Acclimation methods with new fish

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http://aquascienceresearch.com/APInfo/Acclimate.htm

http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=32

The ammonia is not as toxic to the fish at the lower pH that was caused by the increase in disolved CO2 that occurred during shipping (fish breathes, CO2 in water goes up, lowering pH - O2 packed in the bag stops much of this CO2 from the leaving the water). Open the bag, the disolved CO2 escapes, and the pH rises, causing the ammonia in the bag to become more toxic. Temperature shocks are not an issue when a fish is going to warmer water; if your tank is colder than the shipping water, then I'd definitely consider some sort of temperature acclimitization.

So I guess in short there's hard science facts to back up the squirt and dump method (actual chemical reactions/properties in relation to fish health and biology), rather than essentially heresay about the drip method, and 'it worked for me' evidence.

Why expose your fish to the foul, bacteria laden water for longer than it has to be?
 
I should also add I did this with the tiny Corydoras hastatus that I received as well (not for me, but someone else wanted them), and they all survived the drop just fine too.
 
My method for Soft Water fish such as Stingrays.

---Prepare a tank well in advance with a ppm of around 45 (I use a Hanna Combo TDS/pH meter). ***use R/O (ppm = 0-4) and mix with tap to achieve desired hardness
---Tank always has an established sponge filter (lustar hydro sponge V)
---Tank is up to temp, ammonia is of course 0, nitrite 0
---When I recieve the fish I place them directly into the tank, discarding all shipping water
---I keep the lights off
---If the rays do not eat in 2-3 days I begin treating with metro to kill off the gut bug hexamita
---I do daily small water changes with water that is matched to original parameters
---higher than normal heat of 82-84F


Conversly, if I were to get a ray that is a long term captive I would simply test the hardness of the water in the shipping bag, match that with the quarantine tank, and continue out a week of small water changes, high heat, and lights off, all as needed, depending on how willing the ray is to eat.

Adding the prime to the bag is great, but get the fish out of the bag asap, and avoid putting a soft water fish into hard water, that will shock the ray.

Finally, yes, I do keep my rays, once established, in harder water, water that ranges from 150-250ppm. Just initially you want to limit the amount of variables, water hardness being one important one.
 
i drip rays for 15-30 min... but i have just dumped a few motoros in the past and had no problems.....
 
Temperature shocks are not an issue when a fish is going to warmer water; if your tank is colder than the shipping water, then I'd definitely consider some sort of temperature acclimitization.
Click to expand...

Why is that?
 
African_Fever;1619657; said:
Why expose your fish to the foul, bacteria laden water for longer than it has to be?
Click to expand...

because the suddeness of the change is worse than staying in that ever-more diluted bag water for a bit longer.
 
Gr8KarmaSF - physiologically, it's much more stressful on the fish going from warmer to colder water. I'd challenge anyone to take two fish from the same tank (try guppies or something else cheap), and drop them each into a different tank, one 3-5C warmer and one the same amount colder. I'd bet that in the some instances the colder one could kill the fish, and the warmer won't have nearly the same effect.

Paullywolly - you've either got a one-time, quick stress, for the fish to begin acclimating to it's new environment, or you prolong the acclimation process, keeping the fish under constant stress for as long as it's sitting in small, cramped quarters in the shipping bag/box (which would stress the fish even if it were just put in there).
 
Everyone keeps talking about keeping the Ray in nasty water with the assumption that it has been shipped. What if you guy a Ray from a LFS and it's only in the bag for a commute of 20 minutes or so?

A guy at my LFS has some small Rays. I plan on floating the bag with a little prime in there and adding a little water at a time from the tank to the bag. After doing this for 30 miniutes or more I will release the Ray.
 
Always use the drip method but for other reasons as peopl tell hear. When a ray will be trabported after a while the qualety will drop getting more amonia less oxygen and so on a ovaral decrease of the water qualety. A natural reaction from any living animal we be try to adjust to new conditions. This will take place in all kind of orgins inside the animal and this goes slowly, beceause water qualety will dicrease slowly.
When you take out the animal when it arives and put in wright away in water that we think is ok, you do not give the ray time to adjust to it's new conditions. Orgins don't know what to do anymore (which way we must adjust).
If you use the dripping method all the orgins get time to get used to the new conditions.
Just my 5 cents.
Regards
Frank
 
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