[bigsteve]

Hey all... just got 3 more blue green chromis from the LFS. Had 3 but one died, and when I move to my bigger tank, I want a school of 5 anyway, so... got some more.
Anyway... before (big mistake, and at the advice of my friends), I've always been in a hurry, and floated the bag for 30min, drained the water, and threw the livestock in. They proceed to swim and hide, come out a few hours (or days) later, looking timid.
So, this time I decide to drip acclimate. I had nothing better to do, and I'm tired of my fish stressing out ( I know it's had to kill at least one). DUDE!!! I've never seen happier fish when they're first released into the tank! I'm dripping everything from now on. They went right away to the other two chromies and started swimming around like they own the place.
I highly reccomend that all the newbies out there get into the habit of drip acclimation from their first fish... You'll notice a lot happier fish, and a lot less stress.
(P.S. I know this was kind of a pointless post, but I really never thought the difference in acclimation would make such a huge difference in the fish's demeanor. I'm going by the advice on the board, and from the books from now on. No "friendly" reccomendations)

 

[aaron childs]

Glad you and your fish are happy! Good luck! Drip acclimation is the least stressful for the fish, and its good you reminded people the bag float and dump is NOT the way to go.

 

[goinballde]

I also use the drip method and have for yrs....My biggest confusion is the time...my lfs...says anything longer then 45 mins is too long...on this site some things say 2 hrs to acclimate.. I have heard so many different opinions on this. So I usually try to add 3 times the amount of water from my tank to the bucket where new fish are in with lfs water...Any long time reefers have a opinion on the acclimation time,,,do u really follow exactly the time that SWF lists?

 

[aaron childs]

I acclimate the time that SWF.com lists ... Sometimes I cheat the time by 15 minutes, but no more ... No deaths to anything yet.

 

[kablamo]

Can anyone explain the process involved with drip acclimation?

 

[gregvabch]

the time this site recommends for acclimation is for livestock that has been shipped to you from them. you have to take into consideration how long the fish has been in transport. when bringing something home directly from the pet store, 30 minutes to an hour is fine. something that's been inside a box couped up in a bag with no circulation for a day or two deserves a little more time to get used to new water conditions.

 

[clown_nut]

now is the tubeing listed by this website to use bigger or smaller then your average clear air line tubeing for air pumps/stones???

 

[gregvabch]

dripping makes for a gradual change in water parameters, as opposed to drastic.

 

[goinballde]

That totally makes since about the fish during shipping...i have always bought my fish from LFS..

 

[lilredcmc]

the first thing i do is float the fish to get the temp somewhat the same. then i put the fish in a container with the water from the lfs. i have a piece of airline tubing with a knot tied at the end. i get the water started and loosen the know to start the drip. i mark a line where the water is before i start the drip. when the water is a little more than double i wait another 10-15 minutes then gently add the fish to the tank. one time i was in a hurry and just floated the bag and added water every 10 minutes. for some reason that never works for me. within a few days the new fish die. so i take my time and do the 'drip thing' and everyone is happier all around

 

[zap800]

here is a pic of my set-up for drip acclimation. its so simple its stoopid not to do it. all i did was syphin the water into a new 5 gal bucket useing plain ole airline tubing. i taped the tube to the handle of the bucket. then i moved the handle up and don until i got the flow i wanted. also i put a loop in the line so if i couldnt slow the flow enough by raising and lowering the handle all i need to do was tighten the loop.

 

[meemo]

Hi
I found that very helpful! Especially the link. I will be buying my first fish, a clownfish from lfs next week and will be sure to use the drip method. I guess I will only need to do it for 30 minutes to an hour at most since I only live 10 minutes away.

 

[neotrin17]

I would do it for an hour at least. Remember it isn't just about getting the temp the same, but you are introducing your tank to the fish. So gradually...very slowly...changing the parameters of the fishes environment is much better then "paramater shock." Once you do this and see how quickly the fish are already ready to eat and play around you will be happy.