How do you use a heater with drip acclimation?

I wouldn't want the water in the bucket to cool off, but I don't see how a heater can be used. You start off with hardly any water, and apparently the heater has to be submerged to avoid shattering, and be adjusted to the temperature of the water for 30 minutes before turning it on. Would you leave the heater in the tank water to acclimate it, then when there is enough water in the bucket, move it in?

 

Unless you have very sensitive fish, or there is a huge difference in the PH from the water they are coming from, to the water they are going into, drip acclimating is really not necessary. If you have bought them locally, they are more than likely they are in the same water that you have at home. Just make sure to float the bag to get them temp the same. After 20 minutes or so, without adding the water in the bag to your tank, put your new fish in.

I respectfully disagree with this statement. Making the assumption that the fish is brought home in water with the same chemistry will often lead to disaster. Two tanks sitting side by side can have drastically different pH.

 

Good morning,

I use the drip acclimation method for new fish. I float the bag in the tank for up to 30 minutes, then I add the fish into the bucket. The bucket I have sitting on a folded towel so it doesn't have to sit directly on my cold tile floor.

I drip the new tank water in for about 30 minutes then I remove most of the water from the bucket and let it drip for another 30 minutes. The drip is fast enough that the water doesn't have a chance to cool. I'll continue this for up to 2 or 3 hours.

As you add water to the bucket via the drip, you can remove water from the bucket from time to time helping to keep the waters of the tank and the bucket the same.



I have well water, my fish store has city water. Big difference!

Ken

 

If you're really worried, like if your apartment is freezing cold like mine, drip first to match the water chemistry and then do the float-the-bag method to match temp. No harm in having it both ways.

 

That sounds easy enough, thanks!

 

There are many factors that contribute to acclimation. Floating the bag (yes it has worked) is still a method of going about it, but while the fish may survive the ordeal of pH change (not to mention electrolyte and conductivity change) in the water, it's life span will have been shortened (to which degree we do not know).

Acclimation always points towards fish osmoregulation, which is the primary reason as to why we acclimate using different methods. I too use drip acclimation, very much the same as Ken's way of going about it.

For everyone's interest in the above mention of pH and osmoregulation:

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/understanding-ph-kh-gh-in-home-aqauriums.113548/

 

Okay, say one house has copper piping and the neighboring house has PVC piping. When attaching copper piping together, contractors use flux, which is basically made of acid. This flux can, and most often does, get inside the pipes and can, and does, lower pH. The house with the PVC doesn't use that flux, and therefor has a higher pH. One house could have a water filtering system also, which changes water chemistry a lot.

 

Okay, say one house has copper piping and the neighboring house has PVC piping. When attaching copper piping together, contractors use flux, which is basically made of acid. This flux can, and most often does, get inside the pipes and can, and does, lower pH. The house with the PVC doesn't use that flux, and therefor has a higher pH. One house could have a water filtering system also, which changes water chemistry a lot.

Agreed.

I personally don't use a heater. In summer there is no need, the water won't cool off that fast, and in winter most houses thermostats are turned up anyway. If you do have a colder temp around, I would just have less water in the bucket dripping. You'd have to fill up more often, but that will prevent the water in both buckets from losing much temperature.