do you really acclimate?

[JarviZ]

When I first started, I acclimated everything I got.

My damsel, clown, firefish, even mushrooms, leather, and zoas. I do the "add a 1/2 cup of tank water to bag every 5 mins" method.

I got lazy and wanted to see how my later corals could handle not being acclimated.

The last corals I added where I didn't acclimate (still acclimated for temperature though) were more zoas, ricordeas, monti plate, and chalice plate, and frogspawn. They are all doing well, open, and healthy.

Maybe when I get more sensitive livestock i'll do the water acclimation as well, but some corals do well without it.

Do you always acclimate or only with certain species/coral? Which method do you use?

 

[jcdeng]

I do, but with my own (impatient) method. take out a tablespoon of water from the bag and replace the same amount from tank water every 5 minutes for 1/2 hour and then I just put it in the tank.

 

[Og Drogon]

I do the temp acclimation then 50/50 with the water...... Worked 100% with my fish but not to good with inverts, so I do drip acclimation with them now.

 

[albano]

I do, but with my own (impatient) method. take out a tablespoon of water from the bag and replace the same amount from tank water every 5 minutes for 1/2 hour and then I just put it in the tank.

???? so in 1/2 hour, you remove 6 tablespoons of water! Why bother?

 

[skene]

???? so in 1/2 hour, you remove 6 tablespoons of water! Why bother?

if it comes in a 1 oz bag.. then 6 tablespoons is a lot.

 

[jcdeng]

albano you are right, I guess its really just temp acclimation and for the fish to get a taste of the new water. IDK, thats just the way I do it

 

[JarviZ]

I do the temp acclimation then 50/50 with the water...... Worked 100% with my fish but not to good with inverts, so I do drip acclimation with them now.

I got almost all my inverts from john at reefcleaners. His instructions specifically say to temperature acclimate only. So far it's worked well for me and I haven't lost any of his snails or hermits. Where do you get your inverts from/

I did the "50/50 method" for a cleaner shrimp I got though since i heard they were more sensitive. Not sure if that's really true but he's doing well too.

 

[JimmyR1rider]

I acclimate everything the same. I drip acclimate 1 drip per second until the volume of water in the container it's in has doubled, then spill 1/2 the water out into the sink and drip until the containers filled to double what's in the container again.

 

[dubs]

Maybe am not as patient as some of u guys I usaully do this i throw what ever it in the baggy in my sump for a few hours no specific amount 2 to whatever I feel is enough for the temp to adjust I then open the bag/bags of whatever coral/fish/invert in a 5gallon bucket with half my tank water and the water the animal come in i leave it for about 2 hours then I throw the animal in my tank that's my method I do not do this for snail/hermiths/crab those I just throw them in the tank

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

I acclimate fish and corals the same , first by temp and then by water

 

[fishman1069]

I acclimate everything the same. I drip acclimate 1 drip per second until the volume of water in the container it's in has doubled, then spill 1/2 the water out into the sink and drip until the containers filled to double what's in the container again.

+1 I've used tis method with all fish, inverts and corals. There were a couple of times where a friend hooked me up with coral and I just threw them in but it never worked put to well

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Sorry thought the temp was a given- although I only float the bags for about 20 minutes, that's sufficient time to acclimate it temp wise, it's a small amount of water, I worry more about slowly lowering the ammonia level in the shipping water.

 

[jbjints]

I use the Live Aquaria acclimation procedure. Here is the link and if linking it is a no no please remove it.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=157

 

[e.muehlbauer]

It depends on what I'm buying. I find that most corals can be acclimated pretty quickly, as most LFS parameters are close to my own. Fish can take longer...many LFS keep their fish at a pretty low salinity, so it can take 30 minutes or more. If the parameters are close, then it can be pretty short....maybe 15 minutes or so. Snails take a much longer time. I just transfer small cups of water until the mix is 75% or more tank water.

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

I drip acclimate everything...have for years and swear by it...wouldn't do it any other way...

 

[al0ha]

i temp acclimate everything and turkey baster transfer water from my container containing the coral with tank water. a little longer with more expensive corals hahaha

 

[KathyC]

Corals I only dip and temp acclimate.
All fish get acclimated to temp and pH ...really important to do.

 

[Custom05Taco]

Corals temp acclimate.
I was told along time ago corals don't take in water the same as fish and it does not matter, only temperature. I might be wrong but it has worked for me so far.
All fish get acclimated to temp and PH.

 

[al0ha]

Corals temp acclimate.
I was told along time ago corals don't take in water the same as fish and it does not matter, only temperature. I might be wrong but it has worked for me so far.
All fish get acclimated to temp and PH.

hmm interesting.....still i rather not chance it

 

[TRIGGERMAN]

Live aquaria's method seems a little much adding a 1/2 a cup every four minutes. My personal method and I always tell people it's the best way because I believe it is. Float the bag 15-20 minutes, add about 1/5th of the bag volume in tank water float the bag again, wait 15-20 minutes and do it again sometimes even a third time. For corals twice is good, for fish/inverts I don't ever want to chance it so I do 3 or 4 times. I keep the bag in the tank floating the entire time so there is no chance of a temp swing. I have never lost a fish or coral using this method. All you people who get ich constantly the reason is probably from improper acclimation..this is a good way NOT to get it anymore. I never had it and I don't plan on it.

I never drip and I'll tell you why. People drip a fish in a bucket for 2-4 hours from what I always hear even a short period of time like 20 minutes is bad because the temperature in that bucket which probably doesn't have much water in it is decreasing as time goes by. So that few hours the fish or whatever is in there it's getting water quality acclimated but can definitely go into shock if the temp is off too much and I have seen it happen.