"Normal" Behavior during Drip Acclimation

[ThatGuyWithTheFish]

Hi All, so I'm finally getting around to transferring my fish to their new tank today. I've already got 3 otos in their and they're doing fine. The ones that are in a bucket right now (~4 drips per second) are 2 otos, 9 Rummies, and 3 honeycomb cats. The new tank has AS and is high-light/CO2, but I've turned off the CO2 today and might even tomorrow as well.

The Rummies were the hardest to catch because they're so fast. I noticed that when I put them in the bucket, they plopped in like they were dying and drifted towards the bottom. Could I have tired them out? Right now, they're all hiding under the driftwood, as expected, which I hope might reduce stress?

So what should I do in the next few hours and days to make this transfer as stress-less as possible? I'm aiming for 0 deaths, these are +$100 worth (and very well liked) of fish here!

Thanks

[rodcuda]

I would assume you wore them out, I think an airstone to make sure they are getting plenty of oxygen is all you should need.

[ThatGuyWithTheFish]

Okay, I've put them in. As expected, they're all freaking out and hiding. The rummynose are very pale. One of the honeycombs swam around for a bit before calming down. Now I just hope that they make it through the night? Should I leave the CO2 off again tomorrow? How should fish acclimate to CO2?