Re: [Killietalk] Breather bag question

[Wright Huntley <whuntley at verizon_net>]

Ipchay61 at aol_com wrote:


> In a message dated 4/1/2005 1:38:16 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
> rgoldstein at rjgacarolina_com writes:
>
> I have  always dumped arriving fish out of breathing bags as quickly as 
> possible,  as recommended by Kordon, and never had a problem.
>
>
> The method that I suggested is almost to the word exactly the same as  Kordon 
> suggests (see print on breathing bag).
>  
>  
> Please follow these steps when emptying these bags.  
>
> 1) Do not "float" a breathing bag in water.  This bag does not  breathe in 
> water, only in air. 
> 2) Open breathing bag and pour 1/3 of water  out though dip-net while keeping 
> bags occupants inside the bag. 
> 3) Replace  this water in the breathing bag with water from the container 
> into which the  occupants will be placed. 
> 4) After 5 minutes repeat step 3. 
> 5) After  another 5 minutes, again repeat step 3. 
> 6) After another 5 minutes, net the  occupants out of the breathing bag and 
> place into the container in which they  are to be kept. 
> 7) Discard water from breathing bag down suitable drain. 
>  
> Chip in SC

That is exactly what is on my bags, and it has a fair probability of 
killing the fish. Kordon needs to do a lot better, IMNSHO.

Fish that were not starved enough, before shipment, will release lots of 
ammonium during transit. The pH will probably also drop to assure it all 
remains as the harmless ammonium ion, NH4+.

If the new tank water is alkaline (it usually is), the prescribed 
procedure will allow the ammonium ions to become toxic ammonia (NH3) and 
blast the skin and gills with severe damage.

How does one avoid the problem? Most do it by saying to hell with 
osmotic or other shock and rapidly netting and moving the fish directly 
to the new water, only roughly matching temperature. 99% of the time, 
that works.

A simple fix is to open the bag and squirt a little "Amquel" in with the 
fish. Now, the higher pH tank water won't convert any toxins because the 
"Amquel" (o/e) has sequestered all the ammonium.

That said, can someone explain to me (chemically) why adding Amquel to a 
bag containing Bag Buddies is a bad practice?

Wright

--
Wright Huntley - Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514 - whuntley at verizon_net
                      760 872-3995

"Freedom is not a luxury that we can indulge in when at last we have 
security and prosperity and enlightenment; it is, rather, antecedent to 
all of these, for without it we can have neither security nor prosperity 
nor enlightenment." --Henry Steele Commager

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