Proper Acclimation

[Cades]

Welcome to my combat free thread on acclimation. Below is the only useful information from the previous not so comat free thread.


You SHOULD NOT drip acclimate fish that have just undertaken a long journey. As fish are being transported the will urinate in the bag. Additionally, as time goes on, the pH steadily drops. At a low pH ammonia (from urination) is less toxic. Thus, when you drip acclimate a fish that has been bagged, you are actually spiking the toxicity of the water they are in. High pH water from your tank mixes with the ammonia in the bag creating a gas chamber effect on the poor fish.
PROPER ACCLIMATION PROCEDURE
1. Float for 15 min.
2. Pour into net (it is considered bad practice to allow the ammonia rich water from the bag into the tank). However, if it is a large unwieldy fish you can drain the bag and carefully let the fish “slide out”.
3. If you have any aggressive fish it is usually a good idea to feed them first, turn out the lights, and rearrange your decorations. Obviously if you have a reef you will ignore the latter.

Link generously provided by Ben:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/acclimat.htm

Cheers,
Craig

 

[hannam11]

Thank You.

 

[Bennihanna]

What no info on quarantine?

 

[Cades]

Sounds like a job for Bennihanna!

 

[grochmal]

What is considered a "long journey"?

 

[robwsup]

Craig,
Is it true that Ammonia is bound into Ammonium at lower pH's, and that is the reason is less toxic?

I've always said that "fish pee" in a bag is not toxic since pH is lower due to fish respiration, and instead of ammonia, you get ammonium. But, if you open that bag, and aerate it to vigorously, or acclimate very slowly, you'll ammonia burn the fish.

Remember, fish are waterproof, they control their bodies salinities. You only need to acclimate for temperature, not salinity.

 

[deepbelow]

does the same thing go for coral acclimation as well?? SPS LPS Clams zoos?

 

[mecold]

Aw, come on ben! I know you can talk alittle bit about quarantine. Even though I am guilty of not doing that.

 

[Bennihanna]

Since you put me on the spot, here you go. This is a pretty good start.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i4/quarantine/Quarantine.htm

 

[Cades]

Corals aren't going to urinate like fish so the same issues don't really apply. However, I would acclimate them the same way. It has always worked well for me and I have acclimated many corals.
Craig

 

[marineduud]

I always acclimate corals different than fish because they are very sensitive to PH and Alk. and salinity change than fish are, and I try to avoid stress on corals as much as possible I either drip or use a cup to add tank water to a container that has the coral and water they came in to slowly adjust to my tank parameters over a period of an hour. Corals do excrete a mucus
when in stress and shipment also.

 

[Cades]

Marineduud,
I would assume that your method is better. Of course, I am usually in a situation where I'm putting away 30+ corals and over 100 fish at a shot, so I simply don't have time for that. I would also add that it is usually a good idea to ease your corals up to the top of the tank over time so that they don't get blasted with high intensity light the first couple of days that you have them. This is especially true for corals that have been through a long journey.

 

[Bennihanna]

I never acclimate corals to salinity and pH. I do start them on the bottum to adjust for light intensity.

 

[Cades]

I never acclimated for pH or salinity either and I've never had a problem, but some may find it advantageous. pH will drop in a bag over a long journey but the salinity in ones reef tank shouldn't differ much from the bag.

 

[grochmal]

Raising this one from the dead...
How about using something like this in the bag the fish is in?
http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyid=7929

How do you guys acclimate snails?

 

[HWCOZ]

Acclimating snails is fast and easy.

Float the bag a bit if you need to adjust temperature, then take the snails out of the water in the bag and place them at the water's edge. This is easy if you have a return spout they can sit on, but you can also hold them at the side of the tank just barely touching the top of the water level. As soon as the snail comes out and grabs hold to the glass (or acrylic or plastic), let go. It will acclimate itself.