Best Way to Acclimate Fish to Tank

[trble81]

Hello All,

 

It sounds like people had fun during the Winter Meeting. My wife and I were unable to attend but we plan on coming to the Scales TFW social thingy on the 28th. We hope to meet the nice folks who have been helping us out with our questions and check out some fish at the same time.

 

Any way, back to the topic. I like being prepared. Now, when we had tropical freshwater fish, we used to float the bag for like 15 min, add some tank water, wait some more, etc, etc. I've seen on the forums that that method is crap and one should do something called "drip acclimating". My wife and I are not in the business of freaking out our new fish so bad that they hop out of the tank, cursing our names. So what we want to know is what is the best method to do?

 

I ask that you please describe what exactly is the drip method, if you suggest it, and how to do it. We've been looking at some of the tanks online and all of the electrical work and plumbing that goes into them. FYI, totally can't do that. So if you think your description is too "simplistic", it's probably good for us. Again, we don't want to botch things up.

 

Thanks very much!

 

--Mike

[rsaavedra]

Hello All,

 

It sounds like people had fun during the Winter Meeting. My wife and I were unable to attend but we plan on coming to the Scales TFW social thingy on the 28th. We hope to meet the nice folks who have been helping us out with our questions and check out some fish at the same time.

 

Any way, back to the topic. I like being prepared. Now, when we had tropical freshwater fish, we used to float the bag for like 15 min, add some tank water, wait some more, etc, etc. I've seen on the forums that that method is crap and one should do something called "drip acclimating". My wife and I are not in the business of freaking out our new fish so bad that they hop out of the tank, cursing our names. So what we want to know is what is the best method to do?

 

I ask that you please describe what exactly is the drip method, if you suggest it, and how to do it. We've been looking at some of the tanks online and all of the electrical work and plumbing that goes into them. FYI, totally can't do that. So if you think your description is too "simplistic", it's probably good for us. Again, we don't want to botch things up.

 

Thanks very much!

 

--Mike

 

My drip acclimating consists of:

1G small cooler

5' 1/4" rubber hose

 

Put the fish on 1G small cooler with LFS water, put one end of the rubber hose inside the tank, syphon water through the other end, when water start coming out of the syphon end twisted into a knot, tightned it up until few drops come out of the end place it on the cooler until the dripping water doubles up the lfs water over a period of 45-90 minutes... sorry for the quick response but I'm watching HEROES!

[BeltwayBandit]

Well actual drip acclimation is a PITA, IMO..

 

Here is what I do. I have a piece of weed eater twine that I can tie between the hinges on my hood. Here's why I use the twine. It is heavy gage and you can easily poke it right through the bag and then tie it off to the hood. This keeps the bag suspended in one place in the water. I then cut a small hole with a razor near the top. In this hole I inject tank water with my turkey baster. Usually I will give it a squirt or two every 15 minutes (how much depends on the size of the bag usually guestimate between 2-5% volume of water in the bag per dose). Then when I have doubled the water volume I remove the critter and add him to the tank and discard the water, for more sensitive critters I will dump half the water and repeat the procedure. At a a minimum I do this for about an hour. I also turn off my halides when acclimating.

[luceneck]

I've used both methods and had success with both. LiveAquaria has a good acclimation guide.

 

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general...9&subref=AI

[dzekunoi]

OK, I'll try to be as simple as possible.

 

You take a good sized container - Tupperware or a small bucket and put fish with the water it came in into that container. Make sure container is big enough to double that amount of water. Set the container next to the tank. Take a Tygon tube ( airline style - those thin plastic once), put one end into the aquarium and another end goes into the container with the fish. Create flow by mouth- sucking water from the aquarium or use a syringe for it. Water starts going into the container. Then add a clip or a knot to make water not flow but drip 2-3 drops a second. Leave it until amount of water doubled. Now fish is good to go into the tank.

Oh, it's good to add a small heater into the container adjusted to the temperature of the tank fish goes into.

 

Really recommend to use a separate quarantine tank to hold new fish for 2 weeks at least to make sure it's not sick and you do not introduce desease ar parasites into your main system.

Setting up a QT tank is easy - just set it as a freshwater with hang on back filter and a heater. Keep your filter pad in the sump until you need to use it in QT to make sure it has live good bacteria on it. It's good to use water from the main tank in QT.

 

Well, hope it helps

[Guest tgallo]

I slap the fish in the face, and tell him, welcome to the frigen neighborhood. fugetaboutit.

 

 

only kidding,i think i watch to much soprano's.

[dhoch]

Let me say quarenteen as Inna says is best (that said, many do not do it ).

 

As to acclimation basically you want to slowly add tank water to the LFS water over a period of time typically 1 hours give or take 15-30 mins... emptying some part way through if your container is not big enough.

 

Heating is important especially if the room is cold.

 

How you do the addition weather drip or add via some other method is up to you (I use a dosing pump which works great)...

