wats proper way to acclimate fish

[Mike Paul]

Waz up Mike here just had a question on the proper way to acclimate fish
I have a 29 gallon and I plan on putting in all five around the same time
N I seen someone say putting the bag floating on top til temp is wrong n that's how I usually do it so how's the proper way n these r the fish.

Spotted goby
Purple goby firefish
Lemon Peel angel
Algae blenny
six line wrasse

 

[willray]

Let the bag come up to temp(floating) then transfer the water and inhabitants to a plastic bowl or similar and re-float.Next add your tank water to the container...little at a time say 1/16 cup or less spread out over hr or better.Its alright to remove water from the container and discard if needed.When all the water is tank water in the container time to release your new friends....ideally none of the water from the source goes into your system.

 

[littlefish09]

you can also drip acclimate them

 

[Dashiki]

I float mine for 20 minutes then put them in a 5g HD bucket next to my tank. I setup an airline hose and tie knots in it so its a fast drip not a stream. Set the kitchen timer for 45 minutes then net them and put them into the tank

 

[Owen386]

^^^
That's pretty much exactly what I do, and has worked for me thus far. But I'm always afraid the water temp in the five gallon during the hour process will drop to much. Thoughts?

-Owen

 

[littlefish09]

I wouldnt worry about the temp dropping. If you float the bag first and your house isnt freezing i dont think would be that much of a issue.

 

[joelg]

If you have a sump you can float the container there and use the drip method that eliminates the temperature issue.
An added note: as stated here many times you should be quarantining all new fish, I know that is not always possible due to budget and space restraints but adding new livestock to your DT is risky.
If you can afford a QT setup its money well spent.

 

[mf88]

jw how long should you qt new fish

 

[joelg]

jw how long should you qt new fish

A couple of weeks will usually be enough time for any disease or parasites to reveal themselves
after that if no problems show up you can move them to your DT just remember to acclimate them to the DT also.

 

[GobyWanKenobie]

That seems like a lot of fish to add to a 29 gallon all at once, but that's just my opinion. I also use the drip method, but I don't float first, I just go straight to the drip. When I am done dripping, I float the fish to bring it to temperature and then catch it by hand or small container and release it into the tank. I read somewhere that floating it first brings the temperature up too quickly only to have it drop during the drip period. Don't know if this way is better, but it made sense to me.

 

[Bobbofin]

That seems like a lot of fish to add to a 29 gallon all at once, but that's just my opinion.

I agree, I hope your tank isn't too new and has finished going through it's cycle many months ago.

 

[downreef]

I read somewhere that if you float the addition, and you check the salinity and it is within .01 with your tank you don't have to drip is this true?

 

[GobyWanKenobie]

There are so many other things to consider besides the salinity like ph, alk, ca, ammonia, nutrient balance, etc., that I think the drip helps the fish/coral get used to the new water before putting them in their new home. I even drip when I move things from one tank to another within my house because each tank has it's own chemical balance. I guess I'm just used to doing it that way, but everyone has their own methods.

 

[Brady]

Been in the hobby for 5+ years. Many people obviously would not recommend this but I just temp float and put the fish in. Never lost a fish.

 

[GobyWanKenobie]

Brady, do you do the same thing with your corals? Sometimes I wonder if the fish are just getting more stressed while I drip them, but I've never lost a fish my way either. I've lost many fish, but never within the first few weeks. It always happens when my tank starts to look good, and I start to think I might actually know what I'm doing.

 

[Ford625]

I float mine for 20 minutes then put them in a 5g HD bucket next to my tank. I setup an airline hose and tie knots in it so its a fast drip not a stream. Set the kitchen timer for 45 minutes then net them and put them into the tank

I do the same thing but I let other fish acclimate in the bucket a little longer (about 3 hours). As time goes on, I speed up the water flow into the bucket (every hour or so), so there is more of your tank water in the bucket than they came in. I let the bucket fill up about 3/4's of the way before I feel it's safe along with the time period. Net them out and enjoy! lol

 

[Skeeter7424]

My method is similar to everyone elses. I float the bag (fish or coral, same method for both) for about a half hour with the halides off, and one bank of T5's on. Then every half hour after that I take a cup of water from the bag, and put in a cup from the tank. I do that 5-6 times. Then net and put into the DT. Never lost a fish this way.

Corals do go through a hefty dip process after all this, but that is a completely different story

Jordan

 

[Sean Irwin]

I use a turkey baster to gently add water until I've increased the volume in the bag by about 1/3. I like to float bags because it gives the fish some ability to scout out the aquarium and reduce the lighting a little bit so that they don't have sensory overload. Regardless of what method you choose, it's very important that you observe the fishes behavior. If they're freaking out in the bag, I find that it's better just to release them rather than keep them in a obviously stressful situation.

Like others mentioned, that does seem like an awful lot of fish for a 29, especially if you add them all at once. Along with the biolaod, you need to consider the temperament of each fish. Sixlines, for instance, are little terrorists. Ounce for ounce they are one of the most aggressive non-damsel fish I've seen. The Angel isn't quite as rowdy but will defend it's territory from other algae eaters like the blenny. Angels also have a tendency to pick at corals and clams. Some algae blennys can be pretty mean and territorial too. Neither goby will be able to successfully compete with such boisterous tank mates.

 

[Jocko]

For fish, I use my Acclimate to do a drip acclimation to my QT tank. When it's time to go from the QT to the DT, I have made sure the salinity, temp and pH are the same between the two so I can just do a direct transfer. In fact I use water change from the DT into the QT so it's basically the same water by the time the QT period is over.

For corals, I float the bags to equalize temp somewhat. Then I take the coral out, sit it in the air for about 30 seconds so it can slime up and then I just put it right in QT. Whenever I pick up corals, I dry pack them so by the time I get home they have a nice slime coating. That's what I do when I'm flying home from MACNA. 12 hours in a carryon bag with basically no water. Get home, float for temp and then right into the water. Works unbelievably well. I've been doing this for like 5 years now and I honestly can't think of a single loss due to it. Polyps are usually extending within 30-60 minutes.