What's your acclimation procedure for new fish?

[Daniel@R2R]

From ship to drip and maybe even a dip (I know it's cheesy...I couldn't help myself... :nerd: ), what's your procedure with new fish? Do you Qt? Do you use a social acclimation box? Give us the details from unboxing to releasing in the DT. :)

 

[tyler1503]

A lot of my fish are caught directly from the ocean, so they get a 3hr drip acclimation and a half hour temp acclimation and set free in the display. LFS bought fish get a 1.5 hr drip acclimation and a half hour temp acclimation and set free.
With my new build I'm wanting to set a QT too.
I'm going to try some fish that aren't typically compatible but can work on occasion, so I'll have an acclimation box in the tank then too :)

 

[saltyhog]

For easy fish I set up my tank transfer tanks to match the salinity of the seller. Float the bag for 15 min. Open bag and test salinity to veryify match. In to 1st TT tank. After 12 days of TT the fish goes in to a cycled QT for 2 rounds of Prazipro and observation for another 3 weeks or so. If everything is cool he's then in to the DT via acclimation box.

For more difficult fish they stay in another cycled QT till eating will then procede with TT and so on.

 

[760mason]

My lfs uses same water as me. As long as temp is the same I go right from the bag to the tank. No losses yet. If there is a huge temp differential (for instance I buy a fish, then go to the store and maybe leave it in my car for a few hours) I will do an one or two hour drip acclimation. other than that they go straight into the tank.

Although the appropriate answer to your question is place all new additions to a quarantine tank.

 

[Squishie89]

If it is pre-quarantined; float bag in display tank for 15 minutes, pour fish and water into a bucket, drip acclimate for ~30-60 minutes, turn off pumps, put into display.
Not quarantined; float bag in quarantine tank, pour fish and water into a bucket, drip acclimate for ~30-60 minutes, perform dips with Rapid Fish Quarantine Dip| Blue Life Safety Stop , put into quarantine tank.

 

[EZMAC114]

Drip until the temperature is at least 1 degree away and the salinity is at least .02 away and then drop in the fish and turn off the lights. My way might not be the best but I've never had a problem

 

[Just_me_Dupree]

Drip until the temperature is at least 1 degree away and the salinity is at least .02 away and then drop in the fish and turn off the lights. My way might not be the best but I've never had a problem

I drip as well

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I'll share my method.

I start by floating to bring temp in line, then drip for at least an hour (usually 2 or 3). All new fish go into a 30 gallon QT setup that is filled with water from the DT and has LR from my sump for observation and acclimation to my feeding etc. If after a month there are no issues, then they go to the DT. If there is any sign of illness, then the QT is converted into a hospital tank for treatment (To convert QT to hospital tank, I replace LR with PVC before medicating, and then cleanse and dry the LR before adding it back to the sump)...once there are no signs of illness for a month, the new fish goes to DT.

I do use a social acclimation box for almost all additions (especially wrasses). I figure I want to see any aggression before releasing the new fish into the 180...it's no fun to try and remove a fish from a 180... ;)

 

[choff]

I'll share my method.

I start by floating to bring temp in line, then drip for at least an hour (usually 2 or 3). All new fish go into a 30 gallon QT setup that is filled with water from the DT and has LR from my sump for observation and acclimation to my feeding etc. If after a month there are no issues, then they go to the DT. If there is any sign of illness, then the QT is converted into a hospital tank for treatment (To convert QT to hospital tank, I replace LR with PVC before medicating, and then cleanse and dry the LR before adding it back to the sump)...once there are no signs of illness for a month, the new fish goes to DT.

I do use a social acclimation box for almost all additions (especially wrasses). I figure I want to see any aggression before releasing the new fish into the 180...it's no fun to try and remove a fish from a 180... ;)

How long do you leave them in the social acclimation box?

Is it just a clear plexi container with nothing in it that is at the top of the aquarium? If so, do you find this stresses the fish because they are out in the open?

I'm intrigued by the idea.

