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I ordered fish from LiveAquaria. What is the best method for acclimating shipped fish? Temp float and drop straight in?
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You can float the bad to match temp, but you only drop them straight into a QT or DT if the salinity matches, otherwise you will have to drip acclimate them of which I am not a fan of.
I just looked it up and the California LiveAquaria facility keeps fish at a specific gravity between .018-.020. I keep mine at .025-.026. I can’t match the salinity without drip acclimating. Which is worse? The ammonia exposure or the salinity change?Provided salinity and temp match my opinion is to get the fish out of the shipping water as quick as possible and into whatever tank. I usually just set a net over a bucket. Then open the picket and dump it immediately into the net and the fish goes straight into the QT or DT. Mitigates chance of ammonium converting to ammonia and causing gill burn.
Bring the salinity up that much would be a hard thing to do drip acclimating from my nano tank.Could you make a bucket or container at 1.020 with heat and aeration. Dump them in their and then drop acclimate that water?
unfortunately I don’t have a setup to do so.I always have a tank set for what they it will be. I then make a bottle of fresh water and a bottle of high salt water.
scotch tape the bag, poke bag there with a syringe take a sample. Match the tank salinity. Tape hole with scotch tape, and float.
Drop in fish.
You don’t think the change in salinity will kill them?Ammonia exposure will smoke their gills. I would personally float, then get them in whatever you are putting them in like said above with the net
I have never tried it like that. I try to make it as quick and seem less as possibly without rushing, if that makes sense. When you move fish from container to container you are inducing shock in the fish, something that they do not react well to. That’s why, if it’s possible, I match salinity in my QT tank and drop them straight in after a quick bath in methyl blue. Many many people have drip acclimated without issue, but I have noticed that every time I did it the fish would breath heavy and change color because they were so stressed out.Could you make a bucket or container at 1.020 with heat and aeration. Dump them in their and then drop acclimate that water?
You can drip acclimate them, many many reefers have done it over the years.Bring the salinity up that much would be a hard thing to do drip acclimating from my nano tank.
unfortunately I don’t have a setup to do so.
You don’t think the change in salinity will kill them?
And many reefers have had better success not drip acclimating them. I’m just trying to do what’s best and have the best survival rate.You can drip acclimate them, many many reefers have done it over the years.