Can I Put My Fish In The Tank Right Away?

Adopting a new fish or setting up an aquarium is fun and exciting, aquarium beauty brings joy in our daily busy life. Plus, whenever we bring new fish home, we just want to put it in our beautiful aquarium with other companions.

But, the million-dollar question is ” can I put my fish in the tank right away? “. This guide is to highlight the doubts on “can I put my fish in the tank right away?

That’s the first and most important question that needs to be understood before putting your fish in an aquarium. Placing your fish immediately into the tank isn’t a great idea and is also not recommended.

That needs to be Can I Put My Fish In The Tank Right Away? done in a gradual mode. It should be a slow process as fish may feel shocked by the sudden change in water quality. So, Can I Put My Fish In The Tank Right Away?

There are quite several things that you need to consider first to add your fish to the aquarium safely.

You need to understand that not all fish can survive in the same quality of water. Well, we will discuss that later.

First, I will tell you how you should put your fish in an aquarium in a safe manner.





Note: If you avoid any of the following steps that we are not responsible for anything, to put your fish in an aquarium safely, you must follow all the steps and tips written in this article. 

If you are the person who thinks you can just put your fish immediately in the tank or this task seems to you – a piece of cake, then definitely this article is not for you my friend. 



Foremost you must confirm all the equipment installed in your aquarium is working properly by running them for a few days.

If not, then you better avoid putting your fish into that aquarium. So, without wasting time, Let’s begin:)

Can I put my fish in the tank right away?

The quick and straight answer is Big No. You can’t just put your fish in the tank right away and hope that everything will go in the right direction. Putting your fish immediately in a tank can make them sick or even worse like death.

Steps Before Placing Fish in Tank

1. Cycle & Prepare the Tank
2. Treat the Water
3. Acclimatize the fish

Each of the following steps is important as the last, so you should make sure that you follow them when putting your new fish in your aquarium.



Treat the Water

Before you throw water into an aquarium or tank, you need to treat the water. Normal tap water is not ideal for most fish. Water hardness and its nitrate level can lead your fish to illness or maybe death too.



If you already, placed your fish in untreated water, then I would suggest you read this article – How to save dying fish? even your fish is fine but who knows what is waiting next. Generally putting a fish in untreated water is life-threatening.

Here are some steps that you can follow to treat your tap water to ensure the survival of your fish.

Step 1: Fill the bucket with the tap water and check its Ph level. You can easily find a testing kit from any pet store. 

Step 2: You need to soften the water as most fishes can’t survive in hard water. Check out – How to Soften Hard Water for your Aquarium. I have already written this article with all the methods that you can use to soften your tap hard water and ensure your fish’s survival.

Step 3: As soon as you are done with softening the tap water, you need to add a de-chlorinator to it. Don’t ignore it, you should not compromise your aquarium inhabitants’ life.

Step 4: Add Water conditioner to it.

Step 5: Congrats, you are done with treating the water. You can throw it in the tank.

Make sure to do a last test with the water to confirm – you did it right or not. Chlorine, nitrites, and ammonia levels should be close to zero. The water should have a controlled Ph level

Preparing and Cycling The Tank

Before you put your fish into the aquarium or you head out to purchase your new pal, it is very important that you prepare and cycle the aquarium and make sure to give your fish safe heaven in your home.

Now, you may think – How can I prepare and cycle an aquarium. Fortunately, I have shared some key steps that you can follow to ensure the healthy survival of your fish. 



Note: You need to follow all the steps to ensure everything goes right if you skip any step, we are not responsible for any harm.

The Steps to follow are:

Step 1: Providing too small a tank to your fish can easily stress them out, so make sure that the tank size is ideal for the number of fish you are going to pet.

Rule of thumbs says that a properly maintained aquarium can handle 1 inch of fish per gallon of water.





Step 2: Remove all the decorations and gravels from the tank and wash them properly. Make sure to wash every decorative object that you are going to place inside the tank with warm water. Note:

Don’t use any detergent or soap as it can be toxic to your pal, washing it with warm water is enough.



Step 3: Now, place all the washed decorative objects and gravel inside your tank. You can also add some lava rocks and if you take it into your consideration, read – How to Prepare Lava Rocks at Home? 



