Drip acclimation question???

[Dundermifflin]

What is the proper way to acclimate fish? How many drops per minute per fish and for how many minutes before putting in QT? Is it okay to put 2 or 3 fish in a bucket and acclimate all three with one Drip acclimator? Since going in QT do you drip the QT water?

 

[ca1ore]

No need to drip acclimate if fish is going into a QT. Just adjust the salinity of the tank to that of the shipping bag. Then all you need to do is float the bag for 15 mins to equalize temperature. You can bring the salinity of the QT back up slowly over a couple of weeks.

 

[Sk8r]

^ This. IMHO, overzealous acclimation has probably killed more fish than ich does in this hobby.

 

[Dundermifflin]

Thanks for feedback. So when is the proper time to acclimate fish?

 

[snorvich]

No need to drip acclimate if fish is going into a QT. Just adjust the salinity of the tank to that of the shipping bag. Then all you need to do is float the bag for 15 mins to equalize temperature. You can bring the salinity of the QT back up slowly over a couple of weeks.

I agree.

 

[gone fishin]

Thanks for feedback. So when is the proper time to acclimate fish?

If you are QT the fish the acclimation to the DT takes place gradually while in the QT. Once done with the QT simply drop the new fish into the tank.

If you are not QT then I suppose it depends on how long the fish has been in the bag. The longer the fish has been in the bag the more ammonium builds up in the bag. Once the bag is open, the ammonium is converted to ammonia. I would not leave the fish in that water longer than a half hour. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Dundermifflin]

So should one dip acclimate if they're going into the QT?

 

[Sk8r]

Definitely not longer than half an hour. No matter what.

DO NOT DRIP ACCLIMATE. Find out the salinity of the shipper, pre-set the qt to that salinity, float the sealed bag for 15 minutes to adjust temperature, open and test the bag. If within .002, you're good to put him right on over to the qt with no drip acclimation whatever, because the SALINITY is the same in bag and qt. Then over the next 4 WEEKS use evaporation and topoff to re-set the qt salinity gradually to that of the DT.

For a fish to suffer a rapid salinity fall is ok. For a fish to suffer a rapid salinity rise is dangerous.

What is even more dangerous is that if there is ammonium from fish excrement and breathing in the bag, opening the bag will convert it to ammonia, which will kill the fish within 3 days from organ damage.

This is why no drip acclimation. Drip Acclimation is still the only recourse you've got when your info is wrong and the salinity you were told is dead wrong. That's why you test the water. Be sure. But if you've done your homework your fish doesn't need to undergo that dangerous adjustment. He can go straight into safe, clean water.

 

[Dundermifflin]

Will be getting these from LFS. Thanks for that advice! Appreciate it!!

 

[las]

Definitely not longer than half an hour. No matter what.

DO NOT DRIP ACCLIMATE. Find out the salinity of the shipper, pre-set the qt to that salinity, float the sealed bag for 15 minutes to adjust temperature, open and test the bag. If within .002, you're good to put him right on over to the qt with no drip acclimation whatever, because the SALINITY is the same in bag and qt. Then over the next 4 WEEKS use evaporation and topoff to re-set the qt salinity gradually to that of the DT.

For a fish to suffer a rapid salinity fall is ok. For a fish to suffer a rapid salinity rise is dangerous.

What is even more dangerous is that if there is ammonium from fish excrement and breathing in the bag, opening the bag will convert it to ammonia, which will kill the fish within 3 days from organ damage.

This is why no drip acclimation. Drip Acclimation is still the only recourse you've got when your info is wrong and the salinity you were told is dead wrong. That's why you test the water. Be sure. But if you've done your homework your fish doesn't need to undergo that dangerous adjustment. He can go straight into safe, clean water.

So if the salinity is way off between ur QT and shipping bag, how long would you acclimate? Still 30 min max?

 

[snorvich]

So if the salinity is way off between ur QT and shipping bag, how long would you acclimate? Still 30 min max?

I would adjust the SG of the quarantine to that of the shipping water and acclimate for 15 minutes.

 

[las]

Definitely not longer than half an hour. No matter what.

DO NOT DRIP ACCLIMATE. Find out the salinity of the shipper, pre-set the qt to that salinity, float the sealed bag for 15 minutes to adjust temperature, open and test the bag. If within .002, you're good to put him right on over to the qt with no drip acclimation whatever, because the SALINITY is the same in bag and qt. Then over the next 4 WEEKS use evaporation and topoff to re-set the qt salinity gradually to that of the DT.

For a fish to suffer a rapid salinity fall is ok. For a fish to suffer a rapid salinity rise is dangerous.

What is even more dangerous is that if there is ammonium from fish excrement and breathing in the bag, opening the bag will convert it to ammonia, which will kill the fish within 3 days from organ damage.

This is why no drip acclimation. Drip Acclimation is still the only recourse you've got when your info is wrong and the salinity you were told is dead wrong. That's why you test the water. Be sure. But if you've done your homework your fish doesn't need to undergo that dangerous adjustment. He can go straight into safe, clean water.

So if the salinity is way off between ur QT and shipping bag, how long would you acclimate? Still 30 min max?

 

[las]

Sorry double post

 

[ca1ore]

So if the salinity is way off between ur QT and shipping bag, how long would you acclimate? Still 30 min max?

Why would it be off? I 'set' my QT for incoming fish at about .03 (usually 1.020) above what the shipper claims his shipping salinity to be. Once the fish arrives, I check the shipping bag water, and adjust the QT to match by adding FW (in most cases). If the shippers info was way off, and my QT is lower than the shipping water (very unusual), then it depends on how much. Fish tolerate high to low salinity better than low to high, so if my QT is lower by less than .02 I don't worry.

 

[Sk8r]

If it SHOULD happen, the rule is still 30 minutes. Ammonia is lethal. That part of the equation doesn't bend. Avoid ammonia.

 

[las]

Thanks sk8r

 

[design1stcode2n]

Here is an issue I've come across, (Obviously you could use two QT's or 2 TTM's). You have a fish from a LFS or online that is at say 1.024 and another one at 1.019. you need to drip acclimate them to somewhere in between in my opinion.

 

[Nick_P]

Here is an issue I've come across, (Obviously you could use two QT's or 2 TTM's). You have a fish from a LFS or online that is at say 1.024 and another one at 1.019. you need to drip acclimate them to somewhere in between in my opinion.

I would set the QT to 1.019 and drop both fish in. Then slowly bring up the level through top offs.

 

[ca1ore]

Personally, I wouldn't QT fish from different places in the same tank. Problem solved

 

[design1stcode2n]

Personally, I wouldn't QT fish from different places in the same tank. Problem solved

Bought from the same place. Just one of the fish was in hypo-salinity. They run hypo, copper and prazipro.