Acclimating LARGE Fish

[Miles]

I think this post needs a disclaimer.
I know this is an old post. But I would not try this on an expensive fish. Even places like public aquariums dont deploy such methods. Sorry but it sounds nice in theory. But ive never ever lost a fish doing a drip method with a airhose. And people i know who collect very fish would never do this either. You try this on a sensitive ray and it will be lost for sure. Perhaps doing a small small squirt of AmQuel+ and NovAqua in the bag to deal with the amonia is fine. Then do a drip w. an airhose etc. But to dump an expensive fish of into a tank like that noway.

It's funny that people still cling onto mythology when they have scientific evidence right in front of them.

Do you think rapid pH swings occur in the Amazon? Ever heard of the rainy season or flooded forest?


This is an old post, but a goodie. Lots of good technical information. I have used this method with lots of high dollar fish as well as others. Would you consider a Tigrinus a high dollar sensitive fish? They never died from squirt and dump acclimation.

You can try the drip method if you want, but it clearly explains why this is detrimental and why getting the fish out of the tainted water is 100x more important than slowly adjusting them to new water parameters. FW fish are adaptable, especially out of the wild. Drip acclimating small fish or fish delivered short distances might be great 'piece of mind' (still mythology) but if you understand water chemistry and what goes on when fish are shipped you will agree that removing them from ammonia is more beneficial than drip acclimating.

Drip acclimation was created years ago as a way to acclimate sensitive fish.. There is no scientific research behind it's benefits (link me? I dare you) and it was a 'hunch' practice done by fish store owners in an attempt to reduce losses from shipping. Sadly, most methods are obsolete because the squirt and dump method is the best, although seeming the most impractical, especially at that time. Most fish don't die from pH shock, they die from Ammonia poisoning.. but people who don't understand water quality very well (but think they are experts, ie: oldskool LFS owners) will point the blame on a pH swing.

The same people who preached the mythology of drip acclimation, also came up with nobel prize winners such as 'Fish only grow to the size of their environment', and 'Don't do too big of a water change, it kills off your good bacteria', and the ever classic 'Oscars need live feeder fish to stay healthy'..

Sounds like solid advice to me

 

[duke33]

Good stuff. Thanks Miles.

 

[bassman24]

Very useful information! Thanks!

 

[Camphilophus]

not saying I'm right, just asking but.. Wouldn't it be a better idea to squirt the chemicals into the bag, pour them into a bucket (with the bag water) and then drip acclimate them? If the temperature of the water you're drip acclimating is the issue you could always let a bucket sit out over night to let it get room temperature which would be closer to the temperature of the bag and wouldn't create a ammonia spike. You could also add a air pump to the bucket you're drip acclimating the fish into.

I guess I just don't understand the whole "dump him in the tank" if you're adding chemicals to remove the ammonia anyways. I've never dealt with shipped fish yet, the most my fish have had to endure is a 2 hour car ride. I'm glad I saw this post though in case I ever decide to have fish shipped.

and this post should be a sticky!

 

[Miles]

not saying I'm right, just asking but.. Wouldn't it be a better idea to squirt the chemicals into the bag, pour them into a bucket (with the bag water) and then drip acclimate them? If the temperature of the water you're drip acclimating is the issue you could always let a bucket sit out over night to let it get room temperature which would be closer to the temperature of the bag and wouldn't create a ammonia spike. You could also add a air pump to the bucket you're drip acclimating the fish into.

Additional stress (moving it to a bucket) and prolonging the fish to dirty shipping water is much more detrimental than sudden shift in pH or temperature. Adding an airstone is a nice thought but the increase in O2 and decreased in Co2 will bring up the pH (toxicity) even faster.

People act like freshwater fish don't ever have sudden swings in pH and temperature. They live in RIVERS and with rainy seasons comes major changes.


Saltwater fish are a much different story, but still many of the same concepts. The ocean has gone unchanged for thousands of years. River systems change everyday.

 

[koop171]

good info I will have to put this to use once I get my big tank running and start ordering fish. Thanks

 

[justintrask]

Absolutely great info. I thought I was doing it right the whole time! Good to know making a transition to MFK

 

[badisbadis101]

Just read this, and i agree 100%. I switch fish between tanks with different temps all the time, and possibly different pH levels (i just use tap water, so i don't know) without ever having problems.

However, i do not keep saltwater fish, but it would make sense to me that drip acclimation would be important to them due to the fact that the ocean is extremely stable, and rivers change constantly.

 

[Danger_Chicken]

Additional stress (moving it to a bucket) and prolonging the fish to dirty shipping water is much more detrimental than sudden shift in pH or temperature. Adding an airstone is a nice thought but the increase in O2 and decreased in Co2 will bring up the pH (toxicity) even faster.

I'm not knocking it because it's usually how I do it, but the one flaw I see in your logic against the drip method is that fresh water is being added to dilute the shipping water and if ammonia netualizer has been added it's not an issue as the water temp and ph adjust to the main tank. Same goes for an airstone.

 

[coreyweinkoetz]

Also it would be faster with less contact time with the bag water if when you cut it open instead of putting the chemicals in the bag just dump out the bag in a net. The time it takes to make the bag water safe instead you could make the bag water gone! how is it that amquel bag water is safer than no bag water ?
I hold the bags at an angle over a large net over a garbage can
I cut the bottom corner off so the only air bag water fish contact time is the time it takes for the fish and water to fall 6-8 inches to the bottom of the net then I flip the net over in the tank the fish go from bag to tank in 2 seconds
Can you tell me why this is wrong and why I should be waiting to mix the amquel into the bag water and for it to take affect then just dumping it all out anyway ??? It seems to me to be better off to cut out the middle man and and go straight for the tank and the next bag. It sounds like your just pouring a lot of amquel and money right down the drain ?


Do you own stock in amquel
:j/k:
Can you please tell me what it is I'm missing here and What justifies all the money in amquel and what makes your way better than mine Thanks