Equipment for drip acclimation

[pkremer]

I do indeed...a SuperCenter even! However, I am placing an order from Drs. Foster and Smith today anyway for my new lighting (Hooray! Orbit 192W CF), This equipment will not affect my shipping charges, and I doubt Wal-Mart will be any cheaper than this...$1.49?

Not to mention, I stay away from that place during the day, it's pure misery to go in there for just a couple items...if I can just throw the necessary equipment onto my Drs. Foster and Smith order and have it shipped to me, live will be easier...

Paul

 

[tecwzrd]

LOL at all these fancy setups! I’ve never had an issue by just tying a knot in the airline tube personally and I find a slightly fast drip of 2-4 per second works better then 1 drop per sec. Just secure one end in the main or qt tank and suck a little with the knot already tied and put the other end in the bucket. If it’s dripping to fast/slow tighten or loosen the knot. It doesn’t have to be so technical for it to work

I always ask for an extra bag of water from the lfs from the same tank and put it all in a 5 gal bucket. Once every half hour I remove and discard some of the water and after 2+ hours I either net the fish/invert or place in a small cup and quickly transfer it to the qt tank.

Spending more then $1 for drip acclimation: Priceless.

 

[pkremer]

Ha tecwzrd! I can understand where you are coming from. I'll just say this! When it comes to things that are academic, I'm a pretty smart guy. I can do math in my head and organize and simplify your business and do all your books in a snap. I can understand complicated medical dialogue...

However, I have trouble getting my friend's kids toy Fly Wheels to work right! I can't figure out those new ice cream boxes where you fold them shut after opening. I am not good with mechanics...which means that I am bound to have trouble getting the knot I tie in the tubing to stay where I want it...I just expect trouble with simple stuff like that! hehe! If I have a tube that is suction cupped to the inside of the aquarium, and a valve that I can turn to control the flow without worrying about it, it's worth the extra dollar to avoid frustration...hehe! I can afford it. I can't figure out why mechanical things never work around me...

Paul

 

[tecwzrd]

I hear ya My biggest frustration is the cat pulling the tube out of the bucket! I’m sure even if it was super glued/clamped to the side he would still figure a way to get it out.

A wet/dry vacuum is your best friend sometimes when dealing with a fish tank. (especially if you can clean it up before the spouse comes home)

 

[runway1]

Yup, I agree, it's not rocket science. Personally, I like the float and add water method anyhow. That way, after 2-3 hours, I don't need to worry about placing a heater in my drip bucket because the temp dropped 5°-10°.

I clip the bag to the side of the tank. Every 10-20- minutes, I walk buy, scoop a shot glass of tank water in the bag. My temp stays right on. Fish get a chance to see the new surroundings - safetly. Water conditions acclimate just as well and I don't have a bunch of buckets and lines to deal with.

Cost: $0.00 provided you're the type to own a shot glass, or two, or twenty.

CAUTION: Don't confuse the shot glass with the beer glass!! BIG problem there.

 

[pkremer]

So anyway, I plan to order the green kit, the air control kit for $1.49...that should work?

Paul

 

[BillyZ]

yep, looks like it would do the trick just fine.

I use the IV wheel flow control just because that's what I happened to have handy. My mother has boxes of random medical equipment. I spotted it in one of the boxes and instantly had the idea to use it as a drip rate control.

 

[roka64]

This is the way I do it, and haven't had any problems...tell u the equip and tube size:
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/acclimation.php

 

[ryguy]

so what do you guys do for heat loss during drip acclimation. I have done both. Placing the bag in the water, and adding a turkey baster shot every few minutes, and having a styrofoam container to put them in with a 4 drop per second drip rate. My only concern is heat loss. I like the fact that I can walk away with a drip setup and come back in an hour, but I worry about heat loss.

 

[tecwzrd]

I have a 100 watt heater set to 78 degrees I place in the bucket during drip acclimation. I’ve never had that little heater melt anything but if you are worried about it (since you are using Styrofoam) then you can also just place it on some base rock.

 

[pkremer]

Well, someone please feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but here are my thoughts:

I can't imagine that the heat loss would be incredibly significant. Myself, I have the tank set to 78 degrees, and my ambient room temperature is usually about 70. It is true that the water sitting on the floor in a bucket or container will begin to cool, but with 8 degrees difference, it won't be excessively fast. Also, you have a steady drip of water coming into the bucket water at 78 degrees, which should also slow cooling. I can't imagine any more than a few degrees difference, even after an hour or 2...

Tecwzrd's idea sounds good, but if you are worried about the heater, how about this? After drip acclimation, you could quickly scoop the fish or invert into a bag, and then float that on your water for another 10 or 20 minutes...then not only will the majority of the water in the bag be from your tank and the fish or invert properly acclimated, the temperature would be perfect too...then you could scoop them out of the bag and put directly in your tank?

Paul

 

[tecwzrd]

I keep my house at 68-69 at all times and the temp would drop 10+ degrees over 2 hours if I didn't heat. Radical temp changes are not good for fish/inverts.

 

[Brenden]

The heat loss and flow rate changing because of knots crimping is the two reasons I made my setup. It was not complicated and I added nothing but some plumbing because I already had a pump controlling the flow through my fuge.

 

[roka64]

(keep in mind, I'm new, but no fatalities so far) I actually keep my buckets in the garage. Winter time is cold, but I bring it in before I do the drip, I wait about an hour for the bucket to warm up. Then, I start the drip.