Acclimation boxes, who has experience?

reefknight · Mar 21, 2012

Since I'm considering adding another wrasse to my display, the question of acclimation boxes emerged. I have not used one in the past and think it may be time for one as my fish list is growing and adding anything in the future may be difficult without one. So quick questions;

Which ones do you have experience with? Like, dislike? Think you would pruchase or wouldn't?

Throw out some thoughts folks, I'd like to hear them!

revhtree · Mar 22, 2012

This needs some input. I would love to know as well. Brad where are you? LOL!

dnov99 · Mar 22, 2012

I have one that I believe is made by Reef Gently. I have used it several times with wrasses and it makes a big difference. Just make sure the box is large enough for the fish you are acclimating. I left the fish in there for 24 hours and it allowed all the other fish to swim up to the new one and examine him and satisfy their curiosity with no stress to the new fish. I would say it was a huge benefit to use this technique.

Aquaph8 · Mar 22, 2012

The company I bought mine from went under but Tyler at elite aquatics makes some really similar ones. Mike and Terry have one from there maybe they'll post a pic for you. I'll post a link for you when I get home.

Mike&Terry · Mar 22, 2012

We answered Bill with a couple of pics in another thread, but for anyone else who may be interested, we'll share here as well:

Ours is a made to order, custom sized box: 12"Lx6"Dx8"T. Tyler was great to deal with, quick turnaround (6 days), and we couldn't be more pleased.

Aquaph8 · Mar 22, 2012

Ive always wondered which one I would like better. The lid on the 4coral box slides in and out but I like the hinge lid too. I think I would like the hang on idea better than the suction cups, they grab a little too good and its kind of a pain to get off gently.

btkrausen · Mar 22, 2012

I agree Brett. The suction cups on the other ones are tough to get off, I have to use a scraper to get them off the glass.

I use one for wrasses and it seems to help with aggression, but when they are let go, there is always still some chasing that goes on, although every one of them have survived.

Dowtish · Mar 22, 2012

I just ordered one from elite aquatic, as I am about to add another wrasse to my tank. I looked at the reef gently models, but this one having the hang on feature and hinged lid is what sold me.

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slojmn · Mar 22, 2012

Here is my acclimation box from Tyler at Elite Aquatics. It is an earlier version compared to Mike and Terry's. Its in the tank in this shot housing a wrasse before I release. It has been a great acclimation box for me. I usually keep the fish in it for about a4 to 7 days depending on how things are going with tank mates. It cuts down on "new neighbor in the hood aggression" in a big way. The quality and workmanship are flat out awesome on this unit. I love the hinged top and feel much more secure with the hanging feature than suction cups.

Mike&Terry · Mar 22, 2012

We used a CPR in tank refugium as an acclimation box for about a year (maybe more) and the suction cups were extremely annoying.

Jeppeterpan · Mar 23, 2012

My first acclimation box is a simple critter box (the one u can put bugs or whatever in) u can get from any pet store. It's clear all around, except the roof which is colored usually. I have a chunk of live rock in there and it's worked perfect. Eventually will get a fancier one as shown in the thread, but for $3.95...hard to beat price. Used it to acclimate 2 swallowtail angels, a wrasse, and even some shrimp to see how the tank mates will react to them. Kept them in there for 3-4 days and my tangs never bothered them once I released them......if you are going to acclimate a wrasse it works perfect, cause you can put it in the bottom of your tank, fill the box w sand, so if the wrasse buries itself, you know exactly where it's at. It's not a lot of fun when you put an expensive wrasse in the tank and dont know where it's at cause it buried somewhere....lol

andywe · Mar 23, 2012

I like both, but have the Reef Gently small and large boxes. The bracket is definitely a plus, however the versatility of the reef gently really makes it very functional, so I am just pointing this out for options. It not only acts as a drip acclimated, but also as a fish trap AND transporter, as well as can be used for coral dipping, ect.

I use mine far more then I thought I would because it can be used both inside and outside the aquarium.

reefknight · Mar 23, 2012

Mike&Terry said:
We answered Bill with a couple of pics in another thread, but for anyone else who may be interested, we'll share here as well:

Ours is a made to order, custom sized box: 12"Lx6"Dx8"T. Tyler was great to deal with, quick turnaround (6 days), and we couldn't be more pleased.

