Plop and drop vs. Drip acclimation

[mrseigel]

So I just received forktail rainbow fish shipped in the mail and half of them died within hours of trying to acclimate them. I am obviously very disappointed. I tried drip acclimating them using a fluval breeder box. I also added ammono lock during the process. Why did this happen? I am also confused about the different processes for acclimation. Is plop and drop better than drip acclimation? I can't seem to keep fish alive and honestly feel like quitting after this. I had a similar issue of a mass die off after getting fish shipped a few months ago. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Magnum Man]

There are many discussions about the best method … imo, it really comes down to the fish… some are more fragile than others
The water the fish came from… does it match what the fish needs, or does that water stress them out
The water you’re putting them into… does it match the water they came from, and is it the water a fish would thrive in

I’ll admit, that I almost always cut and dump… modified… I don’t open the bag before I’m ready to ad the fish, then I add a half bag of water from the tank they are going in to, to the bag the fish are in, 30 to 60 seconds to acclimate to any temperature and Ph, and hardness changes, and over a dish pan, I pour them into the net, and right into the tank ( either a quarantine tank, or if I’m sure of the fish, and seller, into their forever home )

I have lost fish doing this, but typically any fish that’s worth trying to keep will survive..
I have bought some fish from a few mail order sellers, that more fish die, than live, and my semi local fish store… if I buy a fish from them, they will only go into a quarantine tank, and I no longer buy from the sellers, who the bulk of their fish die

 

[seangee]

I plop and drop, never had a problem. As @Magnum Man says choose your supplier carefully.

 

[GaryE]

Die offs can happen even from the best supplier. Shipping, airlines, etc is not an ideal environment.

I drain off the water through a net and add my fish as quickly as I can. The shipping bag here is always colder than the tank, so I don't have to worry about temps. I consider drip acclimation to be soaking in ammonia for longer than necessary.

Getting fish shipped is always a high risk activity. Even airport to airport. If the fish are several to a bag and take more than 24 hours, then whatever health/stress issues the fish may have balloon.

 

[10 Tanks]

So I just received forktail rainbow fish shipped in the mail and half of them died within hours of trying to acclimate them. I am obviously very disappointed. I tried drip acclimating them using a fluval breeder box. I also added ammono lock during the process. Why did this happen? I am also confused about the different processes for acclimation. Is plop and drop better than drip acclimation? I can't seem to keep fish alive and honestly feel like quitting after this. I had a similar issue of a mass die off after getting fish shipped a few months ago. What am I doing wrong?

Hello. You float the bag of fish in the new tank for up to one hour. Every 15 to 20 minutes, you add a little of the new tank water to the bag. After an hour, I just tilt the bag so the fish can swim out. This way, you limit the amount of bag water that goes into your tank. Actually, there's nothing in the older water that can harm fish. If you keep an exceptionally clean tank, you naturally have very healthy fish. So, the chances of a contamination is very remote.

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