Acclimating tangs

[AlexKilpatrick]

I decided to try an order from saltwaterfish.com, and ordered a powder blue tang. http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/product_info.php?products_id=280&parent_category=4 &category_search=61&root_parent_id=4&PHPSESSID=bfd dec539d5a4c307618ae69cac3948b

They recommend a 4+ hour acclimation, which seems very exteme to me. I remember at the MAAST meeting on tangs in SA, it was recommended to have a very short acclimation time for tangs.

Can anyone share they experience with me here? Long or short?

Thanks!

Alex

[z28pwr]

Alex, I try to drip them for about 35 - 45 minutes in a bucket NOT in the bag.

[cpreefguy]

I would also like to know. I have heard both. Seems to me that after shipping, the bag is the last place the tang should be, especially not for 4 hours.

[Richard]

Check the ph of the bag water first. If it is around 8.0 then float to adjust temperature, then FW dip for 5 minutes(ph adjusted to the ph of the qt tank it's going into,temp adjusted, and aerated), then into hyposalinity @ SG 1.010 for at least 1 week (4 weeks ideally). Hopefully you've planned to qt this guy. Generally a bad idea to add PB's to a display without quarantining first.

If the ph of the bag water is very low then you need to spend alot of time drip acclimating. If they do a good job of bagging/shipping then it should not be very low. In the case of very low ph (7.0 or below) I think it is safe to assume that some level ammonia has built up in the bag water. Ammonia is non toxic when the ph is below 7.0 but as soon as you start raising the ph it reverts back to a toxic form. So you should add an ammonia neutralizer such as prime if the ph is very low.

That's what I do. Haven't lost a PB yet.

[CD]

I would say your acclimation time should be gauged by the differences in salinity and PH...then temp. once equilization is reached there. I think the four hours is a good average time. It's always best to acclimate in a bucket as opposed to the bag, but sometimes you don't get enough shipping water to give the fish enough swimming space in the bucket or container...in that case, use the bag until enough water is added, then switch to the bucket. I *have* sped up an acclimation time before - but only because the fish was stressing out so much from the acclimation bucket, that I felt it was better off with a shorter acclimation time (faster drip).

As far as PBT's - those are one of the more *delicate* of the tangs, and a longer drip (four + hrs.) would be a good idea if the fish looks comfortable in the acclimation bucket. Hopefully you will be acclimating this fish to your QT tank?

Wendy