acclimating wild caught specemins

eric · 07-11-2008, 06:12 PM

Hi everyone, I hope someone can help me with this question. I'm trying to stock a tank with wild caught specemins that I catch locally in a wire fish trap. I've had no problem stocking invertebretes- crabs, shrimp, and snails are doing just fine. However the fish that I catch have never lived more than 24 hours. I don't they are getting beat up from being in the trap, instead they show signs of respratory distress (rapid breathing) and then quickly die. I've tried long gentle acclimation periods and oxygenating the water but nothing seems to help. Does anyone have any ideas?

Wes · 07-11-2008, 06:14 PM

most local fish need cooler water than the average tropical reef tank. what are your tank temps?

yourbedormine18 · 07-11-2008, 06:33 PM

how big is your tank?

how big are the fish ?

what kind of fish?

how are you acclimating them currently?

qckwzrd · 07-11-2008, 10:55 PM

have you tested the water they are coming out of compared to where they are going? ph, salinity, ammonia,temp, ect.

h20 freak · 07-12-2008, 11:45 PM

Where are you catching them?

eric · 07-13-2008, 10:13 AM

I checked the temp and it was 85 degrees, so I guess thats the problem. I don't know why the inverts are doing so well and the fish are not, but I'm speculating that the inverts are more likely to be stranded in tidal pools than fish and tidal pool temps can get high. I leave my trap in greenpoint, the water is quite polluted there but there are not many places to access the water in this area. I've been acclimating them over 5 hours in a 5 gal bucket but I guess they can't handle the higher temp at all.
Thank you all for your help. I'll try again in sept when the water temps are higher and my tank will be cooler.

johnmaloney · 07-13-2008, 11:21 AM

there is also a chemical in most inverts, (wet web media or chuck's addiction should have the actual name of the enzyme), that lets them tolerate warmer temperatures for a period, while their metabolic rate increases. just like you said, it is for surviving in tide pools.

eric · 07-13-2008, 05:56 PM

Thank you John, that is exactly what I wanted to know.

Bob 1000 · 07-13-2008, 06:03 PM

Water pars??? How are yours?? I have had no problem putting these fish into my tank after only a couple pours of a pitcher... My water temp is 78.4... and salinity is 1.026..Nitrates 0 on a sali kit and phosphates are very low...
Salinity is a lot lower where you are collecting then a typical reef tank..

jejton · 07-13-2008, 07:50 PM

The Long Island Sound is actually a brackish body of water. Greenpoint is mroe of an estuary as its where the East River starts emptying into the New York Harbor ( IIRC ) and therefore is also probably more brackish than average marine water.

07-11-2008, 06:12 PM	#1
eric Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: queens Posts: 24 Reefer Ratings: (0)	acclimating wild caught specemins Hi everyone, I hope someone can help me with this question. I'm trying to stock a tank with wild caught specemins that I catch locally in a wire fish trap. I've had no problem stocking invertebretes- crabs, shrimp, and snails are doing just fine. However the fish that I catch have never lived more than 24 hours. I don't they are getting beat up from being in the trap, instead they show signs of respratory distress (rapid breathing) and then quickly die. I've tried long gentle acclimation periods and oxygenating the water but nothing seems to help. Does anyone have any ideas?

07-11-2008, 06:14 PM	#2
Wes Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hoboken Posts: 1,595 Reefer Ratings: (6)	most local fish need cooler water than the average tropical reef tank. what are your tank temps? __________________ SPS LOVE NUTRIENTS...Except the bad ones.

07-11-2008, 10:55 PM	#4
qckwzrd Toe'Knee Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Crown Heights Brooklyn Posts: 561 Reefer Ratings: (14)	have you tested the water they are coming out of compared to where they are going? ph, salinity, ammonia,temp, ect. __________________ "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies"

07-12-2008, 11:45 PM	#5
h20 freak Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: PA =( Posts: 471 Reefer Ratings: (0)	Where are you catching them? __________________ tank specs 60 gal 4ft long,1 ft wide,2 ft tall 10 gal fuge 2135 gph total w.o return cpr sr3 skimmer Coralife aqualight 48"130 watts 10,000 K bulbs 70+pounds Lr(lost count after a while lol) Fish:Tomini surgeon fish, 1 occelaris clown, 1 blue-side fairy wrasse Inverts:2 scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp,2 peppermint shrimp,One pink pincushion urchin,snails,and One green brittle star corals: one shroom frag, and a toadstool leather. one step at a time.....

07-13-2008, 11:21 AM	#7
johnmaloney Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 106 Reefer Ratings: (2)	there is also a chemical in most inverts, (wet web media or chuck's addiction should have the actual name of the enzyme), that lets them tolerate warmer temperatures for a period, while their metabolic rate increases. just like you said, it is for surviving in tide pools. __________________ Here is a link to our sponsor section on this website. Here is a link to our website, we do clean up crews and macroalgae

07-11-2008, 06:33 PM	#3
yourbedormine18 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: oceanside, NY Posts: 569 Reefer Ratings: (10)	how big is your tank? how big are the fish ? what kind of fish? how are you acclimating them currently?

07-13-2008, 10:13 AM	#6
eric Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: queens Posts: 24 Reefer Ratings: (0)	I checked the temp and it was 85 degrees, so I guess thats the problem. I don't know why the inverts are doing so well and the fish are not, but I'm speculating that the inverts are more likely to be stranded in tidal pools than fish and tidal pool temps can get high. I leave my trap in greenpoint, the water is quite polluted there but there are not many places to access the water in this area. I've been acclimating them over 5 hours in a 5 gal bucket but I guess they can't handle the higher temp at all. Thank you all for your help. I'll try again in sept when the water temps are higher and my tank will be cooler.

07-13-2008, 05:56 PM	#8
eric Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: queens Posts: 24 Reefer Ratings: (0)	Thank you John, that is exactly what I wanted to know.

07-13-2008, 06:03 PM	#9
Bob 1000 Senile member.. Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Staten Island Posts: 3,042 Reefer Ratings: (25)	Water pars??? How are yours?? I have had no problem putting these fish into my tank after only a couple pours of a pitcher... My water temp is 78.4... and salinity is 1.026..Nitrates 0 on a sali kit and phosphates are very low... Salinity is a lot lower where you are collecting then a typical reef tank.. __________________

07-13-2008, 07:50 PM	#10
jejton Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Suffolk Posts: 1,277 Reefer Ratings: (8)	The Long Island Sound is actually a brackish body of water. Greenpoint is mroe of an estuary as its where the East River starts emptying into the New York Harbor ( IIRC ) and therefore is also probably more brackish than average marine water.

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