| Acclimation Made Easy |
Acclimation of new livestock is one of my least
favorite tasks. I rarely add any new specimens
to my system but when I do, I dread the task of
easing them into their new environment. I would
rather just dump them in, and that's the worst
thing you can do!
This all goes back to the fact that acclimation is
just a difficult and messy task. Some folks use
buckets and elaborate tubing setups to drip
water in. Others use a system of bowls and
glasses to move water. It always seemed to me
that there was no way to do it without using a
bunch of extra equipment. Then the other
99.999% of my life when I am not acclimating
fish I have to store the extra equipment and it is
just a complete pain in the butt.
That brings us up to today. I purchased a clown
shrimp to control a bit of a nuisance starfish
problem. This shrimp is $36, which to me is a
lot of money. I don't want this thing to die! So I
am forced to do everything in my power to
acclimate him properly. What a pain! Then on
the drive home it hits me, there is a better way!
Using a "binder clip" to clip the cut-open top of
the bag the rim of the sump (see picture) would
allow me to acclimate the fish without using any
favorite tasks. I rarely add any new specimens
to my system but when I do, I dread the task of
easing them into their new environment. I would
rather just dump them in, and that's the worst
thing you can do!
This all goes back to the fact that acclimation is
just a difficult and messy task. Some folks use
buckets and elaborate tubing setups to drip
water in. Others use a system of bowls and
glasses to move water. It always seemed to me
that there was no way to do it without using a
bunch of extra equipment. Then the other
99.999% of my life when I am not acclimating
fish I have to store the extra equipment and it is
just a complete pain in the butt.
That brings us up to today. I purchased a clown
shrimp to control a bit of a nuisance starfish
problem. This shrimp is $36, which to me is a
lot of money. I don't want this thing to die! So I
am forced to do everything in my power to
acclimate him properly. What a pain! Then on
the drive home it hits me, there is a better way!
Using a "binder clip" to clip the cut-open top of
the bag the rim of the sump (see picture) would
allow me to acclimate the fish without using any
extra equipment (except the clips which are a cinch to store). I just float the bags in the sump for a bit.
Then cut the tops open and clip the bag to the sump so that it hangs open. Adding a cup of water
every five minutes is super simple and after several cups I net them out and have a cold one to
celebrate my new "invention".
This is so simple that I cannot possibly be the first to think of it. But I haven't seen it discussed
anywhere so hopefully it helps someone here.
As a side note about acclimation: do NOT add the water that the specimen came in to your tank. The water that
the LFS includes in the bag for the ride home should be discarded after the animal is acclimated. No matter
how much you trust your LFS there could be any number of diseases, chemicals, etc in that water and even if
there isn't it gives absolutely no benefit to add it to your system. Pour it down the drain and enjoy your new
livestock!
Then cut the tops open and clip the bag to the sump so that it hangs open. Adding a cup of water
every five minutes is super simple and after several cups I net them out and have a cold one to
celebrate my new "invention".
This is so simple that I cannot possibly be the first to think of it. But I haven't seen it discussed
anywhere so hopefully it helps someone here.
As a side note about acclimation: do NOT add the water that the specimen came in to your tank. The water that
the LFS includes in the bag for the ride home should be discarded after the animal is acclimated. No matter
how much you trust your LFS there could be any number of diseases, chemicals, etc in that water and even if
there isn't it gives absolutely no benefit to add it to your system. Pour it down the drain and enjoy your new
livestock!
| Using a simple binder clip to keep the bag from spilling makes acclimation super easy! |