How to treat new arrivals: LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!

[Albanets]

Since I have got my first discus couple of weeks ago, I had to read tons of articles about how to properly acclimatize new fish. This topic is very well known and kind of common sense for any fish keeper, so if you are experienced, please skip :).
After reading numerous posts in archive, I was amazed by how some people act.

Say, they got new 12 nickel size BDs.

Below is what people do AFTER what they think is proper acclimatization (drip and float, etc):

They start jumping up and down and around tanks
turn on the lights
stare at new discus (as close as possible)
check discus condition (in 5 minutes intervals)
put large amounts of DIFFERENT foods (tetra bits, blood worms, beefheart, etc) at the same time
check water conditions
check if fish ate
found that discus couldn't care less and feels like... hmm... poop

PANIC

Perform MASSIVE water changes with non-aged water
measure pH, KH, water hardness and conductivity, dissolved gases, temperature and density, measure footprint amounts of heavy metals by spectrophotometry.
check discus condition (in 5 minutes intervals)
find that discus is depressed, homesick, looks like it feels jetlag and hangover at the same time

PANIC

write to Simply discus describing the situation
Read comments
Perform MASSIVE water change with non-aged water
Raise temperature up to 92F, drop salt, metro, pratzi & Melafix

Go to bed and HAVE NIGHTMARES
Wake up next morning at 5:00 AM and find new fish


ALL DEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!!


Bottom line: The more fish is stressed, the more it gets sick.
At first, fish associates you with stress.
Later, IF it forgets about stress, it aassociates you with food.

So, what I think:
Leave the damn thing alone! turn off the light and cover the tank with towels!
Feed them in 12 hours SPARINGLY and avoid any unnecessary contacts. Approach tank with food only and feed SPARINGLY.
Perform first WC in 24 hrs (I assume you have a cycled filter and stuff).

[White Worm]

Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning??

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[Elcid]

Andrew Soh has a nice 3 page writeup in his book, the Naked Truth titled "Import Quarantine Procedure" Although I must admit that I have never followed his procedure his Nine Step QT Procedure seems to be very well thought out and we should all consider it when we get new fish!

Maybe Andrew will give us some brief highlight on this thread. I would do it but I don't wanna get Dr. Soh or Al MAD :) U know copyright, legal, ouch!

take care,
Sandeep

[Albanets]

Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning??

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http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_50_3.gif

LOL OK

:jester:

[Albanets]

Andrew Soh has a nice 3 page writeup in his book, the Naked Truth titled "Import Quarantine Procedure" Although I must admit that I have never followed his procedure his Nine Step QT Procedure seems to be very well thought out and we should all consider it when we get new fish!

Maybe Andrew will give us some brief highlight on this thread. I would do it but I don't wanna get Dr. Soh or Al MAD :) U know copyright, legal, ouch!

take care,
Sandeep

I like when something is well thought. :)
As I said, it is common sense. However, some newbies got a syndrome called "act first think later".

lol

[White Worm]

Yeah,,,,If you look up the definition of newbie in websters dictionary,,,,there it is,,,,



http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_13_3.gif


; To freak out,; act without thinking,; post 50 million questions on simplydiscus.com,; raise water temp,; check water,; wc,; add salt,; add meds,; wc,; pull hair out of head and have bad dreams. LMAO,,,Weve all been there at one time or another. I'm still kinda there

[candyl70]

LOL Mikey!!! http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_11_6.gif

I agree with you post though Albanet. Sometimes people get really excited when they get new fish. But I like the idea of just putting a towel over them and leaving them alone for a bit. The last time I got new babies, they were swimming all over in about 10-30 mins. THen I fed them a tad bit of food.

Anyhow... good thread! Sometimes ppl have to remember to take it easy! lol

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[ronrca]

lol! you guys are funny! You have to understand newbies, well, I can understand them because at one time I was a newbie and did many things as described in the first post. lol! Live and learn or a better solution as also mentioned, learn and live. :D Now I just take them out of the tank and cuddle them for awhile. Usually calms them down. ;) It took awhile to get use to touching slimey fish though.

[Albanets]

Mikscus, that was a good one!
looooooooooool

[CAGE-RATTLER]

Well some newbies .......... post on here to get the good info before doing anything and are told to to raise temps, add salt, do WC's etc etc etc.

We're not ALL stupid ..... lol

[White Worm]

No worry's Cage,,,, I know about a million things more than I knew 3 months ago about discus and keeping them and I still feel stupid and newbie-ish sometimes. Good thing we have patient assistance from Albanets though right? :p :D

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We're all here to help out with whatever we can and thats the good thing about this forum. I have never found anything quite like simply in my years of internet surfing. A bunch of strangers who drop what they are doing to help another stranger with their fish,, how cool is that I ask ya?

Then you end up making about 5000 + friends,, thanks everyone!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_10_5.gif

[Elcid]

I don't know. Sometimes I think the more we know the more "newbie like behaviour we follow", we just don't talk about it ;)

[candyl70]

Lol!! that is true too! So much runs through my head if i think my fish could be sick, or if I am trying to help someone! Funny how that works out. ;)

[Kindredspirit]

lol! Now I just take them out of the tank and cuddle them for awhile. .



lol! Ron! That is the only thing wrong with this type of pet! I am a hugger!http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/11/11_2_104.gif ( is that a word?)



Marie~

[ed8t]

Heh heh...this is all good...

I think to survive in this crazy hobby you must be a bit obsessive. So initiation rites have newbies proving themselves obsessive by doing everything they could possibly remember in every post posted on Simply ;)

at least I've tried...

[White Worm]

You said a mouthful there :D Try saying that that 3 times real fast, lol.

[Audrey]

People (NEWBIES) just care very much for their new VERY EXPENSIVE pets. Nothing wrong with that. Then they are eager to succeed, because discus are just so cool ! !:p

If it were just $1.29 gold fish, newbies probably wouldn't get their undies on their heads.

The breeder I purchased my discus from advised me to "break them in right away, don't baby them"... so I did and it worked for me.

Audrey

[Kindredspirit]

umm....Yeah!


...what Audrey said below~




( happy birthday eve, woman!)http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_10_3.gif


Marie~

[Audrey]

:wave:
Hey,....thanks, Marie!

Audrey