The Drip Method of Fish, Invert, and Coral Acclimation

The Drip Method

Before you open the container in which your new animals have arrived in be sure to turn off the lights in your quarantine tank or aquarium and dim the lights in the room. Once you have the lights dimmed open the container to check that all of your new animals have arrived in good health and the bags are intact and will be able to hold up during the acclimation period. The drip method is the most desirable method to use when acclimating sensitive animals such as clams, shrimp, snails, cucumbers, urchins, starfish, or animals sensitive to pH and salinity shock. All animals from separate bags must be drip acclimated separately in separate containers. If this is the procedure you chose pleas ensure you are present during the entire procedure to prevent spillage.

Begin by floating the bags in the aquarium for 20 – 30 minutes to allow temperatures to equilibrium. DO NOT open the bag while the bag is in the tank; remove it from the water to open it. You will need a sterile plastic tub or bucket to use, gently pour the specimen into the holding container. You will need to set up a siphon from your main aquarium to your holding container using airline tubing, or the Pisces Pro Acclimator. Start the siphon and adjust flow to about 1 – 3 drips per second. Depending on water volume, you want the volume to double in 45 – 60 minutes. Once your container volume has doubled, discard half of the container’s water, and resume dripping for another 45 – 60 minutes until the water volume has doubled again. This process will need to be repeated a third time for sensitive animals.

Now you can remove the animal from the holding container and place it into the aquarium. For motile inverts, use a net to transfer them. When transferring sessile invertebrates, such as corals or anemones you should probably use your hand. Just be sure to use clean, sterile and powder-free gloves, discard the remaining water in the bag.

IMPORTANT NOTE – Make sure that NONE of the water from the bags carrying your new specimen go into your main tank or quarantine tank. You do not want any of the chemicals or diseases/sicknesses that could have been in the tank the specimen came from transferred to your tank.

Acclimation is a huge part of getting new life to adapt to your tank. It determines if your already stressed fish, inverts, or coral will survive. Each animal that is introduced to your tank is very delicate and should be handled with extreme caution – you just spent hard earned money on this animal so make sure you follow the steps and protect the life of the animal and your investment. See The float method for another commonly used and effective acclimation process

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109 Responses to “The Drip Method of Fish, Invert, and Coral Acclimation”

1. Acclimation | Reef Chronicle says:

   April 9, 2009 at 12:26 am

   [...] The drip method [...]