Why do you need to acclimate your fish?

Water that the fish was packed in and your aquarium water has different parameters such as temperature, pH and salinity. Acclimating correctly can reduce the risk of shock to your new fish thus increasing its chance of survival.

Different types of acclimation

There are many different methods of acclimation. You should choose the method most suitable for the type of aquatic animal you have.

1) Float method

Best for fish shipped in 1/3 water and 2/3 oxygen.

1. Float the unopened bag of fish in your aquarium for 10-20 minutes to acclimate the temperature of the water in the bag of fish to the temperature of the water in the tank.
2. Open the bag and quickly transfer THE FISH ONLY into the aquarium.
3. Discard the water in the bag.

* There are internet sites that instruct you to remove half of the water in the bag and add the same amount of water from the aquarium into the shipped bag, repeating the step multiple times. However, that is NOT RECOMMENDED. While being shipped in the bag, the fish excretes ammonia and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide keeps the pH of the water in the bag low. Also, the same amount of ammonia is less toxic in low pH water conditions compared to that in high pH water conditions. Once the bag is opened, carbon dioxide escapes, thus raising the pH, causing ammonia toxicity.

2) Bucket method

This method would be advised for aquatic life shipping in a Kordon Breathing Bag. The Kordon breathing bag allows a natural exchange of gas without adding oxygen. Oxygen is diffused into the bag and carbon dioxide is diffused out of the bag. Therefore, it wouldn’t be wise to use the float method for fish in a Kordon Breathing Bag.

1. Open the bag and place all of its content into a clean bucket.
2. Add a double dose of water conditioner to neutralize the ammonia building up in the water.
3. Remove 1/4th to 1/3rd of water from the bucket and replace it with the same amount of water from your tank
4. After about 5 minutes, repeat the step 3. 
5. Perform the procedure a total of 3 times. 
6. After 5 more minutes, remove only the fish from the container and place into its tank.

3) Drip method

This method is the most complicated, time consuming and sensitive compared to the previous methods mentioned. Therefore, it is recommended for saltwater fish, invertebrates and fish that are sensitive to pH, specific gravity, and other water chemistry changes.

1. First, float the unopened bag in the tank for 15 minutes. *first step is similar to the float method yes? 
2. Pour the bag's content into a clean bucket (aquarium use bucket would be best to use)
3. If needed, prop bucket at a 45 degree angle if the fish is not completely submerged. 
4. Use an airline tubing or drip line to set a siphon drip line from the aquarium into the bucket.
5. Adjust the water flow rate to 2-4 drops/second.
6. When the volume of water doubles, discard 1/2 of the water and continue drip.
7. After about 1 hour of drip, remove the fish and place in its new home

* 1 hour for freshwater and 2-3 hours for saltwater and invertebrates.

Conclusion

Those are the 3 methods that I have found. A word of advice, whenever a fish is being acclimated, no matter which method is used, always dim the lights in the room and aquarium. The brightness might shock and stress the fish. Acclimating your new fish to the conditions of your aquarium is crucial in the longevity and health of the fish's life.