• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Hoping to dodge a rookie error re shrimp acclimation

Jack B

Member
Joined
3 Jan 2020
Messages
176
Location
London
Hi everyone,

My new tank is cycled, and being all excited I ordered some amano and red cherry shrimp which will arrive tomorrow.

I was all set to 'plop and drop' as per Rachel O'Leary et al, but having read more on here last night, most people seem to do some kind of acclimation...which I've not really prepared for

I have hard water, and a tank pH that has settled out at 7.2

I have dechlorinator ready to go, but nothing like Prime to combat ammonia in the bag they come in. I do also have a length of air pipe, net, and plenty of buckets/containers if I need to go down that route.

I'm aware there are varied opinions on acclimation, but if anyone has experience/knowledge of doing this with similar water parameters I'd be grateful for any comment, being a total newbie.

Thanks!!
 
Contact the seller for current shrimp conditions, if they aren’t too different you can just net and transfer
(this technique works well for commercial shipments as there are many shrimp/fish that have travelled 1-3 days in a small volume of water - setting up a drip acclimation in this situation is impractical and often leads to higher losses for various reasons)



What are you using for water conditioner/dechlorinator?
 
Green Aqua video shows the shrimp in bag acclimation starting ~11min



Note these fish came from a (relatively) local wholesaler and water conditions have likely been discussed during order process
Some fish were netted, others were released along with bag water - I rarely add shop water to my tanks, there just isn’t much of a reason to do so
 
I have always acclimated amano by floating and slowing adding a cup of tank water every so often for an hour.
For my other shrimp I have drip acclimated them
  • Put the contents of the bag into a jug
  • Removed a big cup of water
  • Use airline with a tap on so siphon water a drip or two a second
  • wait until TDS an temperature is about the same as tank
For amanos though I have found them pretty hardy
 
I admit I’ve had a fatality before but I open the bag and float it in the tank and as jameson does I add a small amount of tank water at intervals over about an hour before adding them to the tank. I used to do this with fish as well many years ago and never had any problems at all.
 
Contact the seller for current shrimp conditions, if they aren’t too different you can just net and transfer
(this technique works well for commercial shipments as there are many shrimp/fish that have travelled 1-3 days in a small volume of water - setting up a drip acclimation in this situation is impractical and often leads to higher losses for various reasons)



What are you using for water conditioner/dechlorinator?


Thanks Alto - I've just got some basic King British Dechlorinator, along with some Seachem pristine that came with the tank (not planning to use the latter til my tank matures). Am planning to get a tub of Seachem Safe to use going forward - will arrive later next week I expect
 
Shrimp are stressed by bagging/shipping etc - they’re just a bit harder to read (than fish)

eg, if you add a frond of Limnophila sessiliflora to a container with shrimp, soon most will be clinging (hiding perhaps) to the plant

If you don’t have any plant material, a decent sized fish net seems acceptable- I’ve an old square cut green Eheim net that I use for shrimp, even after being placed in the tank, shrimp often remain clinging to that net - I leave the net leaning against whatever so that net is “open”, and remove several hours later
 
Really grateful Alto - and everyone. Will deploy the advice tmw, incl the net. Supplier pH is apparently the same, and hardness is 12dH compared with my 15...so I could probably plop and drop, but have set up my drip acclimaton kit now so kinda want to use it!
 
If you’re doing drip acclimation from aquarium to floor- beware of vibrations and “looming” (Predator Alert), dim light, shallow broad container is better re oxygen exchange at surface (unless you’ve an air sponge running - note any flow should be (very) gentle)

Given the relatively small difference, I’d plan to drip acclimate only for an hour or so - shrimp/fish are usually much more stressed during this process than once in the tank
 
Since doing the drip method with shrimp, I've never lost a single one in new tanks; this includes acclimating shrimp from wildly different TDS.

Slow and steady pays off
 
Since doing the drip method with shrimp, I've never lost a single one in new tanks; this includes acclimating shrimp from wildly different TDS.

Slow and steady pays off

My task is clear! Thanks both, that's great.
 
Well they're in! And very much alive so far...

The Amanos are so lively in fact that they're scrabbling up the glass and almost getting out - despite a 4cm gap from the water.

The water here is 15dH...wonder if they're unimpressed with that. Maybe they'll settle down...? I've put clingfilm over the tank for now!
 
Well they're in! And very much alive so far...

The Amanos are so lively in fact that they're scrabbling up the glass and almost getting out - despite a 4cm gap from the water.

The water here is 15dH...wonder if they're unimpressed with that. Maybe they'll settle down...? I've put clingfilm over the tank for now!

They're infamous escape artists, beware lol

They also scuttle like insects on the floor, it's quite disconcerting
 
I bet!

Don't want to cover the tank permanently so it may have to be survival of the laziest...can't really drop the water lower - the tank's drilled
 
Back
Top