Acclimation tips
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EW_Fish
Valuable Member
I'm not saying this is the right way but this is the way I do it.
#1 Float my frag in its bag in the sump for 15mins
#2 Pour water and the frag in a bowl
#3 Drip acclimate your tank water to bowl with airstone.. (I do about 75/25) "75 being your tank water 25 of the water came with frag."
Don't forget to dip your corals and
#1 Float my frag in its bag in the sump for 15mins
#2 Pour water and the frag in a bowl
#3 Drip acclimate your tank water to bowl with airstone.. (I do about 75/25) "75 being your tank water 25 of the water came with frag."
Don't forget to dip your corals and
Eric B
Well-Known Member
1 - I float the bag in tank for about 20-30 min while I set up my dipping stuff.
2 - I then pour all water into dipping container along with a small amount of my tank water and I remove frags from existing plugs and place in the dipping container.
3 - I then add the Bayer to the dipping container. I use 10ml of Bayer for every 2 cups of salt water for 20 min and I dip every coral in this solution.
4 - While corals are dipping I grab new frag plugs, glue and any other fragging supplies and also another container that I put clean tank water into.
5 - I take frags out after 20 min and place in container of clean tank water and discard dipping container water. I then one at a time glue frags to new plugs and place back in container to let super glue cure.
6 - Once I am finished I usually take a turkey baster and just gently squirt all frags in the container and then place them on frag rack or in the tank and dispose of that container and water as well.
7 - I then take the old frag plugs and soak them in hydrogen peroxide for a day or when I get around to it and rinse and let them dry and they go back into rotation.
I have not lost anything yet doing it this way and you can search for Bayer on R2R as there is a large thread that talks about which one to buy. I also feel this is the best way for me to not introduce anything into my system that I do not want in there.
2 - I then pour all water into dipping container along with a small amount of my tank water and I remove frags from existing plugs and place in the dipping container.
3 - I then add the Bayer to the dipping container. I use 10ml of Bayer for every 2 cups of salt water for 20 min and I dip every coral in this solution.
4 - While corals are dipping I grab new frag plugs, glue and any other fragging supplies and also another container that I put clean tank water into.
5 - I take frags out after 20 min and place in container of clean tank water and discard dipping container water. I then one at a time glue frags to new plugs and place back in container to let super glue cure.
6 - Once I am finished I usually take a turkey baster and just gently squirt all frags in the container and then place them on frag rack or in the tank and dispose of that container and water as well.
7 - I then take the old frag plugs and soak them in hydrogen peroxide for a day or when I get around to it and rinse and let them dry and they go back into rotation.
I have not lost anything yet doing it this way and you can search for Bayer on R2R as there is a large thread that talks about which one to buy. I also feel this is the best way for me to not introduce anything into my system that I do not want in there.
EW_Fish
Valuable Member
+1 Taking the frags off the plugs will help. Eggs and pest are more likely to live if you don't take the frag off the plug and remount.
kschweer
Moderator
I wrote this up a little while back.
Acclimation Procedures For Fish, Corals, and Invertebrates
Proper acclimation of your fish, corals, and invertebrates is very important for the long-term survival of your animals. Acclimate is defined as “to accustom or become accustomed to a new environment or situationâ€. So, when we acclimate our fish, corals, and invertebrates we are making them accustomed to the new environment (our tank) that they will be put into.
Acclimation procedures differ for fish, corals, and inverts but the end goal is the same, to make the transition of these animals as stress free as possible. When acclimating we are trying to get these animals used to parameters in our tanks. The most important being temperature, salinity, and pH. Here are some of the more popular acclimation procedures.
Float Method
This method of acclimation can be used for both fish and corals but is not recommended for inverts, as they can tend to be a bit more sensitive.
1) Place bag with new fish/coral unopened into your tank and allow to float for between 10-15 minutes. By doing this you will slowly match the temperature of the water in the bag to that of your tank water.
2) Open the bag. Using a clean container (preferably a measuring cup) add about a half cup of aquarium water every 5 minutes or so until the bag is full.
3) Empty out about half of the water from the bag into another container. (Never add this water to your tank).
4) Again add about a half cup of water every 5 minutes or so until the bag is full.
5) Now your new arrival is ready to be added to your tank. Remove fish/coral from the bag (use a net for fish) and add to your tank. The water from the bag should be discarded. Never add this water to your tank.
As a side note with fish that have been shipped many people will turn off the tank lights for about 4 hours so the intense light will not stress the fish that has been in the dark for a while.
Drip Method
This method of acclimation will take slightly longer than the “float†method, but in my opinion is a gentler means of acclimation. First lets start with what is needed for this method. You will need a container that is small enough so that the fish/coral/invert is submerged by the water from its original bag yet large enough to handle more water. (I usually use a 5-gallon bucket and if the water does not cover the specimen, I use a towel to prop the bucket up on an angle) A length of airline is also needed and should be long enough to reach from the top of the tank to the bottom of the bucket. An airline valve is very helpful as well but this method can be done without it. A suction cup with a clip used for holding airline in a tank is also useful but again not totally necessary. A timer of some kind will also help (I usually use my cell phone).
1) Take the container that you have decided to use and put the specimen along with all the water that is in the bag it came in into the container. If need be prop up one side of the container to ensure the specimen is completely covered with water.
2) Now take the length of airline and put one end into your tank. This is where the suction cup used for airline is helpful; it will hold the end underwater.
3) Take other end of the airline and attach the airline valve if you have one. If you do not have one tie 2-3 loose knots in your airline.
4) Start a siphon in your airline by sucking one the end that is out of the water. Once the water starts to come out the end, it is time to adjust the flow. If you are using an airline valve simply, use the valve to slow the flow to about 2-4 drips per second. If you are not using a valve, the loose knots you put into the line will be used to adjust the flow. Pull the knots tight to slow the flow or loosen to speed up the flow. Just like with the valve 2-4 drips per second is the goal.
5) Position the airline so that it drips into the bucket where your specimen is. The goal is to double the amount of water in the container. Here is where I start a timer on my phone for 40 minutes. This is usually a sufficient amount of time.
6) After the 40 or so minutes the amount of water that you started with should have just about doubled. It is now time to move your specimen from the container to the tank. The use of a net is recommended for fish and for corals/most inverts I will use my hands. Make sure not to add any of the water from the container back into your tank.
7) After your specimen is safely in your tank, discard the water in the container making sure not to put any into your tank.
8) Something to consider with this method is the temperature of the water in the container because it can cool down rather quickly “outside†of the tank. If I am doing an extended drip, (for sensitive animals) I have a small heater that I use for the container. You must also remember that you are removing saltwater from your tank, so when topping it back off you must use saltwater not fresh to keep that salinity from really fluctuating.
It is also worth noting that some inverts and ever some fish may require additional time acclimating. This is because some of these animals can be extremely sensitive to changes in parameters.
Acclimation Procedures For Fish, Corals, and Invertebrates
Proper acclimation of your fish, corals, and invertebrates is very important for the long-term survival of your animals. Acclimate is defined as “to accustom or become accustomed to a new environment or situationâ€. So, when we acclimate our fish, corals, and invertebrates we are making them accustomed to the new environment (our tank) that they will be put into.
Acclimation procedures differ for fish, corals, and inverts but the end goal is the same, to make the transition of these animals as stress free as possible. When acclimating we are trying to get these animals used to parameters in our tanks. The most important being temperature, salinity, and pH. Here are some of the more popular acclimation procedures.
Float Method
This method of acclimation can be used for both fish and corals but is not recommended for inverts, as they can tend to be a bit more sensitive.
1) Place bag with new fish/coral unopened into your tank and allow to float for between 10-15 minutes. By doing this you will slowly match the temperature of the water in the bag to that of your tank water.
2) Open the bag. Using a clean container (preferably a measuring cup) add about a half cup of aquarium water every 5 minutes or so until the bag is full.
3) Empty out about half of the water from the bag into another container. (Never add this water to your tank).
4) Again add about a half cup of water every 5 minutes or so until the bag is full.
5) Now your new arrival is ready to be added to your tank. Remove fish/coral from the bag (use a net for fish) and add to your tank. The water from the bag should be discarded. Never add this water to your tank.
As a side note with fish that have been shipped many people will turn off the tank lights for about 4 hours so the intense light will not stress the fish that has been in the dark for a while.
Drip Method
This method of acclimation will take slightly longer than the “float†method, but in my opinion is a gentler means of acclimation. First lets start with what is needed for this method. You will need a container that is small enough so that the fish/coral/invert is submerged by the water from its original bag yet large enough to handle more water. (I usually use a 5-gallon bucket and if the water does not cover the specimen, I use a towel to prop the bucket up on an angle) A length of airline is also needed and should be long enough to reach from the top of the tank to the bottom of the bucket. An airline valve is very helpful as well but this method can be done without it. A suction cup with a clip used for holding airline in a tank is also useful but again not totally necessary. A timer of some kind will also help (I usually use my cell phone).
1) Take the container that you have decided to use and put the specimen along with all the water that is in the bag it came in into the container. If need be prop up one side of the container to ensure the specimen is completely covered with water.
2) Now take the length of airline and put one end into your tank. This is where the suction cup used for airline is helpful; it will hold the end underwater.
3) Take other end of the airline and attach the airline valve if you have one. If you do not have one tie 2-3 loose knots in your airline.
4) Start a siphon in your airline by sucking one the end that is out of the water. Once the water starts to come out the end, it is time to adjust the flow. If you are using an airline valve simply, use the valve to slow the flow to about 2-4 drips per second. If you are not using a valve, the loose knots you put into the line will be used to adjust the flow. Pull the knots tight to slow the flow or loosen to speed up the flow. Just like with the valve 2-4 drips per second is the goal.
5) Position the airline so that it drips into the bucket where your specimen is. The goal is to double the amount of water in the container. Here is where I start a timer on my phone for 40 minutes. This is usually a sufficient amount of time.
6) After the 40 or so minutes the amount of water that you started with should have just about doubled. It is now time to move your specimen from the container to the tank. The use of a net is recommended for fish and for corals/most inverts I will use my hands. Make sure not to add any of the water from the container back into your tank.
7) After your specimen is safely in your tank, discard the water in the container making sure not to put any into your tank.
8) Something to consider with this method is the temperature of the water in the container because it can cool down rather quickly “outside†of the tank. If I am doing an extended drip, (for sensitive animals) I have a small heater that I use for the container. You must also remember that you are removing saltwater from your tank, so when topping it back off you must use saltwater not fresh to keep that salinity from really fluctuating.
It is also worth noting that some inverts and ever some fish may require additional time acclimating. This is because some of these animals can be extremely sensitive to changes in parameters.
RacinRevo0818
Active Member
+1 on monitoring water temp when using the drip/bucket method. I use a heating pad and thermometer to keep temps as close to possible as tank.