Step 4: You can also place some artificial or live plants in it, to enhance your aquarium beauty. Check out my another post – Top 10 Plants For Freshwater Aquarium – 2019, the best thing about this article is, it’s updated with new plants species that you can use in your aquarium in 2020 🙂



Step 5: Now, you can fill your tank with the treated tap water. If you haven’t treated the water, make sure to treat it well before adding it to your tank. Throw the treated water in the tank. Note: Don’t avoid using a de-chlorinator and water conditioner, it is very important to ensure your fish survival.



Step 6: It’s time to connect your filter. It will ensure the continued flow of freshwater and will help in developing beneficial bacteria for your fish. Switch on the light and check the temperature of the water as well as the Ph value again.



Step 7: Now, you need to wait for the nitrogen cycle to finish. Don’t hurry, you have to wait for it, as per general rule, the nitrogen cycle takes 6 to 8 weeks to complete and make nitrite and ammonia levels in an acceptable trace level. Just give it some time. 🙂

Acclimatize the fish

Make sure to treat your new pal like the new and blossoming relationship that it is while adding him in the tank and take it slow. You need to make sure the temperature is ideal for your pal. You can turn off the light of the aquarium while doing so.





Let it float by lowering the plastic bag in the aquarium, as in this way your new buddy will get used to his new home. You should do this at least for 15 to 20 minutes. You can also check the Ph level of the bag’s water and compare it to your tank water.





If you find any major difference then this can shock them and make them sick or worse. The Ph difference should be less than 0.1. Make the aquarium water as much as close possible. The number should be closed.

Now, you can introduce your fish to his new home 🙂 Just lift your fish carefully out of the plastic bag with the help of a small net and transfer it to the aquarium, quickly and carefully.



Does it seem like you got your answer to Can I Put My Fish In The Tank Right Away? So,

How quickly can I add fish to my tank?

Look, you should not add your fish to an unprepared tank. Just wait until your aquarium has completed its cycling process which can take up to 6 to 8 weeks. So, you need to wait at least 6 to 8 weeks before you introduce your fish to his new home.

Why wait 24 hours to put fish in the tank?

Even your aquarium has completed its cycling process, you still need to wait 24 hours at least to put your fish in the tank.

You need to acclimatize your fish and let the water sit to ensure that the sudden transfer doesn’t shock your fish.

How long should you wait before putting fish in a new tank?

You need to wait until your fish is completely civilized. You need to make sure that sudden water change won’t shock him.

Many generals suggest that you may need to wait for at least 24 to 48 hours before you introduce your fish to his new and safe heaven 

How long do you let water sit before putting fish in?

It depends on the quality of the water conditioner that you’re using in your tank water.

Generally, it takes at least 24 hours to let the water sit and remove all the chlorine and chloramine before you put your fish in it.

Good quality water conditioners can remove chlorine and chloramines just in a few minutes like 10 to 15 minutes.

How long to wait to put fish in the tank after conditioner?

If you are using a good quality water conditioner then you have to wait for 30 minutes before you introduce your fish to his new habitat.

Good quality water conditioner can remove all the chlorine and chloramines just in 15 to 20 minutes. 

How long before you can put cold water fish in the tank?

If you have an aquarium that is already prepared and cycled then you need to wait at least 1 week to 2 weeks before you can put cold water in the tank. Make sure to use high-quality filtration in a cold water aquarium.

How long should you wait before putting a new fish in an established tank?

You need to wait at least 12 hours before putting a new fish in an established tank.

Make sure to acclimatize your new fish properly and make his survival easy.

There is no set of rules for this but as per my experience, you can add your fish quickly by following the fish acclimatizing process.

Conclusion



Some people have a misconception that they can put their fish right away in their tank but this is a wrong perception, you need to prepare and do stuff to ensure their survival.



The three most important parts of preparing and setting a successful aquarium are Cycling & Preparing the Tank, Treating the Water, and Acclimatizing the fish. Skipping any step will put your fish survival at stake.  



Beginners always get excited and get their fish killed due to their excitement.

You can’t put your fish in your aquarium right away, it’s not a piece of cake.

Doing such a thing will shock your fish and will make them sick.



You just need to follow all the steps mentioned in this article to ensure their survival.

Don’t skip any steps or processes. I hope this article gives you a brief idea on Can I Put My Fish In The Tank Right Away

In Summary

If you find this article ” Can I Put My Fish In The Tank Right Away” helpful, don’t be cheap to it.

Congrats on your new pal and wish you good luck. let me know down below in the comment section – what type of fish you are going to keep in your tank? What is your favorite pet fish?