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Floating Fish Bag With Marker Writing?

8K views 46 replies 14 participants last post by  thedudeabides 
#1 ·
PetSmart tells me to float a bag in my tank that they just wrote on with a permanent marker....does this sound right to you? PetCo uses a piece of paper with the SKU numbers but PetSmart writes it right on the bag. I just do not feel right about sticking a marker in my tank....the solvent evaporates I'm sure but still.

Opinions?
 
#3 ·
A lot of the time my LFS, petco (when I ask for bettas in a bag), and pet supermarket use black permanent marker. Never had a problem floating a bag or 2 at the same time. I would imagine once the ink dries it won't leech anything terrible and if it did it would be minimal. I have a 10g, 20L.
 
#6 ·
Water does not remove or make permanent marker leech, but in all honesty if you get your fish from chain stores(petsmart, petco) you're asking for trouble, I hope you quarantine them for 2 weeks before you add them to the main tank, also you should first float the bag to temp match then drip acclimate them for 1-2 hours to the tanks parameters you're putting them in that's the correct way to introduce a fish to an aquarium also float the bag with the lights off and add them with the lights off it reduces stress. But no the markers not going to do anything.

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#8 ·
I really have no choice on where I buy from, and of course I always float my bags...I used to drip acclimate but I found out its actually worse for your fish for many reasons. I have an entire thread on this here, the community basically agreed on drip acclimation being outdated science. I do not quarantine, I drive away pests with garlic in my main display.
 
#9 ·
I'm glad you asked because I had this same question- I bought fish from a diff store than I usually go to recently, and was surprised to see they wrote on the bag in marker (other place I frequent uses a slip of paper). I was concerned enough about it I transferred the fish gently as I could to another bag once home to float and acclimate. Now I know I won't have to do that again!
 
#11 ·
Drip acclimation is not bad for your fish not in the least, especially with sensitive fish, so say you get a fish that's been at the fish store with a ph of say 8.0 abd you just drop it in your tank with a ph of 7.2 - 7.5 you don't think that's going to shock and possible kill the fish?? I don't know who told you drip acclimation is bad but they are definitely wrong.

The drip method is the modern method preferred by most modern aquarists. It not only allows your fish to get used to the temperature of your tank, but also adjusts them to the pH, hardness, and numerous other water parameters. It is easy to do and only takes between 30 minutes to an hour depending on the speed of dripping.

Floating the bag only does temp and that doesn't really work either cause the surface of the water is warmer than the tank due to lighting, so if you do the floating method as I hope you already know this turn the lights off 30 min to an hour prior to getting your fishes.. it also reduces stress when introducing them.

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#13 ·
I have NEVER had success with drip acclimation, it just stresses the more fragile fish and allows ammonia build up. If you're introducing algae eaters, you're even worse off because they have nothing to eat unless you get really lucky(which I never have) and they take a wafer in your bucket. What I HAVE had success with is doing a 75% water change in my high tech tank, floating fish and introducing them. It lowers all your fertilizer levels to minimal and brings your PH back up to near tap. This is how I introduce my more delicate fish like Otos and it works wonderfully. They then are slowly acclimated IN the tank as the parameters gradually return to their normal state over days.
 
#12 ·
No fish store uses drip acclimation, not even high end stores.

See the thing with drip acclimation is that the fish has been in the bag for a while right, which has changed chemistry of the bag drastically (usually ammonia and pH) as soon as you open that bag you blow off the CO2 cap and cause a drastic pH change, so it ends up being more harmful than a plop and drop. Even Rachel O'leary has explained this very clearly, this drip acclimation thing applies to like 5% of saltwater fish. I realize the light will stress a fish but unless your using old school incandescent bulbs the surface will not be warmer. To each their own I suppose.
 
