How to acclimate fish

[azianreefer]

Can you guys share your methods of acclimating new fish to your tank? I know everyone has their own methods just want to see how many different methods are out there and what works best.

[mcgyvr]

Float bag for 10-15 minutes just to temperature acclimate then open bag and pour fish into tank..
Thats all I do..

[alton]

I follow the instructions from the supplier of the fish, so not to void the warranty.

[Dmorty217]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Float bag for 10-15 minutes just to temperature acclimate then open bag and pour fish into tank..
Thats all I do..

This

[75mixedreef]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Float bag for 10-15 minutes just to temperature acclimate then open bag and pour fish into tank..
Thats all I do..

I never put any fish store water into my tank though. I know I should QT, but since I lack the space, I don't. My tank is mostly coral only though and I only have 2 fish in there right now so it's not like I am risking much for fish.

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by alton

I follow the instructions from the supplier of the fish, so not to void the warranty.

This is a very good point..
Thats exactly what we all should do regardless of our "preferred" method..

That way if something happens they can't come back and state that your chosen acclimation procedure was to blame.. CYA

[Orsamax]

I agree with the simple float and dunk (I too try to put 0 store water in my tank). I MUST state, however, that I only have a small nano with no expensive fish. I would invest in a QT system if I had a large reef or a prize fish. I think that a QT is only as good as the care that goes into it. I have heard, and it certainly seems true to me that Ich etc are present in every aquarium or carried to some degree on all fish, no matter what. It is the ability to keep the fish in a healthy environment (and purchase healthy/strong fish in the first place) that keeps their immune system at full strength to combat the pathogens present in all aquariums. I think a QT system, in all reality does not guarantee that no diseases are in your tank. I think it just guarantees that your QT'd fish is not on its way out and about to be consumed by a disease within a few days to weeks of being introduced to your system. I also think that if you have a low quality QT (inadequate space, places to hide, poor water quality) that you could put a healthy fish in a QT and the stress of the poor conditions would actually make it more susceptible to disease than if you had just dumped it into your tank using our simple method. My thoughts.

[64Ivy]

I float, then dunk into QT for a minimum of 8 weeks.

[Uncle99]

depends on the shipping salinity which can be low.
If the DT is more than .002 higher, I take more time to bring the bag up as close as possible
To DT, otherwise you risk shocking the fish as a higher salinity level is harder for fish to process

So for me, I match both temp and salinity.

[MondoBongo]

float the bag for 15 - 20 to match the temperature. sample the bag salinity with an insulin syringe. adjust QT salinity to match the bag salinity. strain fish out through a collider to minimize the amount of nasty bag water going in to QT, and then drop them on in.

then over the course of the next few days to weeks, i let the salinity on QT adjust upward until it matches my display tank.

[Uncle99]

Originally Posted by MondoBongo

float the bag for 15 - 20 to match the temperature. sample the bag salinity with an insulin syringe. adjust QT salinity to match the bag salinity. strain fish out through a collider to minimize the amount of nasty bag water going in to QT, and then drop them on in.

then over the course of the next few days to weeks, i let the salinity on QT adjust upward until it matches my display tank.

Fully agree!
Many of the problems we encounter are believed to be salinity ones yet many only do temp. If you don't somewhat equalize the bag to the new home, if the fish goes into a higher salinity than the bag, it will usually go to the bottom and not move. This is because the fish is trying to process the new higher salinity water which creates a stress on its own.

Of course if the salinity in the new water is lower, only temp is required. That being said, in most cases a good LFS will house their marine fish in lower salinities like 1.020, the belief here is that lower salinities lead to lower stress and thus may be somewhat more resistant to diease.

Ever since adopting both temp and salinity, zero losses and the new fish acts and behaves normally.

[PCguy21]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Float bag for 10-15 minutes just to temperature acclimate then open bag and pour fish into tank..
Thats all I do..

Same unless i know their tanks are low on salinity... My petco refractometers arent calibrated right.. and salinity is like 1.018.. my local store does almost hypo at 1.015 so i will sometimes put the fish ina bucket and put half my water half the bag water.. let it sit for a hour or two and then add more water and then dump the fidh in.. but for hardy fish or fish i know csn handle it.. i just dump the fish in

[HumbleFish]

I wrote this a few years ago:

How to Acclimate​

The purpose of this article is to discuss proper acclimation procedures for saltwater fish, corals and invertebrates. Improper acclimation is probably one of the leading reasons why livestock suddenly die after being introduced into an aquarium. This inevitable death can take days or even weeks, depending upon the severity of the damage done.

