Acclimation tips?

[oceanhighz]

I was wondering what ways you guys acclimate your livestock when you get it in. And could you explain them in detail, so I could do it also. I've had great success without acclimating, by matching my LFS's sailnity and and temperature and other stuff. I have however had a cleaner shrimp die on me, and a couple brittle stars. I would like to keep this from happening. could you help me?

Brandon

[sven]

Patience is a virtue!



I use an airline with a valve to regulate flow. I drip water from the tank into a five gallon bucket with the LFS fish and water in it. When it fills, I empty it out to the last few inches, just enough to keep whatever is in there happy. After I have filled and emptied this bucket a few times I drain all but the last bit of water and fish again and dump it in the tank. The water I remove is replaced right away. (in other words I combine a water change with the new fish/coral event. This way I use the tank water that is being dumped to acclimatize the fish or coral. This method also means that I don't have to handle the fish with a net.

Some other things to consider:

If you are adding fish, and aggression is a concern, feed the fish in the tank just before adding the new one.

The goal is to acclimate the fish as slow and as fast as you can. ??? Sounds contradictory doesn't it. Fast because the best place for your new fish besides the reef it came from, is in your tank. The water in there should be in prime condition, much better than the conditions in the bag. They also get stressed bouncing around in that plastic bubble, they would like to go find a rock to hide in. Slow, because you want to make the changes as gradual as possible. So don't dilly dally once you have him bagged up. Get the fish home and start acclimating right away. Have the water for the water change made in advance (I'd give it at least a day) Bring a Styrofoam container with you to the LFS so you can place the bag in it and keep the temperature stable. If you only have one bag in the Styrofoam cooler put crumpled newspaper around it to keep it from jostling while you drive home. Do all of your shopping and talking BEFORE they bag the fish. Go straight home and start the acclimation process immediately.

Add new fish early enough so that the lights on the tank don't go out immediately after you add the new fish, give them a chance to find there way around before it gets dark. You might even consider a night light, especially if you have anemones that might make a snack of them if they bump into them in the dark.

[oceanhighz]

thanks sven, would you do the same for inverts? people have also told me to use tupperware for inverts, and use the drip method. any more ideas for this?

Brandon

[sven]

Same as above except you need to be particularly careful of water parameters. Many invertebrates are more sensitive to the changes in water conditions so take it slow and steady. The Tupperware idea is just a smaller version of my 5 gallon bucket one. Use the air-valve to keep the added water at a slow drip. It is handy to keep the end of the drip line above the water line so you can check on the flow rate.