Acclimation Page

PROPER ACCLIMATION IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY!

Why is it important? Well imagine this: You have lived your whole life in Sunny Hawaii. Suddenly, your moved to the North Pole without any warning! You are still in your shorts and T-shirt and its COLD! You had no time to get warm clothes, or even time to get use to your new surroundings! This will cause you to become very STRESSED OUT, SICK, and you may even DIE! This is what your "Wet Pet" goes through when they are taken from one tank environment and placed in another. If the level in the new tank differs from that of their old tank environment, this will cause shock, thus in turn cause sickness and even death! This is why proper acclimation of your New "Wet Pet" is very important. During the acclimation process you are helping your new "Wet Pet" to become use to your tank's levels of: Salt, PH, Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites, and temperature!

It is urgent that you unpack your Wet Pets as soon as possible.. Because patience and proper acclimation are the most critical elements in ensuring the survival of your new Wet Pets, it is essential to read and understand all steps before beginning. Never rush the acclimation process! It takes a minimum of one hour to allow the fish, corals, and invertebrates time to adjust to their new home. One to Two hours is not unusual and allows the specimens the best chance for survival. USE THIS GUIDE FOR OUR CORALS AND FISH!

Regardless of whether you have Salt or Freshwater Fish, start by feeding the old Fish in your tank, this will help prevent them from attacking the newcomers. After you have fed your fish, turn off your aquarium lights and leave them off during this process. This will cut down on stress and tank aggression among the fish you have now.

1) The UNOPENED bags should be floated in the quarantine tank or aquarium for 20 minutes. . It is critical not to open the bags until after the shipping water has had time to match the aquarium water temperature. If opened prematurely, the water will quickly lose dissolved oxygen causing possible suffocation. Air stones must never be added to the shipping bag. The aeration process will rapidly raise the pH and cause an increased ammonia level, each of which is toxic to the fish.

2) Carefully open the shipping bag, roll back the edges of the plastic to form a float ring. Continue floating the now open bags. For heavier items that are prone to sinking, such as corals, place the items and all of the shipping water in an acclimation container. An empty salt bucket or Rubber maid container works well for this. NOTE! If you are acclimating an eel, a wrasse, goby or any other "jumping fish", DO NOT ROLL THE BAG DOWN! These fish have a tendency to jump out prematurely into the tank. Instead, open the bag, and while acclimating, trap the top of the bag under the tank lid to keep the fish from escaping

3) Add a couple of ounces of aquarium water, depending on the size of the shipping bag, into the bag or acclimation container containing your new Wet Pet. Add no more than 20% of aquarium water into bag at any time. For smaller fish and invertebrates that require shipment in a very small bag, the amount should be six to eight drops at a time. A more gradual water exchange ensures the best chance for a successful transition into their new home. Continue this process every 8 to 10 minutes. When the bag is nearly full, remove half of the water from the bag, discard it, do not put this water back into your aquarium, and repeat the steps above, two more times.

4) Net your new Wet Pet from the shipping bag and release them into their new home... Most invertebrates and marine plants are more sensitive than fish to salinity changes. It is imperative to acclimate invertebrates to a specific gravity of 1.023-1.025 or severe stress or trauma may result.....
Sponges, clams, scallops, and gorgonians should never be directly exposed to air. Follow the acclimation procedure, but instead of netting the specimen out of the shipping bag, submerge the bag underwater in the aquarium and remove the marine life from the bag. Seal off the shipping bag underwater by twisting the opening, and remove it from the aquarium. Discard both the shipping bag and the enclosed water. A tiny amount of the diluted shipping water will escape into the aquarium. Don't be alarmed; this will have no adverse affect on the tank inhabitants.

WATER QUALITY MUST BE IN THIS RANGE FOR YOUR WET PETS TO SURVIVE!

Proper Salinity Levels:
10.20 - 10.23 This is the salinity level that your Wet Pets will be arriving in. The lower Salinity level means your Wet Pet is receiving higher oxygen levels during shipping. We use this level for our saltwater fish-only aquariums, and is an excellent level for your home aquarium. At this salinity level your Wet Pets are less prone to common ailments such as Ich.
10.23 - 10.25 This higher salinity is needed for saltwater aquariums with live rock and coral reef tanks.

Water Temperature:
76 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures below this will cause disease. If you keep getting Ich, this may be the reason.

Proper pH level:
8.2 - 8.4