Acclimating fish - When acclimating a new fish into your aquarium, there are only two parameters you need to match: temperature (temp) and salinity (SG). Fish are generally not affected by fluctuating pH, unless it drops below 7.5 for an extended period of time. SG of the “source water” can be determined by asking the LFS or online vendor the fish was purchased from, and then double checked using a refractometer after opening the bag. Temp of the “source water” is less important since it will change by the time you get the fish home, but it’s still a good idea to set your quarantine tank (QT) temp to match. Once you have this information do one of the following:

Preferred acclimation: Float the bag for 20-30 minutes, to slowly bring the temperature of the bag’s water to match that of the receiving tank. Once that is done, open the bag and double check the SG. So long as the SG is within .001 (up or down) of the receiving tank, you can release the fish without further acclimation. Only add the fish; DO NOT add any of his bag water. However, if the difference in SG is greater than .001 (up or down), you must drip acclimate or bag acclimate as outlined below:

Drip acclimation: The downside to this method is exposure to ammonia, which must be avoided at all costs. Even brief exposure to the slightest trace of ammonia can harm a fish’s gills. Prolonged exposure can permanently damage a fish’s liver and kidneys, usually resulting in death within a few days. How much potential ammonia can build up in a bag is directly correlated to how long the fish has been in the bag. A 30 minute drive home from your LFS isn’t going to be a problem, whereas a 12+ hour transit time from an online vendor is. However, it’s important to note that so long as the fish is still inside a sealed bag he’s safe from ammonia. It’s not until the bag is opened that non-toxic ammonium gets converted into toxic ammonia (takes about 30 minutes). As a general rule for drip acclimation, always use ammonia reducer (ex. Amquel or Prime) if a fish has been in transit for more than a couple of hours. It doesn’t hurt anything to add it.

To drip acclimate you’ll need the following: small bucket or similar, airline tubing and a couple of airline suction cups. I suggest keeping the room warm while drip acclimating, or using a heater in the bucket. Place the fish in the bucket with a small amount of bag water. Use the airline tubing as a drip line, tying a simple knot at the bucket end until desired speed of the drip is achieved. You can use the suction cups to adhere the tubing inside the tank and bucket. Drip acclimate until the water in the bucket is within .001 SG of the receiving tank. Ideally, this should only take around 30 minutes. Remember, you can lower SG with a fish much faster than you can safely raise it. Only add fish to the aquarium; DO NOT add any of the bag water.

Bag acclimation: Ammonia precautions are the same as drip acclimation (see above.) Drain bag water until only a small amount remains. Affix bag inside tank, but take precautions to ensure bag water does not cross contaminate tank water. Using a cup, periodically gently pour tank water into the bag until .001 SG match is achieved. Only add fish to the aquarium; DO NOT add any of the bag water.

Acclimating corals/inverts - For corals, acclimation is pretty much the same as it is for fish, except corals do not expel as much waste as fish do, so ammonia is less of a concern. Using a coral dip such as Coral Rx is highly recommended prior to placing them in your tank.

Other inverts such as anemones, shrimp, crabs, snails, etc. are much more sensitive to changing water chemistry and should be drip acclimated. You should slow drip these for 45-60 minutes. Starfish are particularly sensitive and should be drip acclimated very slowly - at least 2 hours. Bag acclimation (see above) is an acceptable alternative for most corals/inverts but not with starfish.

Corals, anemones and clams should all be “light acclimated” once placed in your aquarium. This means getting them adjusted to the type/intensity of light you are using, which can be accomplished in a number of ways. You can place light sensitive corals & clams in a shaded area of your tank, and then move up/out into more intensive light over a period of a couple of weeks. Another option is to use layers of dark screen mesh (in conjunction with an egg crate top) over the aquarium, gradually removing one layer at a time. Hardier corals & anemones do fine with just running less intensive lighting (ex. actinic) for a day or two, and/or reducing your photo period at first. LEDS that are dimmable/adjustable are ideal for light acclimation purposes (some even have a “coral acclimation mode” built-in.)

[Uncle99]

Excellent humblefish!

[HumbleFish]

Originally Posted by Uncle99

Excellent humblefish!

Thank you

[ZenGuitarGuy]

Originally Posted by MondoBongo

float the bag for 15 - 20 to match the temperature. sample the bag salinity with an insulin syringe. adjust QT salinity to match the bag salinity. strain fish out through a collider to minimize the amount of nasty bag water going in to QT, and then drop them on in.

then over the course of the next few days to weeks, i let the salinity on QT adjust upward until it matches my display tank.

This is also what I do.

[Nobbygas]

Originally Posted by ZenGuitarGuy

This is also what I do.

And me. After equalising the temperature and dripping some of the existing tank water into the bag, I strain the water from the bag through a colander, and then quickly place the fish in the tank. I avoid dumping the water from the bag into the tank as many LFS have Aipstasia in their tanks, and many also have low levels of copper as well.

[MondoBongo]

just to add some to this: to colander may seem like an odd choice, but it's actually quite good for this sort of thing.

i always advise using a plastic colander with smooth edges on it. you wouldn't want metal for a lot of reasons in saltwater (duh!), but the plastic is also smoother and easier on fish scales/skin.

i prefer the colander over a net when i can for that reason, and also because fish are less likely to become stuck or entangled in any way. nets have a superb ability to snag on to spines, fins, scales, scalpels, what have you, and that can potentially cause injury to the fish. smoother plastic colanders are snag free.

[russ13]

I use the drip method. I always just floated and then put the fish in(never the water) until I learned about dripping. Seems like a better way to acclamate the fish to its new home