Acclimation Box

[ca1ore]

Looking for a little advice ....

I am adding a 2 inch Sailfin to a tank that has a 3 inch purple and a 3 1/2 inch yellow tang. Ok, ideally the Sailfin would be larger, but has been in QT for 12 weeks and I need the tank for a new purchase, so, put him into my acclimation box in the DT, and ........ the other Tangs are completely ignoring him. He has been in the box for two days now. I figure he's battle hardened from fighting a SLC in the QT tank.

What to so? Just let him out tonight? Wait for them to notice? Wait a few days and if nothing changes, let him out?

 

[ilikefish34]

Toss him in. I would bet they have noticed him, but didn't really care. Also, no harm in waiting as long as the fish is not showing signs of stress and is feeding. You could put a strip of nori in the box for a short while, surely they would notice him then.

Good Luck
Mike

 

[RJT]

I just added a 3in powder blue to a 220g with a 4in lavender tang. The lavender never acknowledged the pbt in the acclimation box. Ime none of my fish have ever bothered a fish in a acclimation box unless there is food in it the occupant hasn't eaten. With that said after a few days I released the pbt which was chased for a while but that subsided after a day or so. Lavenders aren't as aggressive as purples and yellows so my experience may not be the same for you.

Like mike said since the tangs haven't acknowledged the new tang I would let her out after lights go out.

To me one of the best parts of these boxes is that the fish can gets used to its new environment (water and tank layout) in a kinda peaceful way.

 

[ca1ore]

Thanks for the comments. Largely in line with my own thinking. Let the Sailfin out late last night after two days in the box and there has been very little in the way of aggression today. perhaps the Yellow and Purple Tangs are just too focused on bickering amongst themselves to notice an interloper.

 

[ca1ore]

Alright, used my acclimation box for the second time ..... this one is a male Leopard Wrasse. Same result, everybody in the tank just ignores him! Maybe this whole acclimation box thing is a tad overrated (never used one until quite recently)?

 

[evolved]

It's usefulness depends on what you're mixing with what, and the disposition of each fish. Lots of variables, but when encountering some bad alignments of those variables, using one certainly isn't overrated!

The problem is, you don't know how those variables align until you introduce the new guy. And if the align poorly and you don't use an acclimation box, you will wish you had!

 

[snorvich]

It's usefulness depends on what you're mixing with what, and the disposition of each fish. Lots of variables, but when encountering some bad alignments of those variables, using one certainly isn't overrated!

The problem is, you don't know how those variables align until you introduce the new guy. And if the align poorly and you don't use an acclimation box, you will wish you had!

I agree. Also, I suggest letting fish out of the acclimation box just shortly before lights out.

 

[ca1ore]

And if the align poorly and you don't use an acclimation box, you will wish you had!

Yah, I guess that's a good point. Better to use it and find it wasn't really necessary; than to not use it and, as you say, wish you had.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Also, sometimes there is initial aggression that goes away shortly. The acclimation box avoids that. In addition, the acclimation box helps protect against "victim" behavior by the new fish that might cause the aggression to continue.

 

[triggreef]

So I assume you got rid of the dusky wrasse then?

I just added 3 tangs to my tank where there was already 3. A little aggression toward one at first but the next day they are fine. Its great in the moonlight they all school together.

I'm debating using a box for a new female red head wrasse. I already have a male red head and a male exquisite so I'm a little worried how that will go. I didn't actually order the female it was sent as a mistake by R2G. At least they credited me for it so it ended up a freebie.

 

[ca1ore]

So I assume you got rid of the dusky wrasse then?

No, he is still in there. Ended up playing nice with my female Meleagris after an initial dust up. Now it's a male Bipartitus in the box. Going to release him tonight with fingers crossed given how well he did in the fuge. Dusky hasn't shown any interest in him in the acclimation box.