 

[fragman2]

This is a complicated issue. You need to consider introduction of paracites, both to your existing fish and to your suseptable new additions. The ability for your new fish to feed successfully in a competitive environment. The pecking order of your new fish within the existing community of fish. Each species and sometimes individual fish are different. For example: With mandarin gobies, equalize the water parameters and through them in. The exception would be if the tank already has one or more Mandarins then you would need to consider tank size, sex of the fish, size of the fish etc…

The social acclimation box is a must! I use a large tarantula cage with extra holes drilled into it. Magnets hold it to the front of the glass. I have 5 large tangs in a 210 gallon tank that don't take kindly to newcomers. I have successfully added new tangs, a Racoon butterly, anthias etc… by keeping them first in this chamber for a week or so. Five Anthias spent 4 months in a 30 gallon breeder tank almost by themselves until they readily accepted the various prepared foods that I give my fish. This species without this level of conditioning would not have made the transition to the main tank.

I hope this helps!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

How long do you leave them in the social acclimation box?

Is it just a clear plexi container with nothing in it that is at the top of the aquarium? If so, do you find this stresses the fish because they are out in the open?

I'm intrigued by the idea.

I usually want to make sure that if I am adding the fish in with others of similar body shape that they have seen each other (their reaction to each other let's me know if there is likely to be aggression). Usually I'll leave them there for 1-2 days.

I use a large-ish transparent water dispenser that I drilled holes in. It's 2.5 gallons in size. I do make sure there is some PVC or something for the fish to hide in so he can take a rest from being exposed.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Bump

 

[clownfitch]

I drip acclimate until the salinity is matched. No less than 30 minutes if the salinity is close but no more than 1.5 hours. Then get my hand wet and scoop the fish out and into the DT. I used to do the LFS method and throw in a little DT water every 15 minutes for an hour but lost several fish (may not have anything to do with the acclimation) so I have been drip acclimating for the last year or so and have had good success.

 

[Nvizn]

I QT & utilize acclimation boxes, when transitioning to the DT. Both, are extremely important for the success of new livestock. Check out a few of my QT videos.

[video=youtube;Op50O-rjINc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op50O-rjINc&list=UUisBXcbyaJQjp88nkzwsy5Q[/video]

[video=youtube;0lOvhsj22N0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lOvhsj22N0&list=UUisBXcbyaJQjp88nkzwsy5Q[/video]

[video=youtube;P3txSlez5MQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3txSlez5MQ&list=UUisBXcbyaJQjp88nkzwsy5Q[/video]

 

[Oscaror]

My lfs uses same water as me. As long as temp is the same I go right from the bag to the tank. No losses yet. If there is a huge temp differential (for instance I buy a fish, then go to the store and maybe leave it in my car for a few hours) I will do an one or two hour drip acclimation. other than that they go straight into the tank.

Although the appropriate answer to your question is place all new additions to a quarantine tank.

It's not just temperature, it's also parameters. Seeing how you haven't gotten any losses this way, I'll assume you haven't gotten a tang. If you do, drip it, for sure.

 

[LetItReef]

Float the bag for 15 mins, open the bag, discard half of the water then add water from the tank every 15 mins until reaches 1 hour then add the fish to tank, try not to add as much water from the bag.

 

[guidedbyechoes]

I drip acclimate for a min of half an hour if the SG is exactly the same. If not I do half an hour for every decimal point of difference so if the tank water is 1.025 and the bag water is 1.023 thats an hour and a half. I recommend using something opaque with a lid so the fish isnt frightened during the whole process. I skip floating the bag because I usually am during the daylight hours when I add a new fish and the lights blasting a fish that can't hide is stressful. After getting burned twice I always QT every fish I add. bare bottom qt with pvc for everything but burrowing wrasse(for them I add containers of sand). The sand is discarded. I use nets instead of my hands because I worry about injuring the fish or dropping it on the floor since I am famously ungraceful.

For inverts I double the amount of time.