Mike & Terry - Thank you for sharing yet again in a different thread. It's great when you hear such experiences with vendors, as all too often we hear horror stories.

btkrausen said:
I agree Brett. The suction cups on the other ones are tough to get off, I have to use a scraper to get them off the glass.

I use one for wrasses and it seems to help with aggression, but when they are let go, there is always still some chasing that goes on, although every one of them have survived.

Truthfully I was afraid that the Reef Gently box wouldn't stay attached, lol. I've never had great experience with suction cups as they always seem to fail at the worst times. It's great to hear that maybe there's a suction cup that doesn't "suck". Thank you for your advice and experience with it.

Let me ask this, what would be your ideal size of an acclimation box? Do you find that the standard models are too small/ large? And if you were to have one custom made, what size would you order?

While we are discussing acclimation; how long do you typically keep you newly acquired fish in acclimation?

Thank you to all that responded!

FinsToTheLeft · Mar 23, 2012

The original, Patent Pending, AccliMate by Reef Gently is my favorite. www.reefgently.com. The AccliMate has many functions in addition to acclimation and also is the only device offering set-it-and-forget-it acclimation with its patent pending dual siphon system. The Elite Aquatics box is BEAUTIFUL but does not appear to offer the inner box where all the magic of the AccliMate happens

. The AccliMate allows net free, stress free transfer to your aquarium can also be used as an in-tank, guillotine style fish trap. When it comes to bang for your buck nothing beats the AccliMate...but then again I'm a little biased, I invented it

.

Wes Sonner

feh · Mar 23, 2012

Mike&Terry said:
We answered Bill with a couple of pics in another thread, but for anyone else who may be interested, we'll share here as well:

Ours is a made to order, custom sized box: 12"Lx6"Dx8"T. Tyler was great to deal with, quick turnaround (6 days), and we couldn't be more pleased.

This is a nice box. Whats one like this run?

Laird · Mar 23, 2012

Acclimation boxes

They are the BEST, love mine. I will never add another fish without it.

Mike&Terry · Mar 23, 2012

FinsToTheLeft said:
The original, Patent Pending, AccliMate by Reef Gently is my favorite. www.reefgently.com. The AccliMate has many functions in addition to acclimation and also is the only device offering set-it-and-forget-it acclimation with its patent pending dual siphon system. The Elite Aquatics box is BEAUTIFUL but does not appear to offer the inner box where all the magic of the AccliMate happens . The AccliMate allows net free, stress free transfer to your aquarium can also be used as an in-tank, guillotine style fish trap. When it comes to bang for your buck nothing beats the AccliMate...but then again I'm a little biased, I invented it .

Wes Sonner

Kudos to you Wes as it is a rather ingenious multifunctional work of art! 1smile1 We have a friend who uses the AccliMate and he is very happy with it and although we have no personal experience with the Reef Gently product, it was our first recommendation to the OP in his original thread https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fi...ng-third-fairy-wrasse-suggestions-please.html :wink:

You are correct, the Elite Aquatics box does not have the inner box which is a nice feature, but would not be a good option in our situation. :bigsmile:

Mike&Terry · Mar 23, 2012

reefknight said:
Mike & Terry - Thank you for sharing yet again in a different thread. It's great when you hear such experiences with vendors, as all too often we hear horror stories.

Truthfully I was afraid that the Reef Gently box wouldn't stay attached, lol. I've never had great experience with suction cups as they always seem to fail at the worst times. It's great to hear that maybe there's a suction cup that doesn't "suck". Thank you for your advice and experience with it.

Let me ask this, what would be your ideal size of an acclimation box? Do you find that the standard models are too small/ large? And if you were to have one custom made, what size would you order?

While we are discussing acclimation; how long do you typically keep you newly acquired fish in acclimation?

Thank you to all that responded!

Your welcome Bill! As for size, it depends on how much room you have in your tank for the box and the size of fish (they should be able to turn around comfortably) or how many you plan to add simultaneously to your tank in the future. We add multiples at times (no more than 3) and have found the extra space helps. We normally keep new additions in the box 2-4 days. We kept our Eightline Flashers in there for a week - in part because our teenage Lineatus was hyper focusing on them and we were being extra cautious after some bad experiences with male Eightlines.