When first purchasing fish, a lot of people are concerned with the water temperature and getting the fish used to the level you have it at. While this is certainly important, so too is properly acclimating your fish to aquariums saltwater. Here are a few ways you can do so rather easily.
The most common method used by people today involves floating a bag full of water in a previously set up quarantine tank. It is vital you remove around a quarter of the water from the bag you receive at the fish store when arriving home as this will eliminate the risk of ammonia accumulating.
From there, replace this with water from the tank and float it in the tank. You will then add around 1 cup of tank water into the bag every 10 minutes for around an hour before finally letting the fish out into the tank. It is important you use a net to place the fish in the tank rather than simply dumping the bag into the aquariums saltwater as this can potentially place diseases into the tank.
The next method you will want to consider is extremely similar, only it involves placing the bag inside a clean bucket. The benefit of using a bucket is that you do not have to worry about water from the bag releasing into the tank. Other than using a bucket, every other step remains the same as you will lastly release the fish into the tank using a net.
The final option to consider, and the method that is highly recommended for saltwater fish, allows fish acclimate to the water being that most are more sensitive to pH and water chemistry change. With this method, you will use a bucket, vegetable clip with a suction cup, and a air pump tubing that can extend from the tank to the bucket.
You will start by placing one end of the tube into the vegetable clip and placing the clip into the tank. Next, tie a knot in the tube so you can adequately regulate the amount of water that flows out of the tank. Once the siphon is going and the other end of the tube is placed into the bag in the bucket, you will slowly drip water for however long is suitable for the fish you are acclimating. This can take as long as two to three hours, but it is well worth it.
Properly acclimating saltwater fish to aquariums saltwater is crucial for their safety and health. Applying one of these three methods can help eliminate the chance of a disease being picked up and can ultimately extend their lifespan.
