How to Transfer a New Fish to an Aquarium

By nature, fish are very delicate pets and it requires a great amount of care to keep them healthy. Introducing a new fish to an aquarium can be a difficult task, as fish must first be acclimated to the water and temperature. The type of environment must also be taken into account; freshwater fish are far easier to acclimate than saltwater fish.

Things You'll Need

  • Clean bucket
  • Permanent marker
  • Ruler
  • Plastic tubing
  • Nylon net
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Instructions

  1. Introducing Freshwater Fish

    • 1

      Place the bag the fish came in in the aquarium water so that it floats on the surface.

    • 2

      Let the bag float for about five minutes, then open it gently and place about a cup of your aquarium water into it. Use the aquarium hood to clamp down on the end of the bag so it can continue to float.

    • 3

      Let it float for another 10 minutes, then repeat Step 2 and let it sit for another 10 minutes.

    • 4

      Remove the fish bag and empty the contents, including the fish, into the bucket.

    • 5

      Scoop up the fish with the nylon net and place it gently in the tank.

    Introducing Saltwater Fish

    • 6

      Place the fish and its original water, the water it was in at the pet store, into the bucket.

    • 7

      Use the ruler to measure the height of the water in the bucket.

    • 8

      Create a mark that is approximately double the height of the water level on the side of the bucket using the marker.

    • 9

      Start a small siphon using the plastic tubing from the new aquarium to the bucket. This can be done by plunging one end of the tubing into the aquarium water and vigorously pumping it until water begins to stream and tie a knot in the other end of the tubing while the water is siphoning so that the water drips, instead of streams, into the bucket.

    • 10

      Scoop the fish out of the bucket and place it into the aquarium once the water level in the bucket has reached the mark you made earlier.