Origonally written, compiled, or otherwise posted by Super Moderator ahill3780 Acclimation Practices
Just about everywhere that aquarium livestock are purchased you will hear about properly acclimating new arrivals before placing them in the tank. Some of these places have excellent advice while others are not so great.
This article will outline the proper steps for acclimating new arrivals in order to increase your chances of avoiding fatalities.
"Why should I waste time floating the bag and acclimating new fish?"
Floating new arrivals in the bag only helps to adjust the temperature of the water to match the tank it does nothing to help condition them to your tanks water chemistry. The tanks that previously held them will not always have the same pH, Alkalinity, GH, KH, or Salinity as your aquarium.
Some fish can be very sensitive to sudden changes in these parameters. This goes especially for saltwater invertebrates, corals, clams, sponges, etc. This is why it is important to add water to the bag in small doses to allow new arrivals to adjust slowly to their new home.
"Ok, so it's important. What does this mean I have to do?"
The answer depends on what it is you are introducing to the tank. All new arrivals should first be floated in the tank for 15 minutes in order to bring the temperature around. Do not open the bag while doing so. Most places will fill the bag with compressed O2 when sealing it for transport allowing for a high level of dissolved oxygen in the transport bag. See the steps below for the Float Method for more details.
After adjusting the temp the next step depends on what it is you are acclimating. Fish can be acclimated using the Float Method, while Invertebrates, Corals, Clams, Sponges, Starfish, and some of the more sensitive species of fish will need to use the Drip Method.
Either way is going to take you about an hour to properly complete, and should
never be rushed.
"Alright, alright, if it helps I'll do it, how is it done?"
As mentioned before, and elsewhere, there are two main ways to acclimate livestock: the Float method, and the Drip method.
The main differences between the two are the rate at which water is added, and where it takes place. The floating method takes place in the shipping bag and water is added at the rate of about 1/2 cup every 5 minutes. The drip method is carried out in a separate container using airline tubing to drip water in a constant steady flow.
The Float Method
Turn off the aquarium lights before adding the bag into the tank to balance the temperature. If the livestock was shipped to you then you will want to dim the lights in the room before opening the box in order to avoid shocking the arrivals.
- Float the bag for 15 minutes to adjust the temperature.
- Open the bag and either roll up the opening to form an air pocket for free floating, or find a way to anchor the bag in place so that it cannot submerge into the tank water.
- Add 1/2 a cup of aquarium water into the bag and wait 5 minutes.
- Repeat step 3 until the bag is full then remove it and pour out 1/2 to 3/4 of the water, replace the bag into the tank and begin again with step 3.
- Continue this process for at least the time it takes to fill the bag three times, or 30-45 minutes - whichever comes first.
- Remove the bag and either net the fish out, or get a bowl that can hold the amount of water contained in the bag. Hold the net over the bowl (or have someone else do so) and pour the water out of the bag into the net. Be sure to keep the net under the water so that the fish stays submerged even in the net. Place the fish into the tank with the net and discard the water.
- Never place shipping water into your tank, no matter where it came from.
- Leave the lights in the aquarium off for at least 4 hours and keep the room lights dim.
- Any aggressors should be quarantined away from the new arrival while it explores its new surroundings. Drs Foster and Smith suggest using a plastic strainer to isolate the aggressive mate within the tank - a perfect idea. You always want to isolate the aggressor and not the new arrival.
This procedure is primarily used for fish only since fish can survive being exposed to open air.
The Drip Method
This method is more advanced and a little more involved, requiring a few extra supplies to pull off successfully.
The same care should be taken here for turning off the lights in the tank, and dimming those in the room.
Required Equipment: - Airline tubing with a flow valve, or a dedicated drip-type, adjustable siphon system.
- An empty, clean 5 gallon bucket or 5-10 gallon tank dedicated to aquarium use only. (I prefer to use a 2.5 gallon aquarium for this.)
- Air pump with Airstone or air diffuser.
Procedure - Float the bag for 15 minutes to adjust the water temperature.
- Prop the bucket/tank up at an angle close to the main tank while waiting for the temp to adjust. Use anything that you can find that will stay put and not be easily dislodged under the weight of the water filling up. A book, or piece of 2x4 lumber will do nicely.
- Run your drip line to the tank and position the other end so that it drips into the bucket/tank. For drip lines that do not have a control valve you can tie a couple of loose knots in the line to slow the flow. Install the air pump but do not turn it on just yet.
- After the 15 minutes has passed go ahead an open the bag.
- Carefully pour the contents of the bag into the acclimation container while not letting the inhabitant become exposed to air. (This is especially critical with sponges which will die with even the slightest exposure to air.) If the bag does not have very much water in it then place it into the container in such a fashion as to keep it from tipping over (try anchoring it from the top lip of the container) and insert the tube directly into it. Follow Step 6 until the bag is filled enough to make transferring them into the container easier then continue with step 6 as outlined.
- Start the siphon into the container. If you have a drip line with an adjustable knob on it then tighten the valve until the drip rate is about 2-4 drops every second. Knotted lines can be tightened slowly until the drip rate is achieved.
- When the container fills to the point that you can safely remove the prop while leaving the specimens submerged then go ahead and do so.
- Start up the air pump once you have about a gallon of water filled.
- Once the water has doubled its capacity then remove half of it and discard it. Allow the process to continue until it is once again time to empty half the water out.
- After about an hour (I prefer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or 3 times emptying the bucket/tank - but allow at least one full hour.) it is safe to place them into the aquarium - with the lights off.
- Using the bag, or a large enough bowl/cup to contain the specimen, scoop them out of the container being careful not to expose them to air.
- Do not dump them into the tank. Submerge the bag/bowl/cup slowly into the tank far enough that you can lift the specimen out and place them into the tank. Then carefully remove the transport vessel and discard the water. (A little of the water will have escaped into the tank, but this small amount should cause no harm and cannot be avoided in any case.)
- Allow the lights to remain off for a few hours and turn them on slowly if at all possible. Try starting with turning up the room lighting first and turning on Actinics before white lights.
A few things to keep in mind are: - Corals should be acclimated to water with salinity between 1.023 and 1.025.
- Remember to never touch the fleshy parts of corals when handling them.
- To remove coral slime coating from shipping/transport you can shake them in the bag to dislodge it before placing them into the aquarium. Or if you are very careful you can use a 1/4" siphon tube to siphon this off the coral. I would suggest the first method for anyone who has never practiced careful siphon techniques.
- Never rush acclimation! This cannot be said enough!
- I strongly suggest that you quarantine all new arrivals. See the thread on Quarantine Procedures in the Saltwater Forum for more information on how to do this.
