Three very important points to remember for proper acclimation are temperature, salinity and pH/ammonia. These are the three main issues that arise during shipping and need to be handled correctly to ensure a safe and healthy acclimation. Your packages of fish or marine life arrive in insulated boxes, usually with heat or cool packs to protect against extreme temperature shifts. There will however be a difference between the temperature in the package and the temperature in your tank. This is where proper acclimation will qualize the two and minimize the stress on the fish or marine life.
When your package arrives the water that your fish or marine life is in and the water in your tank will undoubtedly have different salinity's. Be aware that a sudden change in salinity may shock the new fish or marine life and leave them susceptible to disease and infections. A good recommended salinity for a fish only tank is between 1.019 - 1.023, a slightly higher salinity is recommended for reef tanks of around 1.024 - 1.026.
Natural metabolic processes of the fish and marine life occurs during shipping and results in the release of toxic ammonia and carbon dioxide into the water they are shipped in, lowering the pH of the water. Proper acclimation will raise the pH slowly, releasing and removing the ammonia safely. If the pH is to low harmful ammonias will be transformed into an inter form of ammonium, and if the pH is raised to quickly the ammonium will release the ammonia which can cause harm to the fish or marine life.
It is recommended for new fish and marine life to be quarantined for at least 14 days prior to introduction into the tank planned for them to live. To avoid the introduction of pests and disease into your main tanks it is very important to quarantine invertebrates and corals. It is important to quarantine fish separately, this will allow you to inspect them for parasites and observe their overall health.
There are a couple of different methods to use for acclimation of your new fish or marine life, the float method and the drip method. The two different methods are explained below.
The Float Method
Before you open the container in which your new animals have arrived in be sure to turn off the lights in your quarantine tank or aquarium and dim the lights in the room. Once you have the lights dimmed open the container to check that all of your new animals have arrived in good health and the bags are intact and will be able to hold up during the acclimation period. The float method is the most useful for acclimating most fish and invertebrates.
To begin acclimation float the bag or bags in the quarantine tank or aquarium for 20 - 25 minutes to allow the temperature to equilibrate. Remember it is very important NOT TO OPEN the bag during this first 20 - 25 minutes. Once the bag containing the new animals has been floating for at least 25 minutes carefully open the bag and roll the edges down an inch or two this will make the bag more stable and help to keep it afloat. If for any reason it will not evenly stay afloat clip the bag to one side of the tank with a clip or clothespin . Now begins the next step of acclimation, add a quarter cup of aquarium water to the shipping bag. Be sure the water from the bag does not spill into the tank. Now every 4 - 7 minutes add another quarter cup of the tank water to the bag, continue this process until the bag is full this should take about 30 - 45 minutes. Once the bag is full discard half of the water in the bag, roll the edges down again and begin the process of adding water to the bag again a quarter of a cup at a time every 4 - 7 minutes until the bag is full again this will take another 30 - 45 minutes. Once the bag is full again the second time it is time to remove the animals from the bag and place them into the tank or aquarium. If you are transfering a hardy fish or motile invertebrates, use a net to do so. If you are transfering tangs or other sensitive animals, use a cup to capture them, be sure to pour as little of the water from the bag into the tank as possible. When transfering sessile invertebrates, such as corals or anemones you should probably use your hand. Just be sure to use clean, sterile and powder-free gloves, discard the remaining water in the bag.
The Drip Method
As with the float method, before you open the container in which your new animals have arrived in be sure to turn off the lights in your quarantine tank or aquarium and dim the lights in the room. Once you have the lights dimmed open the container to check that all of your new animals have arrived in good health and the bags are intact and will be able to hold up during the acclimation period. The drip method is the most desirable method to use when acclimating sensitive animals such as clams, shrimp, snails, cucumbers, urchins, starfish, or animals sensitive to pH and salinity shock. All animals from seperate bags must be drip acclimated separately in seperate containers. If this is the procedure you chose pleas ensure you are present during the entire procedure to prevent spillage.
Begin by floating the bags in the aquarium for 20 - 30 minutes to allow temperatures to equilibrate. DO NOT open the bag while the bag is in the tank, remove it from the water to open it. You will need a sterile plastic tub or bucket to use, gently pour the specimen into the holding container. You will need to set up a siphon from your main aquarium to your holding container using airling tubing, or the pisces pro acclimator. Start the siphon and adjust flow to about 1 - 3 drips per second. Depending on water volume, you want the volume to double in 45 - 60 minutes. Once your container volume has doubled, discard half of the container's water, and resume dripping for another 45 - 60 minutes untile the water volume has doubled again. This process will need to be repeated a third time for sensivtive animals. You can now remove the animal from the holding container and place it into the aquarium. For motile inverts, use a net to transfer them. When transfering sessile invertebrates, such as corals or anemones you should probably use your hand. Just be sure to use clean, sterile and powder-free gloves, discard the remaining water in the bag.
Acclimation Tips to Remember
1. Acclimation requires time so take your time and be patient.
2. Make sure not to expose sensitive invertebrates to the air.
3. Dim the lights in the room the tank is in, bright lights can and will stress out your animal.
4. Keep your aquarium lights off for at least 4 hours after acclimating.
5. During the acclimation process you will need to keep plenty of new salt water on hand to maintain the water level in your quarantine tank.
6. If any animal is without water, make sure to introduce them to the quarantine tank immediately. Invertebrates are inter-tidal, and are accustomed to periods of little or no water.
7. It is important to acclimate an animal that arrives looking dead anyway. In many cases the animal will make a very dramatic recovery when properly acclimated.
8. If an animal arrives and looks dead, acclimate it anyway. Many animals will make a quick and dramatic recovery when properly acclimated.
9. You have invested time and money putting your saltwater aquarium together and have researched the habitat requirements, naturally you will want to protect your investment by performing a proper acclimation process. Proper acclimation is key to ensuring a successful relocation.
