Transcontinental Shipments

[baobao]

Lee,

Could you advise on a protocol for acclimating fish that have been in transit between 36 and 48 hours?

Thanks.

[leebca]

The process has to encourage getting the fish out of the 'bad water' as soon as possible along with chemical efforts to reduce the toxicity of the wastes built up in the water.

The process begins by having a low pH in the QT water. (pH of 7.8 to 7.9)

Thus without going into detail, at the time the bag is opened in the 'regular' process, a chemical is added to bind the ammonium ion.

As water is added to the bagged fish from the QT, a close watch by portable pH meter is done on the bag water. When the first dump has come and gone, the adds of QT water now are artificially given a slight boost in pH to very slightly accelerate the bag water pH to rise toward the pH of the QT water.

After the second dump, the pH adjustment to bag water is no longer performed.

When the bag pH is within 0.2 pH units of the QT water, the fish is freshwater dipped and placed into the QT. Over the next week, the pH of the QT is raised to within the 'normal range.' Extra effort and attention is given to hold the pH steady during the quarantine process.

[baobao]

Lee,

Typically, when Ireceive shipments that have been in transit close to 24 hours, the PH is around 6.5; I've had good success in just dumping the fish into a holding tank that has water with PH matched to the bag (in this case 6.5).
When losses occur, it's usually because the PH changes by 0.5 to 1.0 over the next couple of hours (it seems that saltwater has a propensity/inertia towards 7.5)

For shipments over 36 hours, Can't this same technique be applied in lieu of your suggestion above? Conceptually, the fish are being moved immediately to better water and into PH matched water.

The challenge seems to be controlling to rate of change in the PH. Any ideas on how to do this? Would use of a CO2 equipment help?

[leebca]

What you've done by 'dumping' is to churn the water up and expose it to the air. In effect you've put in a mildly active air stone, which you're not supposed to do. Gases exchange and the pH drifts toward the buffering zone.

Keep the fish in the bag. This will control the pH shift. Follow directions and you'll loose fewer fish.