Acclimating Shipped Fish

[codytbuckner]

I would verify the copper thing. LiveAquaria (not DD) is a middle man for QM and perhaps other wholesalers. If the wrong assumption is made about copper and that is combined with copper there will be disaster. Add I completely agree that matching the destination take salinity to shipping salinity is preferred. Just my opinion but I think the stress of making two moves (bag to bucket to tank) would induce less stressful then a significant salinity jump or possible ammonia exposure. If you can confirm no copper in shipping water by either contacting LA or testing then Prime would be a winner for you and you are home free.

I will verify the copper thing. The bags are floating in my tank with no lights. They will stay there until I get home from work and I figure out the best way to acclimate them. I assume they will be just fine like this until this evening?

 

[codytbuckner]

I would verify the copper thing. LiveAquaria (not DD) is a middle man for QM and perhaps other wholesalers. If the wrong assumption is made about copper and that is combined with copper there will be disaster. Add I completely agree that matching the destination take salinity to shipping salinity is preferred. Just my opinion but I think the stress of making two moves (bag to bucket to tank) would induce less stressful then a significant salinity jump or possible ammonia exposure. If you can confirm no copper in shipping water by either contacting LA or testing then Prime would be a winner for you and you are home free.

LiveAquaria does not use copper in their systems. I will pick up a bottle of prime and drip acclimate when I get home. They should be fine floating in their bags in the tank until this evening?

 

[ShaggyRS6]

What I have done, which has worked for me is dump out half the water, I then use a hand warmer and put that under a plastic bucket, put the fish in the bucket and start slow, then fairly high drip. I check the SG and Temp with a Hanna tester and add the fish when the levels are the same. The process takes me 40 mins.

 

[jozer1]

Aside from the problems I had , This is what I did with the fish I bought from live aquaria. out of all the ones that I bought 3 of them didn't make it. I didn't get my money back because I never found the bodies lol , the crabs must have ate them. but the rest did fine.

 

[secret_reefer337]

Float and drop here. I have ordered from Live Aquaria and ReefTN/Sustainable Aquatics several times and that’s how I do it. No death so far from doing this.

 

[Wick]

I would do it this way too

 

[codytbuckner]

Update: The bags floated in my tank all day. After work I picked up a bottle of prime. I ended up drip acclimating one clown after adding some prime to the water. It seemed to be pretty stressed so I ended up putting it in the tank as is. The second clown went straight in the tank without a drip acclimation. This one seemed to do much better with the transition. They are both doing great now, but in the future, temp float and drop will probably be the call.

 

[Wick]

Might not be comfy but they will live. I would keep the lights off on your tank for a day or so and slowly turn em back on

 

[mike550]

I ordered fish from LiveAquaria. What is the best method for acclimating shipped fish? Temp float and drop straight in?

I recently ordered from LiveAquaria, and they will give you explicit directions on acclimation. I highly recommend you follow their directions. During the first 48 hours I lost two fish, and the first thing they asked was if i followed their acclimation procedure. They gave me a full credit without much else.

I’m pretty sure that in order to be eligible for the 14 day guarantee you might as well follow their directions

 

[codytbuckner]

I recently ordered from LiveAquaria, and they will give you explicit directions on acclimation. I highly recommend you follow their directions. During the first 48 hours I lost two fish, and the first thing they asked was if i followed their acclimation procedure. They gave me a full credit without much else.

I’m pretty sure that in order to be eligible for the 14 day guarantee you might as well follow their directions

Mike,
Thanks for the advice, but LiveAquaria doesn’t account for ammonia build up in the shipped bags. I won’t add cups of water to bags. Drip acclimation is way better and as discussed already, drip acclimation can lead to ammonia burns.

You followed their instructions and lost 2 fish? Doesn’t seem like good advice at all.

 

[mike550]

Mike,
Thanks for the advice, but LiveAquaria doesn’t account for ammonia build up in the shipped bags. I won’t add cups of water to bags. Drip acclimation is way better and as discussed already, drip acclimation can lead to ammonia burns.

You followed their instructions and lost 2 fish? Doesn’t seem like good advice at all.

Full disclosure. The two fish I lost were due to fin rot. I don’t think acclimation caused or aggravated the issue.

My point was if they’re offering me a 14 day guarantee, then following their directions doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

 

[codytbuckner]

Full disclosure. The two fish I lost were due to fin rot. I don’t think acclimation caused or aggravated the issue.

My point was if they’re offering me a 14 day guarantee, then following their directions doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

I get it. I’m just not one to follow their acclimation guide and lose fish just because there is a guarantee

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Guys, live Aquaria doesn’t use copper in their tanks last time I checked...Why can’t you just put some Prime-ammonia detoxifier into the fish’s water? It will detoxify ammonia for 48 hours, much longer than a drop acclimation procedure.

This is what I do. A few drops of Prime as soon as I open the bag.

 

[Baldguy]

Some vendors want you to drip or they won't honor the guarantee. Others won't honor it if you do drip. I lost too many fish after dripping so do believe the science that says don't drip because of the ammonia issue. On the other hand, with big salinity differences it doesn't make sense to just drop them in. Like others, I add a couple drops of Prime to the newly opened bag and go on and drip. That has worked well for me.

 

[ShaggyRS6]

I think the best approach is common sense. I know there must be a scientific formula, but common sense goes a long way. As responsible fish keepers we all generally know what we are doing, and I think there is not a one size fits all method.

 

[ca1ore]

Meh, I think ammonia burn is way over stated. Can it happen .... sure. Will it .... probably not. I salinity match my QT in most cases, but sometimes I have to do a drip acclimation. Key is to do it in 30 mins or less, not multiple hours.

 

[FishyDave]

Guys, live Aquaria doesn’t use copper in their tanks last time I checked...Why can’t you just put some Prime-ammonia detoxifier into the fish’s water? It will detoxify ammonia for 48 hours, much longer than a drop acclimation procedure.
My tank is about 1.29 salinity. I use NSW, so not drip acclimating is a death sentence.

No, but Quality Marine Does in tons of their tanks.

 

[Ross Petersen]

Just an update on this old-ish thread: Seachem Prime (to bind ammonia) and Copper Power (used in QT) are safe to combine. Humblefish and others have updated threads on this. Just remembers this is a band-aid to capture ammonia... which will be released back into the water in 24-48 hrs.

 

[LeprechaunReefer]

Reviving this for input: how about feedback on a company the sells quarantined fish and ships at 1.025. My tank is currently at 1.023 and my plan is to float for temp and then discard water and introduce fish into acclimation box inside display. Thoughts on going from 1.025 to 1.023 during this process? Have had losses dripping and using prime in the past.