Howdy, this may have been asked before, but I'm not sure how I'd search for it. How do folks generally acclimate fish caught in near-freezing winter waters to room temperature aquariums?
It's not a native fish, but I took advantage of a January thaw to catch the lone goldfish from a tiny outdoor pond I have. I'm not sure the pond is large enough to keep it alive through the Vermont winter, so I'm planning to keep it in an aquarium until Spring. I had to break some ice to get at it, so the water is certainly very little above freezing. I currently have the fish sitting indoors in a 2 gallon bucket of the pond water. I'd assume this will come up to room temperature in maybe 6-8 hours. Is that too quick? How have others handled this?
How long to acclimate winter-collected fish to room temperature?
Started by
Guest_jase_*
, Jan 19 2010 05:43 PM
10 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_mikez_*
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Posted 19 January 2010 - 05:51 PM
I had a formula; a five gallon bucket on the floor of my basement near the drafty bulkhead overnight, then pour most it off and start a slow drip from the main tank for a second night. Dump the whole thing in next AM.
I've used it for fish collected in winter and also to save icefishing bait from week to week.
I've used it for fish collected in winter and also to save icefishing bait from week to week.
#3
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Posted 19 January 2010 - 05:53 PM
I acclimate over a period of a few days in an area intermediate in temperature between the source waters and the indoor tank. If aeration needed, then do not start until water temperature gets into 50's, otherwise risk of "rolling" fish to death. Last stages of acclimation should involve a large gradual water change with water from recieving tank added to whatever container is used for warming the fish up. A little salt might also be helpful.
#4
Guest_schambers_*
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Posted 19 January 2010 - 06:35 PM
I don't usually collect fish from water so cold. I put my fish in a cooler with water from the collection site, aerate it and let it slowly come up to room temperature over a couple of days.
Centrarchid, could you elaborate on "rolling" fish to death? I collected fish from less than 50 degree fahrenheit for the first time two days ago. I didn't measure it, but guess it was in the low 30's. My cooler had been stored in the house, I am concerned it was too warm as the water temperature came up to nearly 60 overnight. I would have liked it to be slower than that.
Centrarchid, could you elaborate on "rolling" fish to death? I collected fish from less than 50 degree fahrenheit for the first time two days ago. I didn't measure it, but guess it was in the low 30's. My cooler had been stored in the house, I am concerned it was too warm as the water temperature came up to nearly 60 overnight. I would have liked it to be slower than that.
#5
Guest_jase_*
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Posted 20 January 2010 - 09:07 AM
Thanks for the advice. By the time I asked, this fish was already on his way up to room temperature in the 2 gallon bucket, and I didn't have a convenient way to slow the process down. The bucket was near room temp this morning, and he went into the main tank. Seems to be doing just fine. For next time, just putting a large volume of the source water in a cooler seems the easiest way to go. If I have somewhere intermediate between outdoor and indoor temperature to acclimate to first, I'll do that, also.
Centrarchid, I assume your recommended gradual water change from destination to temporary container is more about water chemistry than temperature?
I have to admit, a bright, healthy common goldfish is a pretty neat fish. Nice to see what a scrawny "feeder fish" can become in 5 months or so of hanging out in a pond with plenty of natural food to eat.
Centrarchid, I assume your recommended gradual water change from destination to temporary container is more about water chemistry than temperature?
I have to admit, a bright, healthy common goldfish is a pretty neat fish. Nice to see what a scrawny "feeder fish" can become in 5 months or so of hanging out in a pond with plenty of natural food to eat.
Edited by jase, 20 January 2010 - 09:12 AM.
#6
Guest_az9_*
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Posted 20 January 2010 - 09:29 AM
Thanks for the advice. By the time I asked, this fish was already on his way up to room temperature in the 2 gallon bucket, and I didn't have a convenient way to slow the process down. The bucket was near room temp this morning, and he went into the main tank. Seems to be doing just fine. For next time, just putting a large volume of the source water in a cooler seems the easiest way to go. If I have somewhere intermediate between outdoor and indoor temperature to acclimate to first, I'll do that, also.
