RE: [Killietalk] How to acclimate killies

["Kray, Edd" <Edd_Kray at rf.doe.gov>]

I started to get skeptical about published acclimatization techniques
when I started snorkeling in Hawaii and observed that these reef fish
who were supposed to be living in such constant environments (per the
textbooks) were, like me, swimming from water layers that varied in
temperature and salinity by large amounts: 90 degrees at the surface to
70 a few feet down. Normal sea water density to some pretty fresh water
near stream inlets.

Yes, I too just dump my fish in the tank.

I think its nervous system shock that effects some fish occasionally
upon introduction (like chocolate gouramis). Killies (most) seem not to
be so emotionally fragile.  

-----Original Message-----
From: matt kaufman [mailto:igotadose at hotmail_com] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 10:51 AM
To: killietalk at aka_org
Subject: [Killietalk] How to acclimate killies

Might as well get another thread going...

When I first kept killies, I did the 'cup at a time' acclimation the pet

shop people told me about (what did I know.) Then, from the predecessor
of 
this list, I learned about drip acclimation and I used it for years -> 
frankly, not always with good results. Some fish refused to acclimate, I

remember my first AUS that I tried to keep in my liquid rock tapwater
curled 
up, went blind and died. Some turned crispy after escaping from the 
acclimation setup (usually a jar, a lid, and a drip line of airline
tubing. 
Lids can come off inadvertently :-( )

Last year, I asked some experienced, very successful killi keepers how
they 
acclimate new fish.
The surprising answer was: "Splash acclimation." Get the fish home,
float 
the bag to equalize the temp, then let them go.

I was skeptical, till I tried it for the last few pairs of fish I've
picked 
up this year, including some that traveled from NJ to Seattle recently.

No losses. No illness. Happy robust fish within  minutes of being 
acclimated.

Does anyone else 'splash acclimate' their fish? I've personally had fish

'splash acclimate' themselves from one tank to another, and it never
seemed 
to affect them -> fish could jump from softwater tanks to african
cichlid 
tanks, and vice versa (leleupi love gardneri fry :-( ) without any
problems.

Maybe we're all just propagating hearsay. I've seen discus acclimated
via 
splash acclimation without losses, too.

Matt

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