Acclimation box?

[surfingwel]

Do you all use acclimation boxed to add your fish and when? Always/ sometimes

I got a new yellow tang yesterday and sadly he passed away due to exhaustion and bullying by a purple tang

I've read that box is not a guarantee but would reduce agression to new tank inhabitants in a case like this

What are your thoughts

 

[Jamie9]

I have one on hand in case of aggression. Happily I haven’t needed it yet, but I think it’s a good tool to have available. Once you need it, you won’t want to wait a day or two to get one.

And, very sorry to hear about your tang, I know how upsetting that can be!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you all use acclimation boxed to add your fish and when? Always/ sometimes

I got a new yellow tang yesterday and sadly he passed away due to exhaustion and bullying by a purple tang

I've read that box is not a guarantee but would reduce agression to new tank inhabitants in a case like this

What are your thoughts

Acclimation boxes are used by myself for:
Reduction of aggression (I often will place aggressor in this box)
Allowing fish to adapt to tank conditions
Observation of fish actually eating and breathing normal

 

[surfingwel]

I have one on hand in case of aggression. Happily I haven’t needed it yet, but I think it’s a good tool to have available. Once you need it, you won’t want to wait a day or two to get one.

And, very sorry to hear about your tang, I know how upsetting that can be!

That's a valid point I have not thought of hanving it on hand in case.. did not have previous needs either

Thanks. I will try again and the fish will look great in there some day soon

 

[Idoc]

I use an acclimation box for every new fish addition to the tank. I like to leave them in the box for at least one day and then release before lights out for the night. I don't know if it has helped a huge amount. Sometimes other fish are just plain mean.

 

[Largeangels]

Depends on the fish. But in most cases yes. But before even putting them in the acclimation box I QT. I QT not only for disease but to allow the fish to recover from shipping stress, getting it eating well on the food I feed the tank it’s going into and putting on some weight. A healthy recovered fish has a much better chance of adapting to the stress of established fish. I always keep a mirror handy in the case.

 

[BonnieB]

I have one but haven’t needed it (yet). I’d put an aggressor in it before a new fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Do you all use acclimation boxed to add your fish and when? Always/ sometimes

I got a new yellow tang yesterday and sadly he passed away due to exhaustion and bullying by a purple tang

I've read that box is not a guarantee but would reduce agression to new tank inhabitants in a case like this

What are your thoughts

Many fish don't handle small acclimation boxes well. Cryptic fish will be stressed out by being held in a clear box at the top of a tank. Open water swimmers will often get rub damage from the small confines of a box.

I use larger acclimation baskets to add smaller fish to large public aquarium systems with big predators in it. This is important because when new fish are suddenly added to a tank with things like pelagic sharks, their frantic motions when first added causes the predators to home in on them as food. Keeping them for 24 hours or so in a big basket allows them to settle down, and when they are gently released, they swim away more calmly and don't have the predators home in on them. This doesn't really help with territorial issues though.