Centrarchid, I assume your recommended gradual water change from destination to temporary container is more about water chemistry than temperature?
I have to admit, a bright, healthy common goldfish is a pretty neat fish. Nice to see what a scrawny "feeder fish" can become in 5 months or so of hanging out in a pond with plenty of natural food to eat.
I hope to bring in 3/4 inch fingerling bluegills and figured putting them in a 55 gallon drum with the 35 F. pond water at basement room temperature (62. f) with an agitator on top should do that trick. I can't see it warming up that fast but maybe I'm wrong? I'm also going to make the pond water in the drum a .5 percent salt solution. The tank they will go in will also have a .5 percent salt solution.
Will this not work?
#7
Guest_jase_*
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Posted 20 January 2010 - 10:04 AM
I hope to bring in 3/4 inch fingerling bluegills and figured putting them in a 55 gallon drum with the 35 F. pond water at basement room temperature (62. f) with an agitator on top should do that trick. I can't see it warming up that fast but maybe I'm wrong?
I'm no expert, but... With that volume of water I bet you'll get a pretty slow temperature rise, taking at least several days to get to ambient temp. I just got back from a long weekend, and I had turned our house heat down to 54F while we were gone. It took over a day for my 45g tank (airlift filter only) to come back up to room temperature (68F). If you want to make it more gradual, wrap an old blanket or two around the drum as insulation (especially if it's metal). As with a water heater tank, I imagine that could make quite a difference.
Something I've done in the past to temporarily keep a tank somewhat cooler than ambient in winter (poor man's chiller) is to setup an air pump such that the pump is outdoors with the tube passing indoors to an airstone in the tank. With the right air flow, you could probably do similar to slow the temperature increase, then shut off the air pump or bring it indoors to do the final warming. I probably would have tried that with my current goldfish if I had thought of it.
#8
Guest_mikez_*
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Posted 20 January 2010 - 02:08 PM
I hope to bring in 3/4 inch fingerling bluegills and figured putting them in a 55 gallon drum with the 35 F. pond water at basement room temperature (62. f) with an agitator on top should do that trick. I can't see it warming up that fast but maybe I'm wrong? I'm also going to make the pond water in the drum a .5 percent salt solution. The tank they will go in will also have a .5 percent salt solution.
Will this not work?
That would work fine. That much water will warm slowly if it's not 80 F room temp. Bluegill seem pretty tolerant of natural rise and fall of temps in shallow ice covered ponds in New England. Winter kill gets 'em but that's oxygen deprivation.
Rule of thumb IMO, most fish respond better to warming quickly than they do cooling quickly.
#9
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Posted 20 January 2010 - 02:20 PM
Really? I've always assumed the opposite, but can't say that I have any real data to point either way. Somehow just seemed to me that it would be more stressing for a poikilothermic animal to have its metabolism ramped up quickly than to have it slowed down quickly.Rule of thumb IMO, most fish respond better to warming quickly than they do cooling quickly.
#10
Michael Wolfe
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Posted 20 January 2010 - 07:35 PM
Really? I've always assumed the opposite, but can't say that I have any real data to point either way. Somehow just seemed to me that it would be more stressing for a poikilothermic animal to have its metabolism ramped up quickly than to have it slowed down quickly.
I agree with you... most of our native fish come from water rather cooler than room temperature... warming them up means water that has less oxygen carrying capasity, and a more favorable environment for may pathogens... when I bring home fish form cool waters, I just let it come to room temp naturally... if fish have bene held in transit (say coming home from a far away collecting trip) it is most important to get them quickly into watrer that is fresh and cool.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#11
Guest_bart_*
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Posted 20 January 2010 - 09:12 PM
I usually have them up to tank temps in 6 hours and have had no causalities as a result...ever. Granted, my tanks are in the basement and are usually in the low 60's in winter but again, no problems. I have started using the drip method using airline tubing and a small regulator and it works great. I probably would take it a bit slower if I had to take them up into the high 70's but I don't.
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