Adding Shipped Fish

[JasonK84]

I normally dont QT. I will put it in a bucket and drip acclimate and observe for an hour or two. Make sure its not hurt and all and then put him in.

As someone has already mentioned ammonia is a big concern when receiving shipped fish. Once the bag is exposed to outside oxygen the PH quickly rises turning the ammonia in the bag toxic. Dosing prime to the acclimation bucket can counteract this.

 

[Tamberav]

Can you clarify? You're talking about dripping them with the water that's in the bag, correct?

What is my best way to prep it then? Just put him in?

A very small amount of product that makes ammonia non toxic such as API ammo lock or prime.

 

[Qasimja]

Ill get killed for this but I just float for temp and then pour fish into a net and add it to the tank. Fish are a lot more tough than we give them credit for. I cant remember ever losing a fish due to this method and usually they are feeding almost immediately. I believe that the Ammonia in the bag coupled with the stress of being contained in the bag outweigh the initial shock of a minor salinity or water chemistry change.

ive done this before i really think all the drip acclimation is the reason for so many loses for reefers

 

[MichaelReefer]

A very small amount of product that makes ammonia non toxic such as API ammo lock or prime.

So Clarification, should I still drip acclimate them? Just add prime to the water they were in, place in a bucket and set up the drip system?

 

[JasonK84]

So Clarification, should I still drip acclimate them? Just add prime to the water they were in?

IMO
You will have to drip since your tank is 1.025 and they are being shipped at around 1.018. Just keep a close eye on them for stress cuz ammonia will kill them quicker than anything else. You can dose Prime to counteract that.

 

[MichaelReefer]

IMO
You will have to drip since your tank is 1.025 and they are being shipped at around 1.018. Just keep a close eye on them for stress cuz ammonia will kill them quicker than anything else. You can dose Prime to counteract that.

10-4, so a dash of prime and an hour or so of drip should be fine?

 

[Halal Hotdog]

I have seen ich, velvet, and I believe lymphocytes from the wholesaler liveaquaria/Petco uses. I always QT online orders with medication. If you get a parasite in your DT then you are asking for a huge long-term headache.

 

[JasonK84]

10-4, so a dash of prime and an hour or so of drip should be fine?

Yeah, just get the SG within .02 of your tank but no longer than an hour.

Best to have a separate setup (IMO) for incoming fish but it’s a highly debated topic that we need not get into here.

Good luck with your Valentini puffer. I’ve got a blue spot that came from LA and he is doing great. Most of my fish came from LA.

 

[JasonK84]

10-4, so a dash of prime and an hour or so of drip should be fine?

Did you get your fish acclimated?

 

[MichaelReefer]

Reply

Did you get your fish acclimated?

He gets here this afternoon :D Will let ya know how it goes.

 

[MichaelReefer]

I usually float for 15 minutes, open the bag and drip acclimate for 30 min tops and then scoop the fish out and into the tank. This has always worked for me, but my last shipment I screwed up and accidentally dropped a yellow tang into my sump shipping water and all (after the 15 min temp acclimation). I thought I would lose him for sure, and ran fresh carbon to counteract the shipping water in my tank, but... nothing happened. He’s just as healthy and happy as the other two tangs that went through the drip acclimation. Now yellow tangs are generally hardy fish to begin with, and so I’m not sure if that had anything to do with it, but he’s alive and healthy. Can’t really argue with the results.

Did you add prime to the bag water before you dripped?

 

[miamijaaz]

Did you add prime to the bag water before you dripped?

I do not. I just make sure not to exceed 30 minutes of drip acclimation, which I do after pouring the water and the fish into a plastic acclimation box. I also keep my eye on the fish during the process for any signs of distress. The plan is to stop the acclimation and put him in the tank if I see the animal in distress. But never had to do that honestly, all the fish I had shipped have become more response during the acclimation actually. Had a white bristletooth tang recently that arrived with half the water in the bag and not looking great (bag apparently opened during shipment). Used the same procedure and he recovered nicely. I do always try to get priority overnight on shipped livestock so I limit the time they are in transport.

 

[DannyBCorals]

First of all, test the salinity. It’s a marine fish so the pH at the store already should be or near in the 8.3 range. If it’s at 1.020, yes drip acclimate. If it’s above or at 1.023 and your tank lest than .003 away, then just tell acclimate it.

 

[MichaelReefer]

I do not. I just make sure not to exceed 30 minutes of drip acclimation, which I do after pouring the water and the fish into a plastic acclimation box. I also keep my eye on the fish during the process for any signs of distress. The plan is to stop the acclimation and put him in the tank if I see the animal in distress. But never had to do that honestly, all the fish I had shipped have become more response during the acclimation actually. Had a white bristletooth tang recently that arrived with half the water in the bag and not looking great (bag apparently opened during shipment). Used the same procedure and he recovered nicely. I do always try to get priority overnight on shipped livestock so I limit the time they are in transport.

So is an hour drip too long? I normally do a 60 to 90 minute drip to all my fish from the LFS

 

[miamijaaz]

So is an hour drip too long? I normally do a 60 to 90 minute drip to all my fish from the LFS

I don’t like to drip acclimate them in such a small container or bag longer than 30 minutes, as I think it’s overtly stressful to a shipped fish that has spent at least 24 hours in a bag/box being jostled around. To me, the quicker they are in your DT (or your QT if you quarantine) the better for their health. But admittedly I’ve never tried it for longer than 30 minutes, and I think ultimately as has been said above the goal is to match the salinity and PH to your tank as much as possible—it’s a balance. I should mention that I remove the same amount of water I drip acclimate periodically during those 30 minutes—which comes out to 3-4 times usually.

Everyone seems to have a different method— Saltwaterfish.com actually recommends 3+ hours for some fish! Personally I think that is overkill and may actually be detrimental. I followed my procedure with three tangs recently including the always sensitive PBT, with continued success (other than inadvertently dropping the yellow tang in the tank before the 30 minutes were up!)

 

[MichaelReefer]

Hes getting settled in!

 

[JasonK84]

How did the process go for you?

 

[MichaelReefer]

How did the process go for you?

Well the instructions from live aquaria showed drip as an option so I went for it. Dripped for 30, took about half water out and repeated a few times. He seems fine so far, hes exploring the tank and meeting everyone but all good for now.

 

[JasonK84]

Did you check the salinity of the bag water to see what it was at by chance?

 

[MichaelReefer]

Did you check the salinity of the bag water to see what it was at by chance?

Was 1.021 just like they told me