How to Acclimate Saltwater Fish

Why Should I Acclimate Saltwater Fish?

Fish and other aquatic organisms are sensitive to such a limit that a little or sudden change in their habitat or environment can disturb their entire life cycle, and it then becomes quite impossible to retrieve back to normal conditions. One of the leading causes of the morality of the fish and other marine or aquatic environment is the sudden change in their environment intentionally or unintentionally.

When you buy some fish from the shop, the transporting bag in which the fish or other organism is packed in has different conditions (like temperature, pH, and salinity parameters) than that of your aquarium at home. Most of the marine and freshwater organisms (like fish) are very sensitive to even minor variations in these parameters, so proper attention is required to carry out the procedure of acclimation.

It is crucial that if you are carrying out any fish acclimation, you do it with extensive care and with proper steps that can’t disturb the stable environment of the fish or other organism. If a bit of time and effort is invested by properly acclimating the new fish or another organism into a new aquarium, this can save the fish from any stress or other mishaps!

What do you Need for Acclimating Fish?

It doesn’t matter at all that which method you are adopting for acclimating your fish. The following is the stuff you will need in almost every method:

• Cutting appliance usually some Scissors.
• Some tightening bands for enclosing the mouth of the transport bags.
• Small beakers.
• Any durable fishnet.
• Bucket or container to enclose the fish that is to be acclimated. (Only required in Drip Method)
• Airline hose, which must be some 6 feet in length.  (Only required in Drip Method)

Steps Needed to be Done Before Acclimating Your Fish:

Like any other process, you must go through some mandatory steps before starting the acclimation process for your organism. These below-mentioned steps can make your acclimation process as much stress-free as possible;  

• Turn off the lights of your aquarium.
• Dim the lights of the room where you are going to perform the acclimating of fish.
• Make sure that there is no entry of direct light to the newly bought fish.
• Open one side of the transport box to allow a small amount of light to enter into the transport bags carrying the fish. Make sure to perform this step slowly. Then wait for some 5-7 minutes.
• Then after some 5-10 minutes of the gap, slowly open the complete box to fully acclimate the fish to the light of the room.
• Now your fish are ready to begin one of the fluid acclimation processes, depending on their sensitive nature.

What are Popular Fish Acclimation Methods?

There are two tried and tested methods of acclimating not just fish, but these also work for acclimating invertebrates and other corals. The choice of method usually depends on the type of organism you want to acclimate.

• Bag Floating Method – Best for fish.
• Drip Method – Best for other Invertebrates and Coral.

Bag Floating Method:

The various steps involved in the bag floating method are given below:

1. A clean cloth and a cup of aquarium water are needed first.
2. Then the transport bags are thoroughly cleaned by using the cloth and the aquarium water to wash away any dirt or grease.
3. The transport bags are then rinsed with deionized or distilled water so that there is no contamination left. You can’t offer any risk at this stage.
4. Then the transport bags are placed inside the aquarium for some 15-20 minutes. This step makes the temperature of both water bodies equivalent.
5. The transport bags are cut after some 15-20 minutes, then the top part is rolled down like a sock approximately 1 inch, and then it is fixed to the rim of the aquarium. The factor will prevent any of the transport water from escaping into your display/QT tank
6. Into the transport bag, about ½ cup of aquarium water is poured in by using a jug.
7. For every 5 minutes, the above step is repeated.
8. As soon as the transport bags are filled with water, you need to remove 50% of the transport bag’s water by using a jug, and the water is discarded.
9. For about 30-50 minutes, the above two steps repeat again and again.
10. Then the water of the transport bag is tested carefully for temperature, Ph, and Salinity. If the conditions of both the transport bag and aquarium match, then you may proceed further. Otherwise, wait.
11. The net is used to place the fish from the transport bag into the aquarium. Do this step slowly. There is no need to hurry.
12. Then lastly, the transport bags are removed from the aquarium and disposed of in the trash.

Drip Method:

The drip method of fish acclimation is considered an advanced method:

1. The bucket or container in which you want to do acclimation is washed firstly.
2. The bucket is placed next to the aquarium.
3. All the transport bags containing fish and water are then cut and emptied into the bucket.
4. Label the height of the water and mark a level double that height.
5. Secure the airline hose to the rim of your aquarium using the clothes peg.
6. Tie a loose knot into the airline, then suck on the hose end that is nearer so that the flow of water is initiated to the bucket from the aquarium. Make sure you stop the sucking step when it reaches your mouth.
7. The tightness of the knot will set the drip-rate. The optimum drip rate is usually 2-4 drips per second.
8. Allow the water height in the bucket to double, then remove half the water and dispose of it properly.
9. You need to repeat this step for 40-50 minutes.
10. Carefully test the water in the bucket for temperature, Ph, and Salinity. If the parameters match that of your aquarium, then proceed to the next step.
11. Use the net to remove the fish from the bucket and slowly place it into the aquarium at your home.
12. Dispose of the water in the bucket, rinse the bucket, dry, and store it for future use.

Points to Take in Account While Acclimating the Fish:

Have patience and tolerance while you are performing this procedure of acclimation. The procedure of acclimation takes not more than 1-2 hours. For the safety and well-being of your fish, that is no big deal at all! You need to carefully read out the instructions and procedure of the acclimation before starting it. Sometimes it seems that the fish you have just bought is not moving, so it might be dead. No! it’s not like that at all. It usually happens with the aquatic organisms and other invertebrates that they appear as if they are no more. As you transport them to the aquarium or water, they will show movement and regain their breath. So no need to worry at all! There is no need to place an air-stone into the transport bag in which you have bought the new organism.

It’s crucial to keep the room and aquarium light off for some hours after the new species is introduced into the aquarium. As most invertebrates and marine plants are more sensitive than fish to salinity changes, so it’s obligatory to acclimate invertebrates to a specific gravity of about 1.023-1.025. Otherwise, it may lead to stress or trauma occurrence. Be very careful that you should not expose the sponges, clams, scallops, and gorgonians directly to the air. Sometimes, there arises some aggressive action between the new organism introduced and the previous one. There is o need to worry at all.

After Acclimating the Fish:

Turn off the aquarium lights and the room lights for the rest of the day if possible. If not possible, then slowly bring up the lights to full intensity after a minimum of four hours after fish introduction. It’s better to perform the acclimation process of fish at night, as the fish can have enough time to settle in before the next full day of light. After the acclimation of the fish into the aquarium, make sure to keep an eye on the newly added. Many times there arises some competition between the new addition and the previous organism.

In case if you find any aggression between the new addition and the previous organism, you may quarantine the previous one for some time. Don’t quarantine the new one! The new one needs enough time to get stable in the new environment. You can also buy an isolation cage that drops into the aquarium and is full of slots and spaces to allow water to move through it and place it inside the aquarium. In this way, the older, and the new ones may get some time to get adjusted.