I have had the elegance in my ank for nearly 2 years. I found it to be very hardy. It seems to thrive best in the lower portions of the tank with less flow. I did not dip mine, just floated it for a half hour to let the temp adjust. It started to look ****ed for a while, then I decided to star feeding it raw shrimp. just tiny little chuncks places around the mouths and it perked right back up. Its not part of the routine.