My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

[Viktor Jarikov]

This is from 2 months ago, the loss of the 3rd pima. This is the one that was pineconing after the overfeeding. Seemed to recover except the bony dorsal side. Soon after it started feeding well, it died for no apparent reason. I assume the prior overfeeding case has damaged something.

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

Now that all the dorado are bigger by several inches - the 3 from the 2nd batch are ~6"-7", still about 1-2 inches behind the biggest from the 1st batch of 8 but equal to the smallest from the first batch - we are trying to make them live together for a second time:

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

Steve of Exotic Fish Shop sent two replacement barra for the perished and for the dorsal-less. He used bigger shipping bags while I followed his acclimation procedure per his tutorial video on his site, I mean I followed a very similar procedure with the first trio too but this time I was more careful, took longer, and was measuring pH during cupping of my water to shipment water. pH started at 6.4 and reached 7.2 by the end, which is the pH in my water. I was surprised that as the acclimation water was half and half, the pH only went up to 6.6. It wasn't until it was 95%+ my water that the pH got up to 7.2.

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]

[Viktor Jarikov]