Saltwater Animal Acclimation

Saltwater Animal Acclimation

Acclimation is the process of introducing your new marine animals into your aquarium. Surprisingly, the first step in successful acclimation begins in the pet shop when you are selecting your new tank mates. Learning to select healthy, vibrant and compatible animals for your aquarium can take a little practice, but will ultimately lead to your overall success as a marine aquarium hobbyist.

Often times, picking healthy animals is simply a matter of common sense. Healthy fish should have clear, vibrant colors and be free of obvious parasites or injuries. They should be active but not overly nervous, swimming casually about the tank searching for food and exploring their environment. Sick fish often exhibit obvious signs such has hiding in corners, "breathing" heavily and darting about the tank. Avoid buying fish from any tank that contains obviously sick fish. Remember, they are in small, closed environment, and if one is sick it is highly likely that they have contaminated other tank mates that might otherwise appear healthy. Study up and learn the behavior patterns of the particular species you are considering purchasing and use that as a guideline when selecting which animals to purchase.

Now, on to the actual process of introducing the new animals into your aquarium. Start by turning off your aquarium lighting. This calms your existing aquarium inhabitants so that they will not be overly stressed or curious of their new tank mates. Some of them may even go to their night cover or resting places thinking it is time to settle in for the night. It also provides a more serene environment for you new animals to be introduced into, and allows them to explore their new home slowly and without bright lights bringing attention to them.

Open the plastic bag that you've brought your animal(s) home in and place it into the aquarium, letting it float on the top of the water while securing the top of the bag so that it doesn't tip into the tank. This is called the "float" method, for obvious reasons. This is by far the simplest and most widely used method of introducing your fish into their new home. Some aquarists debate that this is the best method, but I can honestly say that with over 20 years of experience and using this method exclusively, I have never lost an animal due to this acclimation process. But, that being said, it is important to do it properly. They must "float" for at least an hour, preferably closer to two hours. This will allow time for the water temperature in the bag to adjust to the temperature in your tank. Every fifteen minutes or so, scoop a small amount of aquarium water from your tank and pour it into the plastic bag with your new fish(es.) This will allow them to slowly adjust to any chemical differences between your aquarium water and the water from the pet shop. After one to two hours of this, they should be ready to release into your tank. Slowly tip the opening of the bag into your tank and allow the fish(es) swim out rather than dumping them into the tank.

Keep the aquarium light turned off for the rest of the day to allow them time to explore and adjust to their new environment. Do not offer them food until the next day, when the should be fairly adjusted to their new home and ready to start looking for food.

When you're done here, check out some of these other aquarium sites:
Katy's Tropical Fish
Angelfish Revealed
SaltWater Aquarium Advice
Tropical Fish Secrets
Aquatic Experts
Starting A Reef Tank