 

Dave

[jason the filter freak]

Come visit me I'll set you up a kit for more than one fish at a time for under 10 bucks, or let me know and I'll make you a kit for one fish at a time for free and bring it to work... btw missed you guys at the winter meeting. I mistaked another couple for you in the dark .

[TROLL]

You take a good sized container - Tupperware or a small bucket and put fish with the water it came in into that container. Make sure container is big enough to double that amount of water. Set the container next to the tank. Take a Tygon tube ( airline style - those thin plastic once), put one end into the aquarium and another end goes into the container with the fish. Create flow by mouth- sucking water from the aquarium or use a syringe for it. Water starts going into the container. Then add a clip or a knot to make water not flow but drip 2-3 drops a second. Leave it until amount of water doubled. Now fish is good to go into the tank.

Oh, it's good to add a small heater into the container adjusted to the temperature of the tank fish goes into.

 

Inna and I have same method Good old accimilation process that you can never go wrong. Except my way (for corals and sensitive livestocks), I let it double then pour 1/2 back then continue to drip till double and release into tank.

 

Like Inna says- quaratine the fish, I cannot stress enough but no one really practice that nowaday... Seems like a lost art but it's absolutely important to do this plus you would be able to treat fish for various aliments that were brought on by transit.

 

Also, in quaratine- you can always change the water with your main tank old water and cut the accimilation process down to just temperature accimilation.

[jason the filter freak]

It can actually go horribly wrong... seriously make sure you don't set it and forget it... very important thought. Though I've found a way around it.

[TROLL]

Way around it, mean put the container up to tank water level so the siphon don't continue past the double point when you forget about it?

Edited January 23, 2007 by TROLL

[jason the filter freak]

Theres a thought, or theres a thing I like to call "a fry hole" ok kidding aside, who is familiar with a siphon break hole? Very easy way to make a drip acclimation kit this is an edit/addition to ever one who has posted before me. Ready heres the break down (Mind you this is a set up that gives you the wonderful option of allowing you to drip acclimate more than one fish at a time

Supplies needed:

Scissors

Needle

Pliers

Lighter/candle and matches

A 1 foot or so length of ridgid airline (usually sold in yard lenghts)

A long length of airhose, buy the 25' pack and be done with it, extra cant hurt

3 clothes pins (plastic)

Air line gang valve with three adjustable outlets and 2 inlets that it designed to hang on tank (found at most LFS, petco and petsmart as well)

3 containers (1-5 gallon rage (the taller and smaller in diameter the better), steril to begin with, never use them for anything but this kit (you need to know the exact volume)

Sharpie

Air line adjustment valves

10 cc syringe (you can also use your mouth (this will be used to start a syphon)

Heaters (not a bad idea to have, to help keep the acclimating containers warm)

Fish tank volume calculator (One can be found here http://www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php) This also requires your tank be filled to a more or less constant level

 

Work on finding these Items, i have school in the morning so I must sleep, I'll post the directions after class or work. Or if some one else see's where I'm going with this, finish it off for me... night.

[TROLL]

Theres a thought, or theres a thing I like to call "a fry hole" ok kidding aside, who is familiar with a siphon break hole? Very easy way to make a drip acclimation kit this is an edit/addition to ever one who has posted before me. Ready heres the break down (Mind you this is a set up that gives you the wonderful option of allowing you to drip acclimate more than one fish at a time

Supplies needed:

Scissors

Needle

Pliers

Lighter/candle and matches

A 1 foot or so length of ridgid airline (usually sold in yard lenghts)

A long length of airhose, buy the 25' pack and be done with it, extra cant hurt

3 clothes pins (plastic)

Air line gang valve with three adjustable outlets and 2 inlets that it designed to hang on tank (found at most LFS, petco and petsmart as well)

3 containers (1-5 gallon rage (the taller and smaller in diameter the better), steril to begin with, never use them for anything but this kit (you need to know the exact volume)

Sharpie

Air line adjustment valves

10 cc syringe (you can also use your mouth (this will be used to start a syphon)

Heaters (not a bad idea to have, to help keep the acclimating containers warm)

Fish tank volume calculator (One can be found here http://www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php) This also requires your tank be filled to a more or less constant level

 

Work on finding these Items, i have school in the morning so I must sleep, I'll post the directions after class or work. Or if some one else see's where I'm going with this, finish it off for me... night.

 

 

Ok MacGyver- you make everything so complicated It's always good to have heater esp during the cold weather- the house temperature usually drop a few degrees without noticing it.

[ErikS]

Let me say quarenteen as Inna says is best (that said, many do not do it ).

Because there's no proof that's it's beneficial overall. There are several negatives the least of which is that it further stresses the animal. QT tanks, especially the "bare minimum" are subject to water quality issues which can weaken or kill an animal. Few of the "baddies" brought in from the wild are contagious, and the main one ICH is likely already in your tank anyway (though we won't get into the that one, no clear answer).

