Shipped Fish/Inverts - Drip Acclimate or Not???

[Clawfish]

Good afternoon all!

I hope everyone is doing good!! I have heard some very mixed things about acclimating fish upon arrival via post/shipment. Some people say just to acclimate temps while others suggest drip acclimation. I have also heard that drip acclimation can actually shock the fish even more.

As a man with a Male Splendid Pintail Fairy Wrasse, Green Carpet Anemone and 2 Engineer Gobies set to arrive tomorrow morning, I am searching for the best way to acclimate my new fish. So please give me your thoughts on acclimation process.

P.S. I do know that wrasses do not ship that well, but due to my location I just could not find the right wrasse that I wanted.

Thanks in advance!

 

[shakacuz]

you will hear mixed things here as well.

i personally have temp and drip acclimated my fish, and it has worked well. honestly even do this with corals. i drip acclimate them in the dipping solution after i temp acclimate them..

 

[GARRIGA]

Last I dealt with air shipments was the 90 at a transhipper. They eventually adopted a process of testing the arrival shipment's PH then adjusting their holding containers and quickly dumping post opening the bags. Don't recall if they adjusted for salinity. They normally brought in quarter container or larger to make shipping affordable. Fish were then slowly raised to system PH through dripping. High success rate. Took a while. Fish can handle a larger swing up then down and adding oxygen to the bags meant ammonia became more lethal. This process worked.

Today I'd likely follow the same with fish. Inverts I'd likely float and drop. That's never failed on me.

 

[Malcontent]

Fish can handle a larger swing up then down and adding oxygen to the bags meant ammonia became more lethal. This process worked.

If oxygen makes ammonia more toxic why are fish bagged with pure oxygen?

 

[Clawfish]

If oxygen makes ammonia more toxic why are fish bagged with pure oxygen?

I have read they would run out of oxygen otherwise

 

[GARRIGA]

If oxygen makes ammonia more toxic why are fish bagged with pure oxygen?

Sealed container filled with oxygen over a few hours will start consuming said oxygen by it's inhabitants which would expel CO2. It's not the increased oxygen that will suddenly cause an issue but the released CO2 when opened which will raise PH causing the equilibrium between ammonium and toxic ammonia to shift more toxic. Fish will then be exposed suddenly to lethal dose of ammonia. In the bag the PH might have dropped to 6.5 (if I recall correctly) which is almost 100% ammonium and harmless. Research equilibrium of free ammonia and ammonium for a better explanation than I have provided.

 

[dakoop]

Personally I would float then drip, but I'm far from an expert

 

[Clawfish]

Sealed container filled with oxygen over a few hours will start consuming said oxygen by it's inhabitants which would expel CO2. It's not the increased oxygen that will suddenly cause an issue but the released CO2 when opened which will raise PH causing the equilibrium between ammonium and toxic ammonia to shift more toxic. Fish will then be exposed suddenly to lethal dose of ammonia. In the bag the PH might have dropped to 6.5 (if I recall correctly) which is almost 100% ammonium and harmless. Research equilibrium of free ammonia and ammonium for a better explanation than I have provided.

What would you suggest for acclimation?

 

[fryman]

There is not agreement. I follow whatever the recommended protocol is from the seller (differs by seller). This way if something goes wrong they cannot reject a DOA guarantee because you did not follow "correct" acclimation procedure.

 

[GARRIGA]

What would you suggest for acclimation?

I’m old school. I’d do exactly as I was shown in the 90s for the exact same reasons.

From an LFS I float in a container and add 1/8 tank water based on that container volume for about 30-60 minutes. Nothing scientific and just trying to equalize salinity to avoid osmotic shock. Rather play it safe. Also add Prime. I believe it neutralizes ammonia and one less concern to have. Would add that as well to drip acclimation with imports and possibly skip creating PH new water to match bag conditions but yet to try it. Logically makes sense and simplifies the process.

 

[Clawfish]

I’m old school. I’d do exactly as I was shown in the 90s for the exact same reasons.

From an LFS I float in a container and add 1/8 tank water based on that container volume for about 30-60 minutes. Nothing scientific and just trying to equalize salinity to avoid osmotic shock. Rather play it safe. Also add Prime. I believe it neutralizes ammonia and one less concern to have. Would add that as well to drop acclimation with imports and possibly skip creating PH new water to match bag conditions but yet to try it. Logically makes sense and simplifies the process.

I think that is the route I am going, thank you

 

[Big Smelly fish]

I temp acclimate and then net and add. I don’t water acclimate.

 

[Clawfish]

working for shipped fish as well?

 

[ClutchCityReefer]

There is not agreement. I follow whatever the recommended protocol is from the seller (differs by seller). This way if something goes wrong they cannot reject a DOA guarantee because you did not follow "correct" acclimation procedure.

This is exactly what I was going to say...

From my experience/research it's usually a slam-dunk to drip fish but some inverts can handle bigger swings of water parameters so sometimes it is better to just get them right in the water after floating so ammonia poisoning doesn't do them in.

 

[GARRIGA]

This is exactly what I was going to say...

This makes sense. Better to cover your own butt then take chances and they'd have considerably more experience.

 

[Clawfish]

This makes sense. Better to cover your own butt then take chances and they'd have considerably more experience.

I assume more instructions will be in the box, I emailed and they simply said (3+ hours to acclimate), I inquired for further info for this exact reason and no response, left on my own, but they do have a 7-day guarantee

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Reecleaners say for inverts float them to even the temp but DO NOT drip acclimate. Warm the bag then drop the snails in your tank.

 

[GARRIGA]

I assume more instructions will be in the box, I emailed and they simply said (3+ hours to acclimate), I inquired for further info for this exact reason and no response, left on my own, but they do have a 7-day guarantee

Then likely they are looking for you to drip acclimate. Hopefully they come with thorough instructions.

 

[Clawfish]

Then likely they are looking for you to drip acclimate. Hopefully they come with thorough instructions.

I have certainly done both methods, but yes will stick with that they say, I would prefer not to drip due to a Blend that only lasted a few days and the shop offered to send me another and send, acclimate it how you want then...

I would like to float maybe add a little water over 20-30 minutes just to not shock him then add.

I think the fish needs to get out of the bag and toxic water and into the aquarium with room and hiding spots basically as soon as possible after adjusting temps, just my personal thoughts on it.

 

[ClutchCityReefer]

I've followed the same protocol as suggested by Reefcleaners multiple times and have not suffered any losses through shipping (that is usually where I buy inverts), but I'm sure just as many hobbyists can point to similar anecdotes where they've dripped snails/crabs and had perfect success. I would def still drip the fish though.

One thing isn't debatable however - it sure is a lot more convenient to only float the inverts. Not that that should be dispositive but in a world where information is conflicting/uncertain it's not bad to consider.