New Fish Acclimation

[Tempestuousfury]

How effective is this? I have read that this is best since the newer water helps the fish get acclimated to the tank water, yet someone on here a few months back (yes, this has beenkept alive somewhere in the back of my mind) claimed that it took days to weeks for a fish to get acclimated, so this process was worthless, seeing as how 1/2 an hour is nothing compared to a week.

Anyone have incontrivertible proof or thoughts?

 

[Lynden]

I do it for saltwater things... well not really, but it seemed to work very well. In fact, I did it to my Coral a few nights ago, a little more than a drip at a time, but I'd bet that if I would've just dropped the Coral in the newtank it would not have fared as well.

I don't do it with any kind of fish though. Just doesn't seem neccesary.

-Lynden

 

[vancouver]

Seems kind of meticulous.. I add about a cup or 2 of tankwater to the bag water every 10 minutes for about half an hour/.

 

[Bignose]

I've got proof, well, at least some of the latest research I have read has proof, that weeks is just a ridiculous amount of time.

Firstly, think about nature, water conditions change continuously. Specifically, during the day, as a function of temperature and sunlight, the pH of ponds and lakes can shift at least 1 unit, and maybe as much as 2 units. Also, during the a hard rain, all the runoff rushes into the rivers, streams, lakes, etc. This wash can be of very different water than what was in the lake.

If it took weeks to get acclimated, these fish would be constantly stressed.

Now, onto the science, I posted this a few months back:

According to Evans, Piermarini, and Choe "The Multifunctional Fish Gill: Dominant Site of Gas Exchange, Osmoregulation, Acid-Base Regulation, and Excretion of Nitrogenous Waste" Physiology Review 2005, the return of blood towards the control pH is primarily due to adjustments of blood bicarbonate concentrations via exchange of acid-base equivalents at the gills. Over 90% of the action occurs at the gills.

Basically, what is boils down to is that the fish exchanges CO2, Na+, and Cl- at the gills until the pH balance between the water and their internals is just the way they want it. Another quote from the above article: "Although variable with the type and extent of the acid-base disturbance, compensatory transport is usually activated within 20-30 min of the disturbance and can reach net-acid or net-base excretion rates of 1,000 micromol per kg per hour."

If I just let the flux rate be 100 micromol per kg per hour, I think that that means that the fish can change its internal pH around 4 units per hour per kg of the fish or faster down to a pH of 4.0 (after that the time starts increasing exponentially, i.e. 10 hours to get down to 3.0) I actually don't know what the internal pH of a fish is... anyone?. So, smaller fish (smaller kg) can change their pH faster -- makes sense, smaller circulatory system, easy to change concentrations in a smaller volume.

What is really interesting is that the acid-base exchange rate is also dependent upon the salt (Na+ and Cl-) solution, so GH and KH play a much larger role than may be usually suspected. This thread http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=123070 started just the other day linked to a site whose author deduced this relationship from experience.

So, it appears if the salts in the water are favorable, most aquarium fish can adapt to a change in pH pretty quickly -- in a matter of minutes really. But, if the changes in salt and total dissolved solids are big, the fish may not be able to use its ability to adjust its pH and that causes shock. In a funny analogy, a change in TDS is to fish's ability to change its pH like kryptonite is to Superman's super strength.

Note the 20-30 minute number cited for how quickly a fish responds to changes in it environment, and also note that changes in hardness seem to be far more important than changes in pH. This is probably why the drip method becomes more important for saltwater fish than the average FW fish.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Ok... not drip acclimation. Consider it any mixing of old and new water. Superfluous, cautionary, etc....?

That was mostly lost on me, I'm afraid...

However, hardness was not taken into account. Not to mention nitrogenous waste readings.

Of course, if they can adjust the pH levels, that in and of itself would be worth it.... though since most of that was lost on me, I am still not sure how readily fish adapt to pH since my chemistry skills are more than a tad bit rusty.

 

[Bignose]

Well, lost on you or not, the main thrust is that weeks to acclimate is just absolutely silly. I like what vancouver said, a few cups, 2 to maybe 4 times with a few minutes in between, is more than sufficent. Fish have the physiological capability to respond to changes quickly and safely, it is part of their nature.

Maybe the real moral of the story here is that FW fish are typically far hardier than we give then credit for, unless there is a large change in LFS water's hardness and your water's hardness.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

"lost on me" = I didn't fully understand, not that I disregarded the post...

 

[Tolak]

I Just float the bags & add some tank water over a half hour period. I am on day 4 of this procedure with a 29 with 5 angels thay refuse to pair; http/www.aquarticles.com/articles/breedi...%20seasons.html

I added 2 teaspoons of epsom salt, & 2 scoops of pH 8.2, which is basically calcium carbonate, on day 2 & today. I mixed it in a cup with some tank water, and poured it in a little at a time over around 15 minutes. This is a quick change in pH & hardness. Other than looking a little hungry the fish are fine with it. I'm going to test the pH tomorrow, my tap comes out at 7.6.

From what I understand, drip acclimating is good for when the fish are from vastly different water, or have been shipped and are already stressed. I thought it took 2 or 3 hours for a proper drip acclimation.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

So I take it you are increasing the pH and then will lower it to hopefully trigger pairing? (well, that's what I got out of the increased ph, anyways)

I've personally tried both dropping the fish in and acclimating with a cup (did the latter today with some rainbows). Can't say I noticed any real difference between the two methods...

 

[Tolak]

So I take it you are increasing the pH and then will lower it to hopefully trigger pairing? (well, that's what I got out of the increased ph, anyways)

That's part of imitating the seasonal changes, along with raising then dropping the temperature, as well as cutting back & ceasing food, then feeding a really good diet.