 

IMHO - better than QT? Buy your livestock from a trusted vendor, know what your buying, & do the drip acclimation.......but accept that there's a remote possiblility that a new aquisition could kill off all the inhabitants. How remote? In 25+ years of SW I've never had it happen (I have had the new introduction die, but never kill off the tankmates).

 

While I like Jason's method - I'm just too lazy.

 

#1 - Plop the bag into the sump & temp eq

#2 - Put the bag into a small cooler

#3 - Shove some RO tubing into the overflow & start a siphon

#4 - Adjust the airline valve to get a nice drip rate

#5 - Drip into bag until water is doubled

#6 - Dump bag into tupperware container with holes to remove tank/LFS water

#7 - Dump fish into tank

 

#7 = No net = minimize potential for damage to the fish. Fish like tangs can get caught in a net & suffer some damage.

Edited January 23, 2007 by ErikS

[BeltwayBandit]

I tend to agree with EricS on the quarantine issue. Thats why I don't buy fish from a certain garden center in Maryland! I buy my fish from only two places, both of which quarantine their fish. I observe the fish carefully, and then acclimate and add to the tank. Also, I might add I don't add more than perhaps 1 or 2 fish a year to my system since getting it fully stocked. I have not had any problems. I did have 1 major Ich outbreak and that happened when the tank params went wacky not from the addition of a new fish. YMMV.

[Coral Hind]

#6 - Dump bag into tupperware container with holes to remove tank/LFS water

 

Some retailers run copper in their fish tanks to prevent diseases. I think it is a good idea that they do but that makes #6 above a very important step. Do not put their water in your tank.

 

If you do buy from the MD "green house" they do use copper.

[Folta]

First off, I want to say the best thing you can do you've already done; researched the topic prior to buying fish.

 

That being said, I'll tell you how I acclimate fish (I have yet to lose a fish from acclimation). I have a specimen container - like the one they use when they get the fish out of their tanks at the store - and hang it on the inside of the tank. I then open the bag the fish is in, and pour it and the water into this specimen container. I wait about 20 minutes, letting that water acclimate to the tanks temperature. I then take a little plastic cup (the size you normally see in bathrooms sometimes), and use it to get some tank water. I usually get about half a cups worth. I add that every 20 minutes for the next hour (3 doses). I then wait 15 more minutes after that, then I net the fish out and release him into the tank.

 

Netting the fish out instead of just pouring the container helps prevent anything that was in the water from the store getting into your tank, whether its copper or something else.

 

One more important thing to keep in mind... select a good fish! What I mean by this is to make sure the store you buy it from has had it for a while, it looks healthy, swims well, and is eating. The healthier the fish is, the less likely you are to lose it no matter what acclimation method you use.

[flowerseller]

The "garden center" issue is larger than you think since many LFS buy some of their inventory there.

Due diligence and a clear understanding of what you're buying goes along way.

I have some stuff from there, you may too.

[ErikS]

Due diligence and a clear understanding of what you're buying goes along way

Yep, & regardless of the approach you choose there's one "rule" we could all likely agree on & that's

 

never let any of the water from the fish store enter your tank

[trble81]

OK, so I know we won't put any LFS water in our tank. I think that has been made pretty clear. Is there any certain rule as to how many fish at one time? We have no fish in our tank now. Just live rock/sand and some starfish that hitchhiked with the LR. Can we get two fish at once the first time or should we only get one?

Thanks,

Heather

[ErikS]

To an extent that's dependent on the size of the tank, the amount of LR, and the total filtration.

 

Adding several fish at once can overload the bio system in the tank & cause bad things to happen. Also factor in the size of the fish, bigger fish = more waste.

 

Just guessing....but I would go with a few fish, if you can find that many healthy ones @ the same time AND fit into your stocking plans.

[flowerseller]

never let any of the water from the fish store enter your tank

I too never add elses water to my tank.

What always cracks me up is everyone's willingness to add someone elses sand to their tank, often not knowing where it comes from.

I understand the seed theory, and the possible CU in the water, but what's in the sand?

Many claim UV is worthless because Ich is not in the water column. If that's the case, it's in the sand.

[ErikS]

I too never add elses water to my tank

Certainly makes a case for my preferred "air acclimate" corals

[trble81]

To an extent that's dependent on the size of the tank, the amount of LR, and the total filtration.

 

Adding several fish at once can overload the bio system in the tank & cause bad things to happen. Also factor in the size of the fish, bigger fish = more waste.

 

Just guessing....but I would go with a few fish, if you can find that many healthy ones @ the same time AND fit into your stocking plans.

As a reminder from our other posts, we have a 35g hex tank. We were hoping to get a couple clowns when we go to the open house at Scales this Sunday. We know we can't keep any large fish and everyone has said not to add damsels first since they won't let anyone else move in afterwards. Are clowns ok as our first move-ins?

~Heather

[ErikS]

Are clowns ok as our first move-ins?

Something like false Percs? Should be fine. There are no certainties but generally they find a corner & stick to it.