Acclimating fish bought online

[crazyfishgirl]

I ordered fish from liveaquaria ( shipping Monday , be here Tuesday ) and since I've never ordered fish online before I'm a little nervous about acclimating them. I've heard that its not good to leave them in the bag for too long because the ammonia will be high, if that's true, how do I drip acclimate them then? And for how long? Any help is appreciated.

 

[dsfireman]

Depending on the size, I usually immediately open the bad and dump into a 1 gallon pitcher or 5 gal bucket. Using airline tubing, drip water into the container for 1-2 hrs, depending on the species' delicacy. Empty container as necessary.

 

[Dmorty217]

Depending on what you get in your order( as in the fish won't kill one another) i would use a 5 gallon bucket and pour the fish water from the bag and the fish in the bucket and get a airline tube and create a syphon and tie a knot in the line or another means to slow the dripping down. ( the tighter the knot the less drips you get) and let the fish acclimate this way for at least a hr minimum more like 2.5-3 hrs if the fish isn't as hardy as say a clown or yellow tang. I would also get some para guard and also do the 1 hr dip with the para guard to help with anything that may show on the fish because of the stress of shipping, this wil eliminate anything right off the bat. Don't know what your QT practice is but I would TAnk transfer the fish if it means anything to you at all (IMO) fish from LA come in healthy and well adjusted so I wouldn't be too worried about them with acclimating. ( I purchased a Achilles tang from them over a month ago and the Achilles acclimated and was eating within 2 hrs of being put in the tank) good luck with this

 

[namxas]

We get the fish out of the shipping water ASAP due to ammonia toxification when the pH changes upon opening the bag. We get a lot of fish online (usually from DD), and have tested the water multiple times (shipments) with the same results:

Bagwater on left, tankwater on right:

 

[SDguy]

I don't like doing long acclimations, especially if the water is visibly fouled. I like to have the volume of the shipping water doubled using QT water in 30-45 minutes. Then into the QT.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Ordering fish online is a time I would definitely recommend using a QT because LA fish usually come in at about 1.017 salinity... acclimating this up to 1.025 in an hour is too fast IMO. You can adjust the QT down to the salinity of the water in the shipping bag and then raise the salinity up to DT salinity over a week or more.

If you adjust the QT salinity to match, very little acclimation is needed.

 

[rssjsb]

I also try to minimize the time a fish is in the bag. I agree with Lobster that this is another virtue of the QT tank.

Salinity is the biggest problem. Controlling/adjusting the salinity in the QT to match the water in the bag (which is usually lower than your reef tank anyway for fish) is a better bet than trying to drip adjust the fish. You can then adjust the QT as needed slowly over the whole quarantine period.

 

[crazyfishgirl]

So then if I match the salinity of my QT to the salinity in the bag I can put him right in? I'm getting mostly inverts and one fish .. A green clown goby. I'm not so worried about acclimating the inverts.

 

[rssjsb]

Yes, as to fish. No as to inverts. Most fish ship out in water that has lower-than-reef-tank salinity. Most inverts do not. Invertebrates are much more sensitive to small differences in salinity and pH, so you may not be able to do this if you're trying to QT both in the same tank.

 

[coral_lagoon]

Yeah I just float them for about 15 to 20 minutes. Dump the bag water in a bucket and release the fish into one of my Q tanks.

It is crazy how fouled the water in the fish bag can get though..

 

[crazyfishgirl]

Yes, as to fish. No as to inverts. Most fish ship out in water that has lower-than-reef-tank salinity. Most inverts do not. Invertebrates are much more sensitive to small differences in salinity and pH, so you may not be able to do this if you're trying to QT both in the same tank.

I have a seperate QT for inverts, small 5 gallon tank. I'll drip acclimate the inverts to the salinity in that tank -1025.

 

[crazyfishgirl]

And thanks for all the replies so far, makes me feel less nervous about acclimating my fish

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

So then if I match the salinity of my QT to the salinity in the bag I can put him right in? I'm getting mostly inverts and one fish .. A green clown goby. I'm not so worried about acclimating the inverts.

I dont drop them right in, but I do a quick acclimation, doubling the amount of water that they came in within 20-30 min.

 

[jjk_reef00]

I dont drop them right in, but I do a quick acclimation, doubling the amount of water that they came in within 20-30 min.

I do the same but 10-15 min.
My qt is kept at low salinity so I can get them out of the bag asap.

 

[stunreefer]

FWIW, you can use Amquel or similar Ammonia detoxifier to eliminate the worry about getting them out of bag water as fast as possible. With that said if water is fouled this point is moot, as mentioned above.