How to acclimate your fish and invertebrates
- Turn off the aquarium light and float the bags of fish/inverts in your aquarium for about 30 minutes until the water in the bag has the same temperature as the water in your aquarium.
- Once you’ve acclimated for temperature, take one bag out of your tank and empty the water and fish into a clean bucket.
- Scoop your fish/invert out of the bucket with your net and release it into your aquarium.
- Discard the dirty shipping water left in the bucket.
- Using the same procedure, continue to open the remaining bags of fish/inverts, one bag at a time. Your fish or inverts might hide soon after being introduced to your tank; this is normal.
Coral Acclimation Guide
Step 1: Turn the Aquarium Light off
By turning off the lights, you remove a possible source of stress for the new arrival.
Step 2: Empty the coral into a larger container
Use a container to acclimate the new corals.
Step 3: Add 1/2 cup of Aquarium Water every few minutes
The entire acclimation process should not take more than 30 minutes.
Step 4 (optional): Pest Control Dip
Here at Hooked On Reefs we pest control dips to reduce the risk of hitchhikers and parasites making it into your aquariums.The most use coral dip is Coral Rx for pests such as flatworms and nudibranchs.
Step 5: Release the coral into the aquarium
Find a suitable location where the new coral will receive the appropriate flow and lower light. It will need a few days to adjust to the new lighting.
Appearance After Shipping
- Your corals will be retracted because of shipping, it is completely normal.
- Fish may show stress patterns, spotted
- Inverts may be lethargic
Here are how some commonly ordered corals appear when you receive them:
Zoanthids – completely closed, purple appearance of outside flesh
Soft corals – Deflated and closed.
LPS Corals – Retracted. Hammers, torches, frogspawn will all appear to be VERY deflated.
Hard corals – No polyp extension and slime is normal.
Many species of coral will not open for several days after introduction into their new home. Please allow several days for the coral to adapt to the new conditions in the aquarium.
