How do I acclimate DD fish?

[Steve1500]

I will be recieving my first online purchase (Divers Den) of a coral beauty tomorrow and I need some pointers on how to acclimate.

Do I bag acclimate followed by a drip acclimate just like I would do corals? If so, how long on the drip acclimate? Any tips would be appreciated!

I assume I cannot only bag acclimate due to the ammonia issues.

Thanks!

 

[KMench]

Are you quarantining your fish? In this scenario it’s ideal to match your QT to the water the fish is shipped in. That way you can temp acclimate and add them. You can slowly raise the salinity to match your DT if you QT, which is less stressful for the fish.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I haven't drip acclimated a fish in probably close to a decade. When the fish arrives, I start temperature acclimating. I test the salinity in the bag after about 10 minutes or so, and match the QT tank to whatever the salinity is in the bag. Once the tank matches the bag, I drop the fish right in.

Basically, as soon as you open the shipping bag, the clock starts ticking and the water in the bag starts getting more and more dangerous. When a fish breathes in a sealed bag, they use oxygen and produce CO2. This drives the pH in the water down. They also excrete waste in the form of ammonia. This is usually pretty bad for fish, but because of the low pH, the ammonia exists as ammonium, which is much less harmful. As soon as you open the bag, however, the CO2 starts to off-gas, driving the pH in the bag up, which converts the relatively harmless ammonium into very harmful ammonia. My personal goal is to get the fish in the tank as soon after opening the bag as possible.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

This link for Live Aquaria/Divers Den explains both the bag float and drip metods and also contains videos.

https://www.liveaquaria.com/article/157/?aid=157

I agree with the KMench that if you have the ability to it's a good idea to match your quarantine tank to the bag's salinity and raise slowly if needed. You can also call DD ahead of time to get a report on their salinity. I believe they typically ship their fish at 1.025.

 

[pecan2phat]

I usually temperature acclimate by immersing the sealed bag in my sump for 15 minutes after I've turned the bag to see that the fish is okay in there since they use the black mylar in the bags.
I then cut open the bag and place the fish and bagged water into a container dependent on fish size. Can range anywhere from a Rubbermaid dishpan vessel to a 5g bucket, then check the salinity. I then do a fast drip with an air line and small air line valve only. Fast drip only because Diver's Den's fish always comes in at 1.023-1.025 for my purchases. I drip to at least double the water volume with at least 20 minutes of drip time so you can gauge your drip rate.
When I buy from LFS or other vendors that keep their systems at low salinity such as 1.014-1.018, I drip for 2-3 hours dumping water one to two times because the difference is so great.

 

[Steve1500]

Thanks to all. I will be QT the fish and will bag acclimate and ensure my salinity is matched.

 

[KMench]

@Steve1500 good to hear. It really is the easiest way too. I normally get my salinity of the QT in the ballpark and then take a tiny sample of water from the bag while it’s temp acclimating to ensure I match. Make any appropriate changes based on what he actual bag is. I’m sure you’ll be fine