#14 ·
I don't leave them in the bag for acclimation I use a Tupperware container and yes my lfs does do drip acclimation, they also quarantine and medicate fish for 2 weeks before they will even sell them, I learned my lesson before I started going to my lfs and got 6 penguin tetras that I didn't drip acclimate because I had an outing came home every one was dead, called the fish store their ph was 6.8 my ph is 7.6

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#15 ·
I tried dripping some Galaxy/Firework Rasboras before that I had special ordered and took me months to get them in, lost them all the following day. Plop and drop after a float was successful. I have the over tank unit, bag sits in tank and a cup of tank water drips down from a nozzle above. I will not use it anymore, if you are talking about moving a fish within your house sure but not a fish that has been in a bag. How are you transferring a fish from a bag, to a container to drip acclimate? Are you transferring the same water from the bag? If so your transferring ammonia water plus possibly drastically different pH water. Not worth it.
 
#17 ·
I think my water is pretty good, that's 2 weeks without a water change, ph is not where id like it I want it 7.2-7.4 it's about 7.6, yes my plants are a bit skimpy as I'm just a beginner with them and just now got the right lighting and ferts


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#36 ·
I think my water is pretty good, that's 2 weeks without a water change, ph is not where id like it I want it 7.2-7.4 it's about 7.6, yes my plants are a bit skimpy as I'm just a beginner with them and just now got the right lighting and ferts
FWIW, looks like a good amount of calcium based rock in there. Getting your pH lower (and keeping it low and stable) will be near impossible with that white rock in the tank.

Back to OP, Sharpie ink has never been a noticeable problem with me either. Also, I have started rinsing the bag under the faucet for a second or two to get off shredded newspaper insulation, etc from shippers. Now I rinse bags from the LFS too. Probably more placebo than anything for me, but it makes me feel like I'm doing what I can to remove dust, contaminants, LFS guy's potato chip fingerprints, etc. from the bag right before I float it.
I've always been a temp acclimation guy so even if I drip acclimated something, I feel like I should float afterwards to get the temp the same. I usually just float for 20ish minutes, lay a net across a bucket to pour the fish into, then place them in the tank and discard vendor water
 
#22 ·
I just called aquarium adventure they said some drop most drip, I guess if you know your fish stores parameters it's fine but I just like to make sure they are acclimated to my tank before I net them in.

Sorry bout that Ty, but the tree looking plant is fake, after I get my plants growing I'll be swapping it out for something real.

I have sagitaria over there you can barely see it in the pic, I have runners all over the place

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#26 ·
Practice with something small, the cost to fill a 125 with plants is steep without a supplier.
Isn't that the truth, 3 plants cost me $16.00 (flame leaf, anubias Nana, sagitaria) my lfs runs specials a lot like right now on their rainbows that are out of quarantine tomorrow is buy 3 get 2 free cause they over stocked, plants are 3 for 20 (any type) but yes the decor, substrate, filters, plants, are going to be expensive, I have 18 lbs of Texas holey rock in that 55 and that's $150.00 but I won't be putting that in the 125 I don't think lol

Should say it's buy 3 get 2 free for just 5 hours as they can't keep them in the store long enough so they over ordered this time lol. Getting 2 bosmani, 2 red Iranian, abd 1 more turquoise
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#29 ·
I made the mistake once of forgetting I had purchased fish and almost forgot about them until they'd been in the car, in their bag for 6 hours. They weren't looking real great, but since they were going in an outdoor stock tank (250 gallon) with a bunch of growing and healthy Water Lilies and Hyacinth, I did an immediate plop and drop after making sure the water they were being transferred into was slightly acid, ( pH of about 6.7) so they wouldn't get ammonia shocked.

They looked OK the next morning and then they really colored up after about a week. So I don't think the short exposure to ammonium in the time they were forgotten hurt them much. Not going to say this will be the case all the time.
 
#31 ·
I dint leave mine in the bag though I put them in a Tupperware container, I'm not saying I haven't just dropped fish in the tank but after I lost the penguin tetras I started ritual doing drip acclimation haven't lost a fish from the initial addition since about 3 years now, tomorrow might be a different story though as I'm getting 11 fish

2 bosmani rainbows
2 Iranian red rainbows
1 Turquoise rainbow
3 peppermint /candy cane tetras
3 lemon tetras (so I can make a school of 6 of each instead of 3 they are fighting with each other)

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#32 ·
I dint leave mine in the bag though I put them in a Tupperware container,
What does that even mean I still do not understand that at all. Same water, bag, Tupperware, shoe, pineapple cut in half, doesent mater what you use the concept is the same if your using fish store water.
 
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