Acclimating shipped fish

[xandrew245x]

I ordered a firefish and chromis from saltwaterfish.com. They are supposed to be delivered today. All my fish prior to this i bought at a lfs and drip acclimated. I do not have a qt. I have read many different things about acclimating shipped fish. Saltwaterfish.com says the drip acclimate, other sources say temp float and then drop in, others say to acclimate them in their bag by slowing adding scoops of water over a period of time. I know this is due to the waste and ammonia build up.

So really, what is the preferred way to acclimate a ship fish after temp floating them?

 

[Fish Fan]

Huh. Usually I would suggest that you follow the instructions from the vendor so as not to void any warranty. But, it's definitely not a good idea to drip acclimate fish that have been shipped. I'm not sure what would be best here; following to see what others say

 

[BobTheBlenney]

Drip acclimation is unnecessary and even dangerous in the case of shipped fish. What I have always done, and I've been doing this a long time and never lost a fish in the acclimation process, is to float the bag for 1/2 hr, open the bag and take out and add a couple of scoops of water over the next 1/2 hour, and then pour the bag out into a bucket through a net to catch the fish, and then add the fish to the tank. The only other consideration is matching salinity since many fish are shipped in hypo salinity. Wrasses in particular, from what I understand, are sensitive to sudden increases in salinity. This is where a QT tank can come in handy.

 

[xandrew245x]

Drip acclimation is unnecessary and even dangerous in the case of shipped fish. What I have always done, and I've been doing this a long time and never lost a fish in the acclimation process, is to float the bag for 1/2 hr, open the bag and take out and add a couple of scoops of water over the next 1/2 hour, and then pour the bag out into a bucket through a net to catch the fish, and then add the fish to the tank. The only other consideration is matching salinity since many fish are shipped in hypo salinity. Wrasses in particular, from what I understand, are sensitive to sudden increases in salinity. This is where a QT tank can come in handy.

This is what I also came up with through my research, I thought it was really strange that saltwaterfish.com says to drip acclimate when they exclusively ship fish. This is probably the method I am going to go with. When you start adding water, do you move the bags to a bucket or container first, or just leave them in the tank?

 

[rjb301]

Float them to get them to the temp of your tank, test the salinity of the water they were shipped in. Some of these places will have the salinity lower. If it’s different than yours you can adjust it.

 

[JP Reef]

They will most likely arrive at a salinity of 1.020 or close to that. Most places don't ship at a much higher salinity. It is best to get them out of the water they were shipped in, so the best practice would be to have a container with clean saltwater with the same salinity as the shipping water and immediately transfer to that after you float for temperature and then you can drip acclimate it from there. If the shipping water and your water match then all you need to do is match temperature.

 

[MagicWater]

I've been through this a few times the last half year.

Since opening the bag is the critical point (pH rise, increasing toxicity), I started having a small bucket/tank with 32ppt fresh water at same temp as my tank. After floating for temp equilibrium, I quickly measure salinity (from 1 bag only first) and decide if the fish go directly into my tank or this temporary holding vessel (whichever matches the salinity of bag water closest). If for some reason the water is way of from both my destinations, I adjust the temp tank up/down according. I never drip / equalize salinity in bag water and haven't lost anything since doing this. There is one more important variable aside from salinity and temp. pH. I don't know how important it is, but it does play a role.

Invertebrates/coral i drip/equalize after floating. They don't have the same ammonia/ammonium problems.

 

[xandrew245x]

They will most likely arrive at a salinity of 1.020 or close to that. Most places don't ship at a much higher salinity. It is best to get them out of the water they were shipped in, so the best practice would be to have a container with clean saltwater with the same salinity as the shipping water and immediately transfer to that after you float for temperature and then you can drip acclimate it from there. If the shipping water and your water match then all you need to do is match temperature.

This is a great idea! I didn't even think about that. Already have some fresh saltwater made up. Just need to lower the salinity a bit in it. Thank you!

 

[allof fish]

Read what the fish are shipped in. Usually it’s a little lower salinity but I haven’t heard of places that low. I’ve never drip acclimated always just float for 20min or so then drop them in. Too much of a risk for ammonia spike after ph rises

 

[BobTheBlenney]

This is what I also came up with through my research, I thought it was really strange that saltwaterfish.com says to drip acclimate when they exclusively ship fish. This is probably the method I am going to go with. When you start adding water, do you move the bags to a bucket or container first, or just leave them in the tank?

I leave them in the tank. I usually use a chip clip to clip the bag to the side of the tank so it doesn't sink or roll over.

 

[Fish Fan]

Adding a scoop or so of water to the open shipping bag periodically over time is the same problem as drip acclimation.

Adding the fish to clean water of a lower salinity is the safest option here, but realize that you should raise the salinity slowly over time, not all in one shot. You can safely lower salinity much more quickly than you should raise it.

And, doing anything but what Saltwaterfish suggests would likely void any warranty you have form them, so keep that in mind too.

 

[xandrew245x]

Adding a scoop or so of water to the open shipping bag periodically over time is the same problem as drip acclimation.

Adding the fish to clean water of a lower salinity is the safest option here, but realize that you should raise the salinity slowly over time, not all in one shot. You can safely lower salinity much more quickly than you should raise it.

And, doing anything but what Saltwaterfish suggests would likely void any warranty you have form them, so keep that in mind too.

I'm going to contact them once they open today and see what salinity they were shipped in, then I'm going to prepare a couple gallons of it in a bucket with a heater, match the temp to my dt, float the bags in that, then move the fish to my acclimation bucket and drip acclimate them from my dt. Seem like a good plan?

 

[BobTheBlenney]

Adding a scoop or so of water to the open shipping bag periodically over time is the same problem as drip acclimation.

Not exactly. Drip acclimation does not compensate for the high ammonia, but actually replacing the water a scoop at a time does. However, I concede that may not be necessary, many places recommend immediately adding fish to the tank after floating, but it's what I've always done successfully.

 

[Fish Fan]

Not exactly. Drip acclimation does not compensate for the high ammonia, but actually replacing the water a scoop at a time does. However, I concede that may not be necessary, many places recommend immediately adding fish to the tank after floating, but it's what I've always done successfully.

It's the same thing, you're slowly adding water, which causes the pH to rapidly rise, causing the ammonia to become much more toxic at the higher pH. I'm glad this has worked for you, but it's not really great practice with shipped fish

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm going to contact them once they open today and see what salinity they were shipped in, then I'm going to prepare a couple gallons of it in a bucket with a heater, match the temp to my dt, float the bags in that, then move the fish to my acclimation bucket and drip acclimate them from my dt. Seem like a good plan?

I think it would be a good idea to reach out to the vendor and explain your concerns. At the end of the day, I'd likely do what's best for the fish, but if you don't follow the vendor's instructions, they may not offer any help after the sale if you need it.

 

[MC Blowfish]

I've always let the bag sit in my tank for 15-20 minutes. Open the bag, and slowly add tank water to the bag for about 30-40 minutes.

 

[xandrew245x]

I think it would be a good idea to reach out to the vendor and explain your concerns. At the end of the day, I'd likely do what's best for the fish, but if you don't follow the vendor's instructions, they may not offer any help after the sale if you need it.

Truthfully I would rather do what's best for the fish, vs. Possibly losing any type of warranty. They were supposed to be delivered yesterday, and we're delayed. They made it ro my local hub today but haven't went out for delivery, so I'm not sure if they are even going to make it today. After being bagged that long I want to give them the best chance.

Also this wasn't an issue with the shipper, They shipped them out at the right time, FedEx just really sucks for my area and can never seem to be on time.