How do you all acclimate fish?

[WOLF2013]

Depends on the species to be honest. I keep mostly wild caught South American fish.
So having said that, my water parameters are as close to the Amazon as possible. I use Amazon Black Water extract. I think it's now called Seachem Instant Amazon Blackwater. But I have noticed it helps bring out coloration in my South American fish. My arowanas have a nice dark orange tint to them with blue hints. They are wild caught too so that can be a factor.
Most of the fish I keep are extremley hardy so I just float them for 15-20 mins. Open the bag and fill with tank water. Then drop and plop. No issues this way.
My ph is on the lower side because of the extract and driftwood. I keep it at 6.0-7.0. So if I am adding fish from different parts of the world, I have no choice but to drip.
For sensitive fish like my payara, I use the drip acclimiation.
Saltwater I do drop and plop and drip depending on species hardiness.

 

[mattybecks]

Drop and plop. (no mixing of LFS water with my main tank water, just the fish out the bag and plop him into the tank.) I do this for my marine tanks too.

I only acclimated when I got scats and monos from the LFS (kept in full fresh in the LFS) and I put them in straight into my full marine tank (with a 30 min drip acclimation for salinity).

In the last decade I have been keeping fish, from LFS in two countries I have always just put them straight in the tank and this has been fine. There is alot of overthinking when it comes to acclimation in my opinion. Acclimation doesn't do any harm, but I find it is unnecessary extra steps.
Like me leaving Dubai, stepping out the plane into South Africa and having to go into a special place to acclimate to breathing the air. The air is very different and it is a different temp. Sure you feel the difference, and smell the difference. but you get used to it very quickly and it wont kill you.

 

[C. Breeze]

I float the fish for a couple hours ot until I remember them. UPS orders don’t arrive here until 9pm typically so often times those fish just float overnight.

then I reach into the bag witha wet hand and grab my fish or I pour them out into a net / bucket, If it’s small fry / bags.


I don’t do any mixing or dripping or adding of water or anything like that.

 

[jjohnwm]

Float in the quarantine tank, adding a cup or two of tank water to the bag every 10 minutes or so. Then net fish out of bag and into the QT...

...where they will reside for at least a few weeks, and often much longer if I have suspicions about them. I consider this much more important than trivial details about water drips, how long to float, etc.

My apologies, I had no business posting here at all. I don't buy fish online; I buy in person at shops and carry them home myself, so my methods don't really pertain to this discussion.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

In the last decade I have been keeping fish, from LFS in two countries I have always just put them straight in the tank and this has been fine. There is alot of overthinking when it comes to acclimation in my opinion. Acclimation doesn't do any harm, but I find it is unnecessary extra steps.

I find it very necessary, because too short of an acclimation and up to half the fish die in the week afterwards. This is going from multiple LFS, to my tanks using 100% rainwater.

 

[C. Breeze]

I find it very necessary, because too short of an acclimation and up to half the fish die in the week afterwards. This is going from multiple LFS, to my tanks using 100% rainwater.

How did you determine it was “aclimation shock” vs some other malady induced by the previous standard of care? I just wonder how you came to determine that the fish died due to insufficient acclimation as opposed to other issues?

I like to float my fish for as long as it’s reasonable to do let them soak up the new scene for a while and decompress after being on the road for a day or two. But I have more fish spawn in quarantine than die or get sick. I don’t think it’s becuase I forgot to let them out of the. Bag until the next morning though. I think it’s because I buy fish in good condition and health and provide good feed and conditions. More or less.

 

[mattybecks]

How did you determine it was “aclimation shock” vs some other malady induced by the previous standard of care? I just wonder how you came to determine that the fish died due to insufficient acclimation as opposed to other issues?

I like to float my fish for as long as it’s reasonable to do let them soak up the new scene for a while and decompress after being on the road for a day or two. But I have more fish spawn in quarantine than die or get sick. I don’t think it’s becuase I forgot to let them out of the. Bag until the next morning though. I think it’s because I buy fish in good condition and health and provide good feed and conditions. More or less.

Yes I think this is an important factor. Heathy, active, well fed fish, going into clean water and there shouldn't be a problem. Hasnt ever been an issue for me.

 

[mattybecks]

Eac

I find it very necessary, because too short of an acclimation and up to half the fish die in the week afterwards. This is going from multiple LFS, to my tanks using 100% rainwater.

Each to his own I guess

 

[RD.]

Drop & plop



As far as drip acclimation, from a past discussion here that took place several years ago.....

I used to help a buddy who imported Asian aros unload his shipments from Singapore, fish worth thousands of dollars, that had been shipped halfway around the world, and they went straight from the bags into his holding tanks. Never once saw a stressed fish from this method. Ditto to numerous black rays, imported from the Netherlands. No issues ever, all of them drop & plop.


Acclimation is generally only required when fish are going from a high pH and more importantly a high TDS, to a low TDS, which can cause osmotic shock. That, and if there's a significant difference in water temps. Otherwise most fish are better off using the net and dump method.


I've dumped plenty of WC fish straight into the tank, no problem. I know importers that have dumped thousands of WC fish straight into their tanks, no problem.

Temp changes are generally a non issue, unless off by a very wide margin, and most shock is caused from going warm to colder, than cold to warmer. Again, if/when a fish dies during an acclimation period, it's from stress, or osmotic shock, the former being caused from potentially numerous factors, including on how it was originally collected and housed, the latter generally being caused from a large shift in TDS. Many people used to. and often still do, refer to this as pH shock, which is a misnomer.

If ones TDS shifts too quickly it can cause osmotic shock, which for many years hobbyists confused with pH shock, only because most hobbyists don't own a TDS meter.

Osmoregulation has nothing to do with pH, and everything to do with controlling the balance of water/salt concentrations. pH has nothing to do with regards to if ones water is a hypertonic solution, hypotonic solution, or if it's isotonic. The shock part of the equation comes in when a fish has difficulty reaching equilibrium. The "high to low" shift in TDS values becomes more dangerous as the fish cells can become flooded with water faster than they can reach equilibrium, and burst .... which is where the term "shock" comes in. The biggest issue with pH is ammonia toxicity, as at higher pH values free ammonia can be much more lethal, especially when higher temps are involved.

 

[Jexnell]

All of mines are poured into a bowl/bucket then dropped right into the tank after 15 to 30 minutes of floating in still sealed bags to match temps. Never had any issues so far.