1.2 Acclimation Guide for Corals, Anemones and Invertebrates

1.2 Acclimation Guide for Corals, Anemones and Invertebrates

1. Acclimation Guide for Corals, Anemones and Invertebrates

   (Note: Excludes Starfish and Shrimps as these need to be drip Acclimated)

   1. No need to set up aeration if you are acclimating only corals/invertebrates, and not any fish
   2. Empty out the coral bags into the acclimation bucket. Place the corals/invertebrates in the acclimation bucket in such a way that none of them touch each other. Chemicals from one coral can kill/burn the other coral if two different species of corals touch each other.
   3. Syphon the water from your main tank (where the corals are going to go in) and let the water flow in your acclimation bucket without restricting the flow. Do not tie a knot or restrict the flow in any form. We don’t want drip acclimation, but we want full flow acclimation. We do not recommend drip acclimation for our coral shipments, but we recommend Flow Acclimation.
   4. Let’s say your acclimation bucket has one gallon of water to start with (from emptying the coral bags into it), Then you need to wait till the total volume becomes at least three gallons by the flow via airline tube. Once again, please do not restrict the flow in any form. We want full free flow through the airline tube. When the water volume has tripled approximately, you may remove half of the water (about 1.5 gallons) from the acclimation bucket and discard the water. Wait till the water volume becomes three gallons again by the flow.
   5. Now your corals/invertebrates are ready to be placed in the main tank. Place your corals into your main tank by super glue or other placement methods you are comfortable with.
   6. The entire process should not take more than 15 to 20 minutes. Corals are hardy and we have had exceptionally good success with this method.

   FAQ

   1. Can I acclimate Starfish and Shrimps by Flow Acclimation?

   No, Starfish and Shrimps are so sensitive that they need to be slowly drip acclimated even for our shipping method.

   2. Why is acclimation needed for corals/invertebrates?

   The water parameters of your main tank may be different from that of the water in the shipping bags. For example, the temperature, pH, Salinity, Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrates, Phosphates, and other parameters of the main tank water will be somewhat different from that of shipping bag water. corals need to go from shipping water parameters to your main tank water parameters. and this process cannot be sudden or abrupt. Corals/Invertebrates need to get used to the main tank water parameters slowly so that the corals are not shocked. Keep in mind that too long of an acclimation is also not necessarily good for the corals as temperature gradience will set in. Corals had traveled inside a bag with limited water and the water is most likely polluted and our goal is to get them out of the polluted shipping water as quickly as we can via Flow Acclimation. Too long of an acclimation may hurt your corals (more than 45 minutes), so we recommend our quick Flow Acclimation which should only take about 10 to 15 minutes. 

   3. What type of acclimation is needed?

   We Strongly recommend Flow Acclimation, and we do not recommend drip acclimation for the corals/Invertebrates shipped from us. For our shipping method we recommend only Flow Acclimation.

   4. Can I acclimate fish, corals and invertebrates together?

   It is not a good practice to acclimate fish, corals and invertebrates together. Let’s say the supplier ships fish with some level of copper, other unknown medications that could kill corals and invertebrates or let’s say the supplier ships with hypo salinity water (we don’t ship like that, but we just want to give you some assumptive situations). Also keep in mind that fish needs different types of acclimations from corals and invertebrates, it is always good to separate fish from corals and invertebrates.

   5. Can I acclimate corals and invertebrates together?

   Usually yes, however there are some exceptions. We don’t recommend acclimating shrimp or starfish along with corals. Shrimps and Starfish are so sensitive that you need to set up a separate acclimation bucket for them and need to drip acclimate them for at least 45 minutes (should not Flow Acclimate Starfish or Shrimps)

   6. Can I put heater inside the acclimation container when acclimating?

   Heater should never be used inside the acclimation bucket as water temperature has inverse relation with the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water. Oxygen concentration is inversely proportional to water temperature. Also, corals can get burns when they touch the heater tube, so we don’t recommend heaters inside the acclimation bucket.

   7. Is longer acclimation usually better than shorter acclimation?

   No, we always recommend short and fast Flow Acclimation for our corals (15 to 20 minutes)

   8. What are the Pros and cons of acclimating corals?

   Pros:

   • minimizes the shock that the corals go through

    

   Cons:

   • It’s needed. Acclimation is necessary and you shouldn’t skip acclimation
   • So many hobbyists kill corals by very long drip acclimation which may go wrong when done incorrectly.
   • It is very easy to set up the acclimation incorrectly and kill corals.
   • Often confusing as different suppliers may recommend different acclimation methods.

    

   9. Can I float the bags in my main tank for 10 minutes before emptying out in the acclimation bucket so that the bag water temperature is same as main tank. In other words, can I temperature acclimate by floating the fish bags in my main tank?

   You do not need to float the bags in your main tank for Flow Acclimation that we recommend. During the flow acclimation, the flow is so high that the temperature of the water in the acclimation bucket will get very close to the main tank water very quickly. Time is of the essence here, as the corals/invertebrates have traveled a long distance inside a bag, and the water inside is already polluted. We don’t want to keep the corals inside the shipping water any longer time than what is really needed. So, save those 10 to 20 minutes float time, skip it, and get to the process of Flow Acclimation right away.