How do you acclimate or not? Why?

[Pharaoh]

Depends on the fish for me. If they are hardy fish, plop and drop. If they are fry or delicate, I float and drop.

 

[KevG]

I put the bags in tank for 20-30 minutes for temperature.
Then I put in a 1 gallon bucket and add tank water up to 3/4 full over about 15-20 minutes.
Then it's scoop and drop.

I honestly can't get most small tetras out of a bag without loosing patience big time so the bucket and 2 nets is so much easier.

 

[Ashes2ashes]

I use all the methods depending on what kind of creature and where it came from. When I order from trusted vendors for myself I will either float them or drip acclimate them. I drip acclimate if they come from the pet store. If it is from one of my tanks to another, I just plop and drop. So I would have to say I use all 3 depending on the situation. Intersting topic though...and interesting article...on page....1 I think.

 

[Fishfriend1]

I put the fish in a small bucket and scoop a cup or 2 of tank water into the bucket every couple minutes until the bucket is full. Then i plop-n-drop the fish into the tank, netting them out of the bucket.

 

[67chevelle]

I float to equalize the temp, and after 15-30 minutes I drop them in. I've never drip acclimated snails or shrimp, i just let the temps equal out, and then i plop them in...

^agree^
A big temperature change is my biggest concern too. Float them to get the bag temp close to the QT temp,and plop them in. I never add the water out of the bag to the tank though.

 

[James0816]

I use drip acclimation on EVERYTHING that goes into any of my tanks. It takes a few hours but it gives me a major sense of security. I would rather be safe than sorry.

 

[maverickbr77]

For most stuff i float for temp then drop them in. I have used drip on occasion for sensitive critters or highly stressed/injured critters(ie. my bad shape rescues)

 

[Lillyan]

I float them, then add tank water until the bag is filled. Then net them and release them. For more sensitive fish, I will dump out 2/3 of the water from the bag and again add tank water a little at a time until the bag is filled, then release them.
I also keep the bag open while I am floating and adding water[bag stays in the tank while adding water].
Sometimes the fish decide it's time to be released on their own and jump out, those have always made it.
My Dojo's always do that, tip, if you are moving Dojo's or similar fish, always keep a tight lid on their container!

 

[SubRosa]

Depends on the origin. Fish from wholesalers or retailers a simple float and cut will usually suffice, unless we're talking SW and the salinity in the bags is lower than the tanks they're going into in which case a little mixing of bag and tank water is indicated. For transshipped FW fish I add Prime to the bag, float for temp and cut. Prime doesn't just detoxify ammonia in the water it also detoxifies ammonia in vivo as well. For SW transhipped fish I take a few pH readings from the bags to get an average, drop the pH of a tank to that level add Prime, float the fish for temp and then cut them loose without putting bag water into the tank. Drop in a few airstones and crack open the valve to trickle system water into the tank overnight. The next day open the valve wide and turn off the aeration. I also add praziquantel to the tank for SW tranships to handle flukes.

 

[Taari]

I float the bag for about 5 minutes, then scoop a little tank water into it, then give it another 5 minutes, scoop a little more tank water in. I do that every 5-10 minutes for about 30-40 minutes. If the fish is going into a tank by itself, I just dump all the water in, if its going into a community tank with others, I pour it into a net and then place the fish into the tank.

I have never really had any fish that were so sensitive they needed to be drip acclimated, and i've never had fish shipped to me, so they've only been in the bag for the 30 minutes it takes to drive home.