them to eat these harmful chemicals. You need to recirculate the aquarium water for four to six weeks for the aquarium to maintain biochemical balance. Doing this before introducing new fish will help maintain the fish’s mobility and health in the new environment. You can purchase a recirculator kit at a pet store or online. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

When you first recirculate the aquarium water, you will see ammonia build up by the second or third week. The nitrite will then begin to accumulate when the ammonia level returns to zero. After circulating the water to week six, the ammonia and nitrite will return to zero and you will see nitrate build up. Nitrates are less toxic than ammonia and nitrites. You can control nitrate levels by properly maintaining your water periodically.
If you are using a circulator and find that ammonia or nitrite readings are positive while the aquarium is still circulating the water, 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.

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Check water quality. Once the lake water is fully recirculated, you should also check the water quality. You can use a water test kit purchased at a pet store or online.

The lake water should have a zero chlorine value, and the pH should be at or as close to the pH of the water at the fish store as possible.

Release fish in new tank

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Transport newly purchased fish in plastic bags. Most pet stores will put the fish in clear plastic bags. You should put the fish in a dark place while transporting it home from the store. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Try to bring the fish home immediately as it needs to be released into the tank as soon as possible after being placed in the plastic bag. This will reduce stress on the fish and help it acclimate to the aquarium water more quickly. The color of the fish may fade a little after the trip home, but you don’t need to worry as this is normal; The fish will return to its original color after being released into the tank.

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Turn off the lights in the aquarium. Lower the brightness or turn off the lights in the tank before you put the fish in, as bright lights create a stressful environment for the fish. The aquarium also needs plenty of plants and rocks to house new fish. These decorations will help the fish to reduce stress during the time of getting used to the new home.

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Release two or more fish at a time. This is to ensure that the old fish in the tank can 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. Release new fish into the tank in groups of 2-4 fish so as not to suddenly change the number of fish in the tank. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Always choose to buy fish that look healthy and disease-free. You should keep a close eye on new fish during the first few weeks to make sure they don’t show any signs of illness or stress.
Some people will keep new fish in a two-week quarantine to make sure they don’t get sick or infected. If you have a lot of time and have a backup aquarium, you can use it as an isolation tank, this is also a solution. If you find sick fish in the quarantine tank, it can be treated without affecting the other fish or the new aquarium’s water environment.

Release new fish into existing tank

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Prepare the isolation pool. Isolate new fish to ensure they are healthy and not introduce disease into your existing aquarium. The isolation tank should have a minimum capacity of 20-40 liters, use old filter cotton used in the aquarium. The old filter cotton contains beneficial bacteria to provide the aquarium with isolation. The pond should have a heater, lights and a lid. ^{[10] X Research Sources}^{[11] X Research Sources}

If you are a fish enthusiast, you probably already have a quarantine tank ready. Keep the quarantine tank clean and well prepared before buying new fish.

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Release the new fish into the quarantine tank for two to three weeks. After preparing the isolation tank, you will put new fish in to let the fish get used to the new water environment. ^{[12] X Research Source}

First you open the fish bag and put it in the tank for 15-20 minutes. This is the time for the fish to get used to the water environment of the isolation tank.
After 15-20 minutes, open the bag and use a clean bowl to scoop into it an amount of water equal to the amount of water available in the bag. The bag will contain 50% lake water and 50% fish shop water. Avoid mixing water already in the bag into the tank as this can introduce bacteria into the tank water.
Let the fish bag float in the tank for another 15-20 minutes. You can close the mouth of the bag to prevent water from spilling out. After 15-20 minutes, you use a racket to catch the fish and gently drop it into the isolation tank.
Monitor the fish in the quarantine tank daily to make sure they are not carrying disease or parasites. After the fish live in the quarantine tank for 2-3 weeks with no problems, you can release them into the main tank.

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Change 25-30% of the water. Changing the water will help new fish get used to the nitrate levels in the tank and avoid stressing them out. This is a very important step if you do not regularly change the water for the main tank. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Change the water by sucking 25-30% of the lake water out and replacing it with dechlorinated water. You then recirculate the water several times with the filter cotton to make sure the nitrate balance in the tank is correct.

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Feed the fish in the main tank. If the tank is full of fish before you add new fish, you should feed the fish first. Old fish that are well fed will be less aggressive towards new members.

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Rearrange the accessories in the tank. Move rocks, plants, and shelters to new locations. Rearranging the decorations 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 a balanced advantage and are not isolated from the old fish. ^{[14] X Research Source}

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Help new fish get used to the water environment of the main tank. After the new fish have been isolated for a suitable period of time, you should repeat the process to familiarize the new fish with the water of the main tank similar to when releasing the fish into the isolation tank. This will help the fish get used to the main tank water and easily integrate into the new environment. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Place the fish in a bowl or bag containing the water of the quarantine tank. Let the fish bag float on the main lake water for 15-20 minutes. Then use a clean bowl to scoop water from the main tank into the bag. In the bag, there will be 50% of the main lake water and 50% of the water of the isolation tank.

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Release the fish into the main tank. Leave the fish in the bag or bowl for an additional 15-20 minutes, then use a racket to take the fish out to release into the main aquarium. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Monitor the new fish for the next few weeks to make sure it gets along well with other fish and shows no signs of illness.

Steps

Prepare new aquarium

Release fish in new tank

Release new fish into existing tank

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