Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
Np.BTW, I love your Avatar.
Drip acclimation
- Thread starter papa_bear_21
- Start date
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Np.BTW, I love your Avatar.
papa_bear_21
Aquarium Advice Freak
thank you, I like yours too
ezy33
Aquarium Advice Addict
Do you still drive 55?papa_bear_21 said:
papa_bear_21
Aquarium Advice Freak
no...55 was practice for when I got my license...
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
I think KH is just as, if not more important than temperature. If I get fish online or somewhere out of my area I alway drip acclimate until the KH and temp is very close to my tanks water. If they come from a local shop, I test, if the hardness is the same, then I only worry about the temps. I never put the water in the bag into my tanks. I would also recommend a two week minimum QT.
papa_bear_21
Aquarium Advice Freak
the QT is an issue for me right now, as I dont have the means for it. I will hopefully be able to fix that this week...
Jchillin
Aquarium Advice Addict
There are a few fish that benefit from drip acclimation, such as SA dwarf cichlids. Dripping for tetras is over the top but to each his own.
seaham358
Aquarium Advice Addict
The pH is the killer here not just temp. So if the LFSs pH is different then yours then a drip would help IMO. If the Ph is the same then a float and add water with a cup over time is a easy way to go.
When I had FW I did the float and add method all the time and lost very few fish, could just have been luck. Now I know about pH and how important that is, so taking your time can help. JMO>
When I had FW I did the float and add method all the time and lost very few fish, could just have been luck. Now I know about pH and how important that is, so taking your time can help. JMO>
7Enigma
Aquarium Advice Addict
I don't do DA but use a much more involved (ie smaller amounts) method of acclimation. I call it SA or shot acclimation. I get the fish home and dump out about 1/2 the water (my LFS is about 10min from my house and so I usually ask them to fill the bag up 1/2-3/4 full since I'm more concerned about ammonia poisoning then I am about oxygen).
I then float the bag and add a shot of water every 10 minutes (for the first 30 minutes) and then an additional shot every 5 minutes. Takes about an hour and the acclimation is VERY similar to the drip acclimation method, just much more gradual.
One thing to keep in mind regardless of the acclimation method is to make sure the water is actually being mixed in the bag. About 90% of the time I find the fish go nose down into the corner of the bag and either sit there or actively try to swim through the bag into the tank. What happens is they are still basically in the LFS tank water. If they freak out and dart all around the bag (rarely happens IME since I acclimate in the dark with the tank lights off) this would be less of a problem, but with a less active fish you need to make sure the water is being mixed. I tip the bag up vertical and drop the shot from about 10 inches above the surface of the water (away from the fish obviously) and drop it in. This is enough to get the shot to mix into the water well and acclimate the fish. I'd be concerned that a DA method with no additional mixing would not be as beneficial as it could be.
I'd recommend a small sponge filter or PH in those cases to keep the water mixed (and a heater if not in the tank since over the course of an hour or 2 the water in the container you are acclimating will drop in temp unless well insulated).
I then float the bag and add a shot of water every 10 minutes (for the first 30 minutes) and then an additional shot every 5 minutes. Takes about an hour and the acclimation is VERY similar to the drip acclimation method, just much more gradual.
One thing to keep in mind regardless of the acclimation method is to make sure the water is actually being mixed in the bag. About 90% of the time I find the fish go nose down into the corner of the bag and either sit there or actively try to swim through the bag into the tank. What happens is they are still basically in the LFS tank water. If they freak out and dart all around the bag (rarely happens IME since I acclimate in the dark with the tank lights off) this would be less of a problem, but with a less active fish you need to make sure the water is being mixed. I tip the bag up vertical and drop the shot from about 10 inches above the surface of the water (away from the fish obviously) and drop it in. This is enough to get the shot to mix into the water well and acclimate the fish. I'd be concerned that a DA method with no additional mixing would not be as beneficial as it could be.
I'd recommend a small sponge filter or PH in those cases to keep the water mixed (and a heater if not in the tank since over the course of an hour or 2 the water in the container you are acclimating will drop in temp unless